Sadiq Khan, mayor-elect of London, speaks during a news conference after being elected at City Hall in London, U.K., on Friday, May 6, 2016. Khan of Britain's main opposition Labour Party won election as London's first Muslim mayor, beating the Conservatives' Zac Goldsmith after a bitterly fought and divisive campaign. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Sadiq Khan, mayor-elect of London, speaks during a news conference after being elected at City Hall in London, U.K., on Friday, May 6, 2016. Khan of Britain's main opposition Labour Party won electionShow more

London votes against ‘dog whistle’ slurs



Amid a rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment across Europe, how should the historic success of Sadiq Khan in the London mayoral election be interpreted? The first Muslim to hold such a post in any European Union capital resoundingly beat the Conservative candidate and those from three other parties.

However there is a strong argument to be made that this result is to do with meritocracy rather than with religion. As the son of an immigrant and as someone who grew up in public housing, Mr Khan’s background resonated with voters far more than that of his Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, the son of the late Anglo-French billionaire Sir James Goldsmith.

Mr Khan’s plans to help ease the capital’s accommodation crisis by building more public housing was also a hit with voters. His record for working for the public good – whether as a human rights lawyer helping ethnic minorities and then as a local councillor and member of parliament – was also the antithesis of eight years of Boris Johnson’s right-wing mayoralty.

But while, as the saying goes, all politics is local and Mr Khan’s championing of the issues that really matter to Londoners was an important part of his victory, there is another point that deserves examination. The Conservatives’ campaign against him failed because voters overwhelmingly rejected their tactic of smearing him through intimations about his faith and supposed radical ties.

As the Conservatives began their post-mortem on losing the mayoralty, former party chairman Sayeeda Warsi decried the “appalling dog whistle campaign”, saying it not only cost the Conservatives the mayoralty but also the party’s “reputation and credibility on issues of race and religion”.

With the refugee influx into Europe causing a lurch to the right in favour of anti-immigration parties, many other EU politicians will have kept a close watch on the London mayoral campaign to see how they can balance western liberal values with electability. Mr Khan’s success in London showed that these seemingly conflicting goals can be compatible.

The message to emerge is that even in a city that clearly remembers the 2005 terror attacks, the politics of fear and division do not always prevail. That is a heartening message for politicians across Europe who want to act in accordance with their values of tolerance and compassion, rather than more cynical politicking.

MATCH INFO

Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')

Sheffield United 0

Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)

 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

INFO

Schools can register for the Abu Dhabi Schools Championships at www.champions.adsc.ae

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

The specs: 2018 Audi RS5

Price, base: Dh359,200

Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?

West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up  Jebel Ali Dragons

Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Conference: Winners  Dubai Tigers; Runners-up  Al Ain Amblers

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now