The Credit Crunch Ate Ray...

Since our chat a fortnight ago, Ray Lewis, Deputy Mayor for Young People has formally stepped down amidst mounting speculation of impropriety prior to, but connected to his employment at City Hall. It would be unwise to cast aspersions at this stage – further to enquiry (- a doubtful prospect at this moment) – but I think it’s fair to say that Mr. Lewis’ denouement was unfortunate if not fated by a mix of lurid politicking and recession-anxiety. In these times of doom and gloom everyone wants hope and a hero to trust. Knowing this, allegations (from whatever side or motive) against Ray Lewis were always going to hit hard. In Ray’s own words he was ‘not a politician’ and was ‘just there to do a job’: an honourable but very precarious position to take, perhaps laden with a morsel of self-preservation. Unfortunately, it was all over before he had a chance to realise that the wiliest of wily political merchants hiding in the wings never let an honourable job description and pleasant demeanour get in the way of a good ol’ fashion ‘go back to the colonies’ public school shoeing. Besides, if recent months are anything to go by (choose anything from the Evening Standard’s six-month back catalogue), City Hall should’ve been the last place to go to for a politics-free hiatus; there is probably more politicking per square centimetre on that small patch of grass than a Parliament Square summer all-dayer. This is hard-hat stuff – gritty; and bouncing down Tooley Street on your backside towards London Bridge is about as ceremonious as the exit gets nowadays. The alternative is to leave by the front door on your own terms – swim for your life across the busy Thames past Thames Clippers and boisterous summer boats and hope the City takes you in, (or back in - in the case of many City Hall generals). But the ebb and flow between City Hall and the City isn’t about opportunistic personnel-swapping; it’s supposed to be about keeping London moving forward, onwards, upwards; and I believe Ray’s demise could be attributed as much to our social-economic circumstance as to any individual/ party gripe with the Johnson crime buster. Who pushed Ray becomes less significant if you consider why nobody bothered to catch him either. So: the relationship between City Hall and our financial district is organic. The City (with it’s international umbilical chord) provides support and funding to London’s various ‘aspirations’ (the odd bridge, the odd super-fast rail line, the odd dome, sponsorship for the odd Olympic game); and City Hall provides the right socio-economic playing field and 'growth model' to create opportunities for large and small Londoners like us, everywhere. When this insatiable organism called Aspiration isn’t fed properly, London rapports become contorted; people get grumpy, selfish; heads roll; and people demand more ASBOs. Ray should’ve been into politics, or at least packed light – because when this train comes straight at your level-crossing, you have to be able to nimbly step on and off the platform quickly - or be hit. And excess baggage will cost you. Two weeks prior, i'd interviewed Ray at City Hall and this was my prognosis then: …It seems obvious and overwhelming that Lewis is at the sharp end of a very big public wedge hammering for reassurance, deliverance and Obama-esque ‘change’ rhetoric in-between. And it feels justified: we are at a point of global socio-economic uncertainty, a time the public needs and expects more from its public servants (as Gordon Brown recently found out), precisely because it feels so vulnerable and suddenly mortal. …Today’s social/ economic/ mood dynamic is profound. So profound and complex, it can lead to seemingly disparate events in America conspiring against the price of your bread and impacting on your personal welfare: You tut as you read your Asda receipt and get mugged of your change as you put your purse away. This is when the irrational becomes rational, rational becomes irrational, fear sets in where certainty once stood and a messianic figure is prayed for, to restore a sense of balance and order to the village. …This is a big job by anybody’s measure, even a man of the Deputy's stout frame and boot camp bullishness. There are more ways to get this wrong than right: this job comes with a lot of rope! …The city expects and has his number on speed dial![Meet Ray: Boris' Rainmaker: 26.06.08] Lewis’ unravelling and departure was swift and sanitary; the stuff of a Formula 1 pit-stop, the terror that such early scandal vis-à-vis past histrionics at City Hall could tar the whole administration as ‘hypocrites’. Because in today’s political-economic climate being whiter than white (absolutely no pun intended here) is upheld with mercenary vigour by tabloid hacks, stirred by backroom political operators, made contagious by sanctimonious water-cooler chit-chatters; sanctioned by an irritability borne of a global credit crunch, general shortage of cash, falling property profits, increasing oil prices, trudging wages, lowered tolerances, increased visible disorder, bad quality M&S sandwiches… (most of which we can do very little about). But as we head for possible recession and the sceptre of boom-and-bust lurches – people need hope (or to 'bust' some heads together - whichever comes first – metaphorically speaking of course). A decade of heady times left us greedy and set-up for disappointment in the downturn. The ‘wind of change’ that greeted Mayor Johnson’s ascension thus blew forward the ordained Rev. Lewis who rode in on a cloud, our holy man: waving to well-wishers and gathered media below, cradling children - didn’t realise one of the City Hall windows had been left open but nonetheless managing to traverse the diameter of the eighth floor office through an adjacent open window opposite, tripped on the frame and fell out. A momentary gasp, a collective shuffle of feet...... then people trundled back to their offices muttering ‘I knew he couldn’t fly’. (Nobody was going to save Ray: The feeling was that Ray should’ve saved them. This is the political climate we live in today).

