Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who has twice held the leading political role in London local government. He served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the Council was abolished in 1986, and then as the first elected Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A democratic socialist, Livingstone has positioned himself on the hard left of the Labour Party, although has also campaigned as an independent politician.Born to a working-class family in Lambeth, Livingstone joined the Labour Party in 1968 and was elected to represent Norwood at the GLC in 1973, before moving to represent Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977, and then Paddington in 1981. That year, he was internally elected leader of the GLC; attempting to reduce London Underground fares, his plans were challenged in court and declared illegal. More successful were his schemes to benefit women and underprivileged minorities, despite facing stiff opposition. A vocal opponent of the Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Livingstone was heavily criticised in the mainstream media for supporting controversial issues like republicanism, LGBT rights and a United Ireland, being given the moniker of "Red Ken" for his socialist beliefs. Viewing the GLC as a political threat and a waste of money, in 1986 Thatcher's government abolished the Council, putting Livingstone out of a job. Turning to a parliamentary career, he represented Brent East as an MP from 1987, becoming closely involved in anti-racist campaigns. Unsuccessfully standing for the position of Labour Party leader on a leftist platform, he was a vocal critic of the New Labour project that pushed the party to the centre.In 1999 Livingstone sought Labour's nomination to be the first elected Mayor of London; opposed by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, he successfully contested the 2000 election as an independent candidate, which led to his expulsion from Labour. During his first term, he organised a major upgrade of London's transport system, introducing the congestion charge and Oyster card, and unsuccessfully opposing the privatisation of London Underground. Although Livingstone was a vocal opponent of UK involvement in the Iraq War, Blair recognised his popularity in London, and invited him to rejoin Labour. Livingstone was re-elected in 2004, continuing and expanding his transport policies through mandatory bus and cycling lanes. Initiating and overseeing London's winning bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and ushering in a major redevelopment of the city's East End, he initiated improvements in energy saving and recycling, and enacted environmental and civil rights policies. His leadership during the 7 July 2005 London bombings was widely praised and brought him international attention. He stood unsuccessfully as Labour
I grew up in South London: if someone was rude to you, you were rude back to them. I didn't go to Eton and get all that smarmy charming education, I'm afraid.
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I don't mind a bit of personal abuse and I've occasionally done some myself.
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Everything that is wrong in society - drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, crime - is directly related to inequality of wealth.
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I think Margaret Thatcher is a severely damaged individual. She had a grim childhood, cold baths, discipline, order. There was no happy childhood there, and that's the case with most people who are political monsters. But, when she dies she's just another human being who dies. If we could go back and prevent her being born, that'd be a different matter, we'd all have been saved, but if it hadn't been Thatcher it would most probably have been Tebbit (Norman Tebbit), someone would have come up and done the same.
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Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher) so divided society that you were one side or the other, there was no middle ground.
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If you look at the history of the Post War world, in 1945 a Labour government and also the Truman administration following on from Roosevelt, set in place 30 years of Social Democracy, wealth differential was narrowed and lifespan improved. In the 1970s everyone said things were terrible, it wasn't, it was a bloody wonderful time. Womens' wages caught up with mens massively, the length of holidays went from two weeks to three or four, the average working day was cut by 40 minutes and crime levels were nothing compared to now. It was in a sense a much fairer society. And then Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher) came in here and Reagan (Ronald Reagan) in America and wrenched it into rebuilding inequalities of wealth, huge profits to corporations, and there were going to be casualties. And we're still suffering. When Cameron (David Cameron) talks about a Broken Britain he's right, but quite a lot of it he's not being honest with admitting who broke it.
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It used to be politics was a serious debate about the issues. Increasingly, it's "Are they good-looking? Would you like to sit next to them at a dinner party?" The two politicians who most changed the last sixty years are Clem Attlee (Clement Attlee), who people didn't even know he was in the room but he was hard as nails in doing the job, and Margaret Thatcher. No one liked Margaret Thatcher but they respected her. Now we've got to like politicians. (Speaking in 2009)
His decision to run for the London Mayoral election of 2000 against the official Labour Party candidate, Frank Dobson, contravened Labour Party rules and his membership of the party was terminated. He had to run as an independent.
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Former Labour Member of Parliament for Brent East.
