London: Mayor & More

At The Guardian: Boris Johnson At Stonewall

This went up at Cif earlier today:

Imagine, if you will, that The Blond were a blonde; that Boris Johnson, the Tory candidate for London mayor, were a woman. It’s an instructive exercise, especially after the first few minutes of improper speculation – about, say, his taste in frocks and undergarments – have passed in favour of more profound considerations. For instance, if Boris were a lady, would he get away with being dizzy in the way he does as a gentleman?

Paul Prentice, Blogger

Another view of the Stonewall hustings.

Stonewall Hustings

An enjoyable and instructive event at the BFI Southbank this morning, elegantly chaired by Tony Grew. To listen to the whole 90 minutes CLICK HERE. Highlights include Livingstone's most politic defence so far of the Yusuf Al-Qaradawi affair, a cheeky question to Johnson about life at Eton from the Telegraph's Andrew Pierce and The Blond's unconvincing attempt to justify his initial support for Section 28 on the grounds that he believes in liberty.

Here's the Pierce question and Johnson's answer. Perhaps the most revealing thing he says is not that he hasn't tried gay sex - or had it tried on him while at Eton - or that half his campaign team is gay, but that he thinks it's time to stop judging people by "where they're coming from." The second question in the clip is Livingstone about alleged corruption in his administration. He gives Associated Newspapers a good rollicking.

Now here's Livingstone on the Al-Qaradawi affair that soured his previously excellent relationships with LGBT London. It's the most temperate and conciliatory response I've yet seen him offer, though it won't satisfy everyone.

Finally, Boris gets into a muddle about liberty, the state, three men and a dog (see pic). The questioner wondered why he'd changed his views on homosexuality. Trust me to move the camera at the moment when he thumped the table.

Lindsay German, the Left List candidate, and Brian Paddick try to help him out of his confusion. Ken Livingstone leaves him to stew in it. His campaign is now drawing attention to Johnson's disinclination to apologise for offence caused in the past.
I'm told that afterwards a member of Team Boris complained that Grew was too hard on their boy.

For more on the events read Grew's story for Pink News and The Tory Troll.

UPDATE: For a better video clip of Boris on Section 28 and liberty, look here.

At The Guardian: Boris, Ken & Community Relations

My latest:

Boris Johnson has been working hard to repair his reputation for deriding people who are black or brown. His mayoral campaign website majors eagerly on his mongrel genes, stressing his self-description as a “one man melting pot”. Limiting the damage done by his past reference to “piccaninnies” and “watermelon smiles,” allowing publication in The Spectator of an article endorsing scientific racism, himself writing one arguing that Islam is intrinsically problematic – oh dear, there’s been quite a lot of it hasn’t there? – has been a central preoccupation of his campaign.

Anti BNP Poster Campaign

I'm writing this from a pub in Vauxhall while a man from the BBC points a camera at me. Happily, he does not appear to be dangerous in any way. So that's set the scene. I've just witnessed the launch of a poster campaign to encourage Londoners to vote and by doing so prevent the British National Party securing a seat on the London Assembly. It was both novel and heartening to see the principal candidates for mayor being nice to each other in a public place and in a good cause. I told myself to savour these moments, for I may never experience their like again.

The organisers were Operation Black Vote, a non-partisan organisation devoted to encouraging BME participation in politics and the electoral process. Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Sian Berry were all there, as were various candidates for the Assembly, including Lib Dem Meral Ece and Conservative James Cleverly. Suitably for such an ecumenical occasion various faith group leaders were also in attendance, including the Reverend Andrew Wakefield and a prominent Muslim leader. Seeing the latter and Boris Johnson in such close proximity was a particularly precious moment. Should The Blond become mayor there may be more. I've some audio, video and more photos which I may post later. Right now, though, my hour of wifi is about to run out. And I need a drink.

At Guardian Politics: On Boris & Migrant Amnesty

And cross-dressing generally...