Ray Lewis Resignation Statement

Statement from Ray Lewis Re Resignation… 4-7-2008 City Hall “The barrage of allegations, unfounded in my opinion, untrue, continue with apace. And it was my intention, as you all know, to fight on and I intend to do so, but I cannot do so with obscuring the important business of the Mayor’s office. The drip drip continues and it is getting in the way of the very important work of this Mayor and his vision for London. The inquiry and launching of that has done little to calm the avalanche of allegations, and like a model impatient school child, the media doesn't accept the principle of delayed gratification and so we go on. ‘The affects on my family are beginning to tell and to show - that must stop. Most of you will be aware that I haven't been through the political Sandhurst on my way to this important office but I thank Boris Johnson for giving me this opportunity to serve London in this particular way and I've been pleased to do so for these past two months. This is a great Mayor, a man of vision, a man of courage, a man who I have grown to know, to love and to admire. Boris Johnson is a remarkable man and London is very fortunate, even blessed to have him. ‘But I cannot allow the things I have been into, up to, and around me to obscure the important business of this mayoralty. And for that reason I must step down as Deputy Mayor for Young People with immediate effect. London faces enormous challenges and I believe with all my heart that I was best placed to do that, but it is important we get on with the business of the mayoralty without this business hanging over Boris Johnson's head. ‘Yet today again we learn of another murder, yet so much time and attention has been given over to something that may or may not have happened 10, 12 years ago and of course I flatly deny it. Nonetheless, it’s important for me to let Boris Johnson get on with this very important work. There was some talk in the press of me being or not being a magistrate. If you are fully paid up members of the 'hair splitters' convention it will have made a difference to you whether or not I was appointed or recommended for appointment. And it is that seeming duplicity that is really why I asked to step down as Deputy Mayor because it's very important that Boris Johnson is clear about who is working for him and what has gone on in the past. ‘I've passed all the interviews for it. I've had a letter confirming that I have been recommended for appointment to the board. But nonetheless it is important I do nothing to obscure this important mans very important vision. And so, I have today handed in my resignation to the Mayor, who with great reluctance accepted it, and showed enormous grace throughout my time here. We will continue to enjoy a close friendship and I pray that it long continues and I pray that Boris will find other people, including myself in an unofficial capacity, to serve the interest of this country and interests of young Londoners, which was my particular brief. It's been great, but you can accept that in this political minefield we live in.” Statement Mayor of London, Boris Johnson: “It is with extreme reluctance and sadness that I have accepted the resignation of Ray Lewis. He has always been, and remains, an inspiring figure to me. Ray is not a conventional politician but that is a strength as well as a weakness. Ray can communicate and connect with communities and individuals that are beyond the reach of most mainstream politicians. ‘Therefore when presented with a string of unsubstantiated allegations my instinct was to fight and fight hard for Ray. I still hope that he can clear his name. I cannot deny however that my confidence in Ray was shaken by the discovery today that he is not a fully fledged Justice of the Peace and I cannot deny that to be misled on this issue has made it harder for me to give Ray the backing necessary to continue in his role as Deputy Mayor”.

