Sadiq Khan shares my birthday though he came into this world seventeen years after me. Born in the London borough of Tooting, he became the Member of Parliament for that constituency back in 2005 having spent the previous ten years as a practising solicitor specialising in human rights. He became a member of Britain's Labour Party when he was fifteen years old.
Sadiq grew up in a Sunni Muslim working class family that had its roots back in Pakistan. His father was a bus driver and his mother was a seamstress. With his seven siblings, he was raised in a three bedroom council flat. You could never say that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He attended council run schools before undertaking a law degree at The University of North London.
In spite of his native intelligence, Sadiq had to fight for everything he got, often experiencing racist treatment along the way. He was first democratically elected to be The Mayor of London back in 2016 and has since then succeeded in two further elections. White or black or brown, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or atheist - the people of London wanted him and that is why the majority put their crosses in his box.
Being the chief executive of a vast modern city like London - often with funding challenges - is no mean occupation. It takes a special, gifted human being to take on such a role. His areas of responsibility include policing, waste disposal, street lighting, air quality, education, transport, tourism and a whole bunch of other things not listed here.
Sadiq married another lawyer - Saadiya Ahmed in 1994. They have two daughters - Anisah and Ammarah who are both in their twenties. He once said, "I am proud that London is a city where, the vast majority of the time, Jewish people, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, those who are not members of an organized faith, black, white, rich, young, gay, lesbian - don't simply tolerate each other but respect, embrace, and celebrate each other."
He also said, "London is the greatest city in the world" which is of course wrong because everybody knows that the greatest city in the world is my adopted Yorkshire city - Sheffield! He must have been joking.
Personally, I admire Sadiq Khan greatly for his steadfastness, his brilliance, his tolerance, his humility and his focus. I am of course leaving showman Boris Johnson out of the equation when I say that being The Mayor of London is not a job for ninnies.
Keep up the good work Sadiq!
Sadiq Khan with his wife Saadiya at a festival in Hyde Park
Interesting you should do a post on Khan. I recently had a WhatsApp “discussion” with a friend who thinks Trump is the best thing to happen to western politics this century. Part of the discussion was about Khan, He reckons Khan is not British. I tried to point out that Khan was more British than I am (I have spent the majority of my life outside the UK and was only born in the UK by accident of politics)…anyway I digress.
ReplyDeleteI find it depressing that there are some who believe someone cannot be British if they are Muslim.
My friend doesn’t believe in God but identifies as a Christian.
Your friend appears to be intellectually challenged. Of course Sadiq Khan is British. He was born here and so were his daughters and, good heavens, he is The Mayor of London! What could be more British than that! Is Trump Scottish or German?
DeleteMy friend isn’t intellectually challenged. He comes from a part of the world that is highly sectarian and identifies people via religion. Its constitution even defines the sect for each holder of his office. A different way of looking at it. I asked him how I would be classified to which responded Christian. I did point out that I was an atheist and hadn’t been baptized…no problem look to your father. I said I didn’t know if he had been baptized either!
DeleteTrump’s father was born in the Bronx - so he is probably American. It helps that he is not Muslim and is white!
It's great that you stand by your friends like that Traveller but surely, someone who rides roughshod over glaring truths is one sandwich short of a picnic.
DeleteIt’s interesting, well to me anyway, the bloke is without doubt smart but his background is sectarian. Who knows how my thinking would be different if I had lived through a civil war.
DeleteHe genuinely believes that Trump is, on balance, a force for good. He thinks Trump is trying to preserve the west as we knew it and think a bully disrupter is what we need. When asked what he means by that he will respond if I can’t see it on my own what the path the west has been taking leads to then he cannot argue with me. All highly frustrating! He also espouses against “wokeism” but cannot define it!
Back in the 80s, a British singer called Tom Robinson had a minor hit with a song titled, "Sing If You're Glad To Be Gay". I would like to rewrite the lyrics and rename the song, "Sing If You're Glad To Be Woke". I wonder how your friend talks away Trump's dementia, his vulgarity, his felonies and his pardoning of criminals.
DeleteOkay will give it a go:
Deletedementia - think that is to be proven and don’t forget Biden
Vulgarity - doesn’t care, am concerned with what Trump does as opposed to what he says
Felonies - they are politicized - people were out to get him
pardoning of criminals - all presidents have done that. look at Biden he pardoned his son.
Next?
Next?
DeleteSometimes people use the "I have a friend..." device when they are really referring to themselves and I am starting to think that this "friend" of yours is actually you Traveller! However, that would not fit in with most of your previous comments that have indicated you possess a properly functioning "crap detector".
Unfortunately, I find your eulogy for Sadiq Kahn rather lacking income respects, like his responsibility for policing seeing dramatic increases in knife crime and street crime, not to mention extensive examples of blatantly "two tier" policing of protests, a Jewish population in fear of their safety in the face of the relentlessly encouraged pro-palestinian street protest, collapsing nightlife despite employing a hugely expensive 'Tsar', abject failure to meet even pathetically low housing targets.....the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteFrom once having been a showcase for Britain, London has become a cess pit that many tourists shun in favour of Paris and other continental destinations.
My son lives in London and he would not recognise your negative characterisation of the city. I have visited often in the past ten years and to me it remains a vibrant, proud and successful city with so much to see and do. Sadiq Khan has a long history of reaching out to his Jewish neighbours and fellow Londoners.
