Whatever happened to Miranda Grell?

On my way home this evening, I came across a copy of the Evening Standard. Not particularly surprising, as my regular train is a commuter special out of Liverpool Street which just happens to run all the way to Norwich.

Reading through the pages about the Mayoral contest, I noted a letter condemning Boris Johnson because a six stop journey on the Central line costs £3.10. The letter was signed by one Miranda Grell and, being an ex-Londoner, that name rang a bell.

Ah yes, Miranda Grell, the woman found guilty of a breach of the Representation of The People Act 1983 and banned from holding public office for three years. Miranda was found by a court, and on appeal, to be a not terribly honest witness, having initially denied telling voters that her opponent was a paedophile, with a nineteen year old Thai boyfriend, but having been exposed by her fellow Labour candidate, admitted that she had raised his sexual orientation on the doorstep, and mentioned a nineteen year old boyfriend.

Having lost her appeal, she then resigned from the Labour Party, but clearly she still feels that her support is potentially of value. However, her letter is of interest, as she has clearly worked quite hard to find as damning an example of the fare structure as she can.

The fare from Snaresbrook, in zone 4, to Liverpool Street, in zone 1, is £3.60 during peak hours, and £2.60  off-peak, and is indeed six stops. On the other hand, the same fare would get her to Notting Hill Gate (seventeen stops), Ealing Broadway (twenty-four stops) and Greenford (twenty-five stops). With a change of line (included in the fare), she could travel to Queensbury on the Jubilee line, or Hounslow West on the Piccadilly line, or Wimbledon on the District line.

So yes, complain about the fares, but do at least give Londoners the credit of being able to see through a manufactured sense of outrage, Miranda. And don't forget, the internet will always remind people of your past...