Attorney General Orders Better Mix at the Bar

The Attorney General, the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland QC launched her Diversity Strategy at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department this week. The Attorney General, whose office maintains panels of civil and criminal counsel for use by Government Departments, launched the Diversity Strategy alongside Solicitor General, Vera Baird QC. Set out were clear objectives by which Law Officers will work to improve ‘diversity’ within the panels of counsel, followed by ‘The Attorney General’s Equality and Diversity Expectations Statement’ - which details standards required of Chambers in relation to equality and diversity when members seek to work for the Government. The Attorney General was at pains to point out that neither document was a compromise to the office’s commitment to ‘excellence’ in the provision of legal advice and representation, and these steps would ensure that:

• ‘Government departments could continue to meet their legal obligations to promote equality when they secure external legal services;
• There will be an increase in the range of diversity of applicants in terms of ethnic origin, gender, disability, age, faith and sexual orientation amongst counsel;
• All the best candidates who act for Government are drawn from the widest pool of talent when recruited and promoted.’

A Synopsis of the Attorney General’s Speech on Strategy: On Fairness: Fairness is important for the maintenance of the rule of law. Fairness in the application of the rule of law must logically be conditional upon fairness in the appointment of those who enter the legal profession to apply that rule of law. Therefore, ensuring that the legal profession itself – and specifically those members of it who act for Government – is representative of the community is a vital foundation stone in working towards fairness everywhere. Arguably, fairness in the legal profession is therefore where it all starts. On Diversity: The Solicitor General and I are personally committed to diversity. Three firsts were achieved when I took office almost exactly a year ago: (1) First woman Attorney General; (2) First ethnic minority Attorney General; (3) First all-woman Law Officer team. It is natural that this is the time to use our personal commitment to build on previous work to take diversity policy to the next stage. It is important to emphasise firstly that Government policy on diversity is not new and secondly that over the past decade it has moved forwards by leaps and bounds. On Transparency and Representation: Today signals the latest development in the history of a decade which opened when the First Treasury Counsel were still appointed by a tap on the shoulder. Today we have:

• Open and transparent competitions for every counsel acting for Government – criminal and civil panels, CPS external advocates, Standing Counsel, First Treasury Counsel;
• The Judicial Appointments Commission, established to ensure that the judiciary is appointed from as diverse a range of applicants as possible.

On Promoting Equality: The Government is committed to taking steps to strengthen and widen the law on discrimination in the belief that promoting equality is essential to enable individuals to fulfil their potential, for the creation of a cohesive society and for a strong economy. On Aim of the AG Diversity Strategy: The AG Diversity Strategy is actually a living document which we will continue to revise and update. In many senses nothing new, but the collection together for the first time of all policies across AG Departments in relation to ensuring diversity in appointment of external counsel. The aim of this is: (1) To raise awareness; (2) To enable joined up thinking and mutual learning; (3) To facilitate efficiencies and best practice; (4) To monitor developments. On Aim of the AG CPS Statement: The Expectations statement modelled on CPS statement launched last year to counsel instructed by the CPS. The AG statement is intended to reach further parts of the independent Bar who do not come within the CPS statement, and at that same time to ensure that all chambers whose counsel act for Government are complying with appropriate diversity standards. In Sum: The Attorney General vehemently refuted traditional perceptions of discrimination and favouritism stating:

• We do not only appoint men or people from particular ethnic backgrounds;
• We do not appoint from only specific chambers;
• We do not only appoint people from particular schools, universities or backgrounds!