Boris keeps right on revving up his core vote and Ken strives to fill his big red, green and yellow tent. All very positive. But at the same time, both candidates are seeking to nullify negatives.

Boris Johnson & Migrants' Amnesty

Has Boris Johnson called for an amnesty for illegal immigrants and over-stayers as reported here and here? Not exactly. Here's the line from Team Boris:

"The Mayor of London has a duty to speak up on behalf of London councils about the government’s failure to control illegal immigration. London currently does not receive anything like enough funding to cope, because the government systematically undercounts. Boris has expressed his own view that where people have been here a long time and have no prospect of being able to be sent back then an amnesty could be considered so that they can pay taxes and legally contribute to the British economy. The Mayor cannot control the government’s immigration policy – but he must defend the interests of London taxpayers."

I assume he'll be repeating this when responding to this proposition from the London Citizens' Accountability Assembly on Wednesday evening (which is what started all this off in the first place.)

Stopping The BNP

After the Time Out hustings I spoke to a Boris supporter who'd earlier angrily challenged Ken Livingstone over the Al-Qaradawi affair, although at the time I hadn't realised it was him (that penny dropped a little later, on the 253 heading home). The reason I'd approached him was that he'd tried to make another point, this one about the need to stop the BNP winning an Assembly seat. He'd wanted to alert EU and Commonwealth citizens living in London that they are entitled to vote in the elections, and to do so need to register by 16th April. His name is Jonathan Hoffman and he wrote a powerful guest post on this theme at Harry's Place in January. "I'm Jewish," he told me. "I hate the BNP." He's not too happy with Ken either, of course, but at least they can agree about Barnbrook's sorry shower - Livingstone's been in Holloway this morning, spotlighting the BNP threat. More thoughts on all this later.

BNP: Make Boris Your Second Choice

The Tory Troll alerts us to the BNP suggesting that their supporters cast their second preference votes for Johnson, in order to get rid of Livingstone. They say this despite their opinion that he is "as Politically Correct as any of the other candidates" - an interesting position given Johnson's view that there should be less "political correctness" in London's policing. The Troll says:

"It is vital for all Londoners that Boris responds quickly to this endorsement. The BNP came within a fraction of a percentage of getting a seat on the assembly at the last elections. It is now up to all candidates to prevent this from happening again."

Harriet Harman made a similar point at PMQs earlier today, responding to an obliging question from a Tory MP by urging all parties to encourage a big turnout in order to reduce the BNP's chances. How will Boris respond?

UPDATE: Here's how:

“I utterly and unreservedly condemn the BNP and have no desire whatsoever to receive a single second preference vote from a BNP supporter. I hope as many Londoners as possible turn out on May 1st to prevent the election of a BNP candidate."

Can't really ask for more than that.

The Candidates & The Gay Vote

Johann Hari meets Boris:

"The jokes – genuinely funny, which is almost unprecedented in politics – tumble out. I ask him if Eton in his day was a hot-bed of sodomy. 'To a degree I find personally insulting,' he says, 'it wasn’t really like that for me.' I ask him if he agrees with a Ken Livingstone line from the early 1980s, that we are all potentially bisexual. 'Oh, I am a polymorphous pervert,' he replies. But when we get onto the issues, I get worried. I ask him why he supported Section 28, the notorious legislation that banned teachers from “promoting” homosexuality – and it quickly becomes clear he doesn’t actually know what it was."

And then:

"The contrast with Ken Livingstone is startling...I pepper him with questions about very specific issues affecting gay Londoners, he always responds – without notes – with a battery of statistics and facts. I ask about the rise in HIV infections among gay men, and he knows the figures off the top of his head...He knows the names of STD clinics all over London, and I don’t think it’s because he’s coming down with ghonnorhea: he offers this level of detail on every question I ask."

When I say that Livingstone is plumbed in to London in a way Johnson will never be, this is the sort of thing I mean. And, significantly, he rows back a bit on Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Now read on.