Boris Johnson's Blog, page 52

Why is literacy declining?

Boris displays his shameless competitive streak as he remembers being beaten by his sister when reading
Lurking in the childhood of anyone ambitious there is always the memory of some humiliation that sets them on the path of self-improvement. Show me a billionaire, and I will show you someone who was beaten up for his lunch [...:]

Illiteracy is bad for us - so why don't we do something about it?

The best way to teach reading and writing must be settled once and for all,
says Boris Johnson.

Summer in the City

Yes, it's so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk (but don't – the gum is bad enough) but summer is also time when we are spoiled for choice when it comes things to do, enjoy and experience.
If one more person says, "It's not the heat – it's the humidity," I may have [...:]

The plague of gum on our streets and pavements

the chewing gum scourge is costing us all – as taxpayers – millions of pounds a year
My message to the gum-chewers of Britain is if you chew, then swallow, too. And if you can't swallow it, then find a bin or face a fine
 
I was standing outside the new Tube station at Shepherd's Bush last [...:]

Our streets are suffering from a monstrous plague of chewing gum blotches

Bin it, wrap it or even swallow it, but if you spit gum on to the street you
must be fined, argues Boris Johnson.

Should children cycle to school?

Every so often I find a new hero. I read in the papers of some individual who is managing to swim against the glutinous tide of political correctness.


In this age of air-bagged, mollycoddled, infantilised over-regulation it can make my spirits soar to discover that out there in the maquis of modern Britain there is still [...:]

Hail the heroic parents who let their children cycle to school

The couple who have shown faith in their children - and London's streets -
should be applauded, not hounded, says Boris Johnson.

Competitive Games

Now, allow me to tell you why England came a cropper
Our World Cup thrashing can be traced to the ban on competitive school sports, says Boris Johnson.
 
Twenty million England football fans unpeeled themselves from the sofa and picked up the shattered remnants of the beer bottle they hurled at the wall in the 66th minute [...:]

Now, allow me to tell you why England came a cropper

Our World Cup thrashing can be traced to the ban on competitive school sports,
says Boris Johnson.

Just Like Riding A Bike

Will the new London bike share program be perfect? Probably not. But at least you all have the courage and wisdom to try.
When we settled on bike share programs as the subject of this week's Gotham Girl, I admit – I was worried. I wasn't worried about the new Barclays Cycle Hire. I find that [...:]