Exploding with Ideas.(International Edition; WORLD AFFAIRS)(Boris Johnson)(Interview)

Johnson on his vision for London, and on those who say he lacks one.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, 44, has had a wild ride, turning city hall into a youthful idea factory that could position him to be Britain's next Conservative leader. NEWSWEEK's Stryker McGuire interviewed the mayor in his office. Excerpts:

MCGUIRE: City hall is fizzing with ideas, while your counterparts at the national level seem out of steam. Why?

JOHNSON: I'm not going to object too violently to that [characterization]. People expect the mayor in a funny way to be above party politics and to be thinking about the interests of the city. So you have scope to do and say things that your national party would find a little bit odd and perhaps even objectionable. One of the things about everybody here [in city hall] is that they're quite young and idealistic; they're not by any means all Conservatives, and, you know, they're full of wheezes for improving the lot of Londoners.

How do you explain to somebody who's accustomed to big cities and big-city mayors the powers you have and don't have?

In some ways, I have more powers than [New York Mayor] Mike Bloomberg. For instance, over the mass-transit system I have colossal powers. I directly raise or reduce fares for travelers. I hire and fire the transport chiefs. I set transport policy. Clearly, I don't have the same revenue-raising powers. The executive authority is there, as you would expect, but I don't have the corresponding ability to raise the funds to make those policies go.

Some commentators applaud your individual ideas but wonder what the vision is.