DeleteWill, I think you would get on with my friend. He, too, believes in the London is a cess pit and dropping tourist numbers despite the data showing otherwise. He doesn’t, however, believe in the “it’s all part of a globalist plot” nonsense though
DeleteYou know that he's doing something right when Donald Trump hates him!
ReplyDeleteI was determined not to mention that odious creature in this blogpost even though he ignited it. How dare he deride a good man like that when he is most demonstrably a bad man?
DeleteThere is a lot to love about London and a lot to love about Sadiq. Note the real joy in their faces and smiles, a look that cannot be faked.
ReplyDeleteDoes The Orange Blob thing ever show true joy in his face? Does he even know what joy is?
DeleteHe actually seems like a quite unhappy man, and so he should be, ridden with guilt.
DeleteI wonder if suicidal thoughts ever cross his mind? We live in hope.
DeleteAll mayors who take their job seriously and do their best for the people who voted them into that position deserve our respect - no matter the size of the place, it is never an easy job, presenting a multitude of challenges, as you have pointed out.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany, an increasing number of towns have difficulties in finding suitable candidates, as many retire early or don't put their name in the ring for a second period when elections are due, because of them being under attack from different sides. It goes from blatant refusal to cooperate within the town's administration to death threats to them personally and their families. I often wonder what happened if we let those who have nothing positive to say about a public figure do that job for a while, see how well they do. Of course it's impossible, just a play of thought.
You are right to wonder about that. It is easy to throw stones and much less easy to stand up and be counted.
DeleteI have heard only good of him. I remember Ken Livingstone and the controversy that followed him. It is what it is. Londoners, and there are many of them, vote to the left because that is where the promise is for a better life lies.
ReplyDeleteBeen reading up on him and we both have the same fault line - argumentative personalities. He has been in the job for nine years now so he must be doing something good.
I wrote this because I was so disgusted by Trump's specific derision. How dare he?
DeleteI like his humility. He's down to earth and doesn't have any arrogance.
ReplyDeleteNice one!
DeleteOoops sorry, I was still in Trump mode and thought you were being sarcastic but you were probably talking about Khan. I have heard him many times in LBC and I agree with you he doesn’t seem arrogant.
DeleteHe is a pragmatist and a team manager. It is not all about him.
DeleteHe sounds wonderful, the world could use a few (a Lot) more like him.
ReplyDeleteWhy should detractors expect miracles from Sadiq Khan when he is operating in the real world?
DeleteHe's not on my Christmas card list, but I cannot understand why Tru*p is so insulting about him. He seems obsessed!
ReplyDeleteSimple Cro, Khan spoke out against Trump’s travel ban.
DeleteHe must be doing something right if The People keep electing him.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Cankles doesn't like him that's worth a vote!
Yup! That is the sum of it comrade.
DeleteI spent a Saturday afternoon in West Croydon just a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteMy brother and I were the only white faces and there was no racial tension.
I stood outside a halal fish and seafood shop with big open double windows.
I spoke to six or seven Bible street preachers, two of them gentle women.
In besmirching Sadiq Khan using inflammatory language President Trump
is damaging the great office of the presidency.
I saw no cesspit in West Croydon.
Trump has instructed the demolition of The White House's east wing. I expect he plans to have a golden cesspit built there. However, he has fired the principal architect and is struggling to find a fawning replacement who will bend to his almighty will.
DeleteIn a world with too many nasty people he sounds like a really nice man. Wish there were more like him.
ReplyDeleteHe has devoted his life to public service, not self-glorification like The Orange Blob.
DeleteAs I was reading your post, I was thinking that Khan was someone that Trump had posted unkind comments on his "truth social" app. As I read through the comments by other readers, I discovered that indeed he was. All the more reason to like him in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnyone that annoys Trump is admirable.
DeleteYou know a politician is doing his job right when Trump starts spouting hate towards them. Trying to manage a vast array of budgets and issues is mind boggling. I hope Oliver Coppard is half the mayor he is.
ReplyDeleteActually, Oliver Coppard is significantly taller than Sadiq Khan.
DeleteIt's nice to hear about a good politician.
ReplyDeleteYou still have many admirable Democrat politicians in America. I think of your own state's JB Pritzker for example.
DeleteHe is not at all popular in London. We want him gone!
ReplyDeleteHe has been democratically elected three times so who is this "we" you allude to?
DeleteI have been told he has a lot of support from the Asian community
DeleteDoes this "Asian community" include Chinese, Nepalese, Afghans, Sri Lankans, Malaysians, Indians, Pakistanis and Japanese? My son is a member of the Yorkshire community and he has voted for Sadiq three times.
DeleteI like Sadiq Khan too, and the fact that Trump complains about him just makes me like him even more.
ReplyDeleteAs others have implied, you look at the list of people that Trump has attacked and you think, yeah - he/she must be okay.
DeleteAnd what a looker! That never hurts though how a fat, fake-tanned, dyed-hair ninnie could get elected to a top post in our (USA) government boggles my mind.
ReplyDelete"a fat, fake-tanned, dyed-hair ninnie"? You missed out narcissitic, ill-informed, racist, sexist, demented and vindictive.
DeleteOh come now YP, you're being far too complimentary about that fat orange repulsive slug! People will start thinking you actually like him! Incidentally I noticed he's stopped dying his hair. He's just jealous of men like Khan.
ReplyDelete