Time Out has compiled its list of Movers & Shakers 2005, the 100 people it reckons are most influential in the capital. At the top of the survey is London's lovable Mayor Ken Livingstone who is, I guess, pretty influential. (It's a shame he uses that influence to axe those wonderful Routemaster buses so he can replace them with those very rubbish and very expensive bendy buses, even though he said he wouldn't, but I suppose that's politicians for you. But I know who I won't be voting for at the next mayoral election).
Other political types in the top ten include Gordon Brown and Tony Blair (interestingly the former is more influential than the latter), while transport chief Tim O'Toole and police boss Ian Blair also appear. Businessmen John Murphy (chief exec of Murphy's Ltd), Jane Shepherdson (Brand Director of Topshop) and Roman Abramovich (owner of Chelsea Football Club) are also in there, as is the Queen and her good friend Abu Hamza Al-Masri. Not quite sure on what grounds half of those are considered 'influential', but presumably Time Out will explain in this week's issue.
Music wise, the highest rater is Jerry Smith, the man who auditions the buskers who play on the tube - which is pretty clever when you think about it. Other music names in the top 100 are predictable - Bob Geldof (39), Madonna (74) and Vince Power (83). Dan Stacey is in there at 27, presumably because of his status as 'Godfather of grime', while Lady Sovereign is at 52, perhaps because of her mission to save the hoodie. Quite why Richard Archer of Hard-Fi is considered the fiftieth most influential person in London I really don't know - as much as we love Hard-Fi. And we do love Hard-Fi.
Press info on the poll from Idea Generation on 020 7428 4949 or [email protected].