London: Mayor & More

Simon Hughes 4 Ken Livingstone?

From the Press Association:

Former mayoral candidate Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, urged voters to cast their second preference for someone who had served London already. 'Brian Paddick is eminently qualified to be Mayor of London, as a Londoner by birth and upbringing, who has served this city with dedication for his whole career,' Mr Hughes said. 'Brian Paddick knows exactly what is needed to make our capital respectful, prosperous and safe. I shall enthusiastically give Brian Paddick my first vote and call on all Londoners to do the same. 'I hope all voters will use the same test to decide their second vote as well. 'Nobody who has not served London and worked for London in the past deserves to have the votes of Londoners or the top political job in London in the future.'"

Does that sounds like coded language to you? Just wondering.

[There's no link, cos I can't find one. But I'm quoting straight from the PA service to the Guardian ]

Ken Livingstone Campaigning In Southall

I was there with him yesterday, complete with cast of thousands. The clip captures him coming up the hill towards Southall station before heading down the busy Broadway. You'll spot the Beeb's Gavin Hewitt racing ahead. Love that campaign bus bringing up the rear.

Laugh Of The Day (2)

The Standard defends its daily pro-Boris propaganda (sorry, "election coverage").

Laugh Of The Day (1)

The three main candidates appeared on BBC London's Breakfast programme this morning. The press office has sent me the following account:

"Policy turned to pants after presenters Jo Good and Paul Ross asked them all if they would be wearing a favourite lucky pair to pull in the extra votes. Ken said: 'No, no, I’m gonna get up tomorrow and run manically all over London reminding people to vote…'But you will be wearing pants tomorrow Ken?' asked Paul Ross

'I definitely will be wearing pants tomorrow and this is as far as we’re going into my private life.' Ken chuckled.

When Brian Paddick was asked the same question, after containing his laughter, he roared, 'All my pants are lucky.'

As for Boris he replied: 'Well if I had such a thing I might. But he went on to confess he does have some superstitions, “When I go for a run, which I do virtually every morning, very slowly, I tend to make sure that I touch….I tend to whack certain posts along the way. I do get a bit obsessive compulsive about it and I have to whack the right ones, in the right order!'"

Make of all that exactly what you will...

Simon Heffer On Boris Johnson

Maybe I've been too nice about Boris. After all, the Telegraph's Simon Heffer knows him better than I:

"I want to dismiss a prejudice about Mr Johnson, and I do so as one who has known him for the past 20 years. It is that he is a buffoon. He isn't. The act is calculated and it has required serious application and timing of the sort of which only a clever man is capable. For some of us the joke has worn not thin, but out. Yet many less cynical than I am find it appealing. It conceals two things: a blinding lack of attention to detail, and (though this might seem to sit ill with the first point) a ruthless ambition.

Mr Johnson is the most ambitious person I have ever met. That ought to be a commendation for high office, since ambitious people normally understand they will go further only by doing their present job well. Mr Johnson's scattergun approach to life will not allow this. In his superb biography of him, my colleague Andrew Gimson outlines the practice that has allowed Mr Johnson to get so far in life: he has used his charm, to which only a few more seasoned hands are immune, to enlist at every stage what Mr Gimson calls 'stooges' to help him advance.

There were stooges when Mr Johnson was en route to be president of the Oxford Union. He has had stooges all through journalism, who did significant parts of his various jobs for him, usually with little thanks or reward. And now there are stooges in politics. If Mr Johnson became Mayor tomorrow, he would be the front man for nameless others who would run London. That may well be better than more of Mr Livingstone. It would not be what people think they are voting for."

Now read on.

Would Boris's "New Routemaster" Ever Happen?

From Transit:

"Experts on bus design and production have cast doubt over Boris Johnson's pledge to build a new Routemaster if he is elected mayor of London on May 1.

In his transport manifesto, the Tory candidate pledges to scrap London's 340 articulated buses and launch a competition to design a new Routemaster. But experts interviewed by Transit suggested that it was a promise he could not deliver. A senior executive with a UK bus builder said a new Routemaster could not be certified, and would be too expensive. 'It's not been thought through,' he told Transit.

Other experts also cast doubt on the plan. Sandy Glennie, the former managing director of Volvo Bus UK, said that having an open rear platform on a new bus was a 'non starter'. Andrew Braddock, the former head of access and mobility at Transport for London, estimated that the vehicles would cost the mayor more than £250,000 each, much more expensive than a conventional double decker or an artic."

Now read on. Via The Tory Troll and peezedtee.

Ten Reasons Why I Want Ken Livingstone To Win

It's time to declare...

During the weeks of the election campaign that's eaten my life I’ve striven to be fair to Boris Johnson. There was, though, never much chance I’d vote for him. That said, I’ve also been testing my loyalty to Ken Livingstone. I believe his various critics, including those with roots on the Left, have over-spun or overstated their cases against him, but that isn’t to say they lack all force. There’s also the question of how much difference a change of mayor would really make.

Sky Debate & LBC Post-Mortem

The final TV debate of the campaign is on Sky tonight from 8.00. I'll be on LBC trying to say something sensible about it afterwards.

At Guardian Comment: On Transport Policies

This fabulous image was provided by the man behind The Spine. These words were provided by me. Same goes for the ones below.

A London mayor sets the Met’s budget and can influence strategy, but he can’t tell the police what to do. He can intervene in planning decisions, but can’t control the housing market. He can plant trees and bed in anti-pollution schemes, but the environment is bigger than he is. He can, though, make the bus service better. He can improve the Tube and train services. He can do something to restrain traffic flows. These are the areas where Ken Livingstone has been the can-do mayor and Boris Johnson is his hasn’t-done challenger

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Opinion Poll News!

Yep, YouGov puts Johnson eleven points ahead on first preferences and ten ahead after factoring in the seconds. So Boris is either home and dry or he isn't. Does that help?