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Elected Mayor of London. [May 2000]
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Snakes and Ladders
1989
TV Series
Red Ken
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Brexit: The Big Debate Live
2016
TV Movie
Himself - Former London Mayor
Election 2016
2016
TV Movie
Himself - Mayor of London 2000-2008
The 80s: Ten Years That Changed Britain
2016
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Leader of the Greater London Council, 1981-1986
Question Time
1982-2015
TV Series
Himself
20 Moments That Rocked the 00s
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Former Mayor of London
20 Moments That Rocked the 90s
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Former Mayor of London
20 Moments That Rocked the 80's
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Former Mayor of London
Election 2015
2015
TV Movie
Himself - Mayor of London 2000-08
Het Groot-Brittannië van
2015
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - Host
Newsnight
2008-2014
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Contributor
The Brits Who Built the Modern World
2014
TV Series documentary
Himself - Mayor of London, 2000-2008
The Big Benefits Row: Live
2014
TV Movie
Himself
The Culture Show
2013
TV Series documentary
Himself
This Week
2010-2013
TV Series
Himself
10 O'Clock Live
2011-2013
TV Series
Himself - Former Mayor of London / Himself - Labour Mayoral Candidate
Have I Got News for You
1990-2013
TV Series
Himself
Margaret Thatcher: The Woman Who Changed Britain
2013
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The 50 Funniest Moments of 2012
2012
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Living the Life
2012
TV Series
Himself - Politician
When Paddy Met Sally
2012
TV Movie
Himself
First Time Voters' Question Time
2011
TV Series
Himself
Utopia London
2010
Documentary
Himself
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
2009-2010
TV Series
Himself
The Noughties... Was That It?
2009
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Would I Lie to You?
2009
TV Series
Himself
The One Show
2009
TV Series
Himself
Sunday AM
2007-2009
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Mayor of London
Chris Moyles Quiz Night
2009
TV Series
Himself
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2009
TV Series
Himself
Have I Got News for You: The Inevitable Internet Spin-Off
2008
TV Series short
Himself
8 Out of 10 Cats
2008
TV Series
Himself
Election
2008
TV Series documentary
Himself
Tonightly
2008
TV Series
Himself
The Sunday Programme
1998-2008
TV Series
Himself
Io non sono un moderato
2007
Documentary
Himself - Mayor of London
BBC London News
2007
TV Series
Himself - Mayor of London
Blair: The Inside Story
2007
TV Series documentary
Himself - Mayor of London
Channel 4 News
2005-2007
TV Series
Himself - Mayor of London / Himself
London Tonight
2004-2007
TV Series
Himself - Mayor of London
The Last Days of the EMD Cinema
2006
Video documentary
Himself - Mayor of London
The London Debate
2006
TV Movie
Himself
Sport at Heart
2005
Short
Himself
Morgan and Platell
2005
TV Series
Himself
Building the Gherkin
2005
Documentary
Himself
Breakfast
2004
TV Series
Himself
Danmark i krig
2004
TV Movie
Himself - Mayor, Great Britain
Breakfast with Frost
2001-2004
TV Series
Himself
Trevor's World of Sport
2003
TV Series
Himself
BBC News at Ten O'Clock
2002
TV Series
Himself - Interviewee
Mo Mowlam
2002
TV Special
Himself
MOBO Awards
2000
TV Special
Himself
Jonathan Dimbleby
1997-2000
TV Series
Himself
Trigger Happy TV
2000
TV Series
Himself
The London Programme
1981-1998
TV Series documentary
Himself
Mr. White Goes to Westminster
1997
TV Movie
Himself
World in Action
1993-1997
TV Series documentary
Himself / Himself - Labour
The Agenda
1996
TV Series
Himself
Masterchef
1991-1995
TV Series
Himself
Littlejohn Live and Uncut
1995
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Do the Right Thing
1995
TV Series
Himself - Panellist
The Mrs. Merton Show
1995
TV Series
Himself
Faith
1994
TV Mini-Series
Himself
The Frost Programme
1994
TV Series
Himself
Notes and Queries with Clive Anderson
1993
TV Series
Himself
A Woman's Guide to Adultery
1993
TV Series
Himself
Doctor Who: 30 Years in the Tardis
1993
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Clive Anderson Talks Back
1993
TV Series
Himself
A Week in Politics
1985-1993
TV Series
Himself
Drop the Dead Donkey
1993
TV Series
Himself
Election 92
1992
TV Movie
Himself - Labour
This Week
1991
TV Series
Himself
An Audience with Jackie Mason
1990
TV Movie
Himself - Audience Member
The Media Show
1987-1990
TV Series
Himself
The Walden Interview
1989
TV Series
Himself
Panorama
1988-1989
TV Series documentary
Himself
Agent Orange: Policy of Poison
1987
Video documentary short
Himself
Election 1987
1987
TV Movie
Himself - Labour
TV Eye
1985
TV Series
Himself
Book Four
1983
TV Series
Himself - Interviewee
Weekend World
1983
TV Series
Himself
Election 83
1983
TV Movie
Himself
TV-aktuelt
1983
TV Series documentary
Himself - Chairman, London's Council
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
1982
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Breakfast
2016
TV Series
Himself
Brexageddon?!
2016
TV Movie
Himself (uncredited)
Have I Got News for You
2010-2016
TV Series
Himself
That's So...
2016
TV Series documentary
Himself
Denis Healey: The Best Prime Minister Labour Never Had?
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Leader, Greater London Council, 1981-1986