My enemy's enemy is my friend, unless...

Dave M

Ken Livingstone and George Galloway strike me both as ardent proponents of multiculturalism with a good dash of anti-Israeli, pro radical Islamic tendencies thrown in the mix. Evidently, I can only assume Livingstone never studied ancient Greek history at school since I once heard him comment the Olympic Games was all about "multiculturalism" when, in actual fact, the Spartans, Athenians and other Greek City States were highly nationalistic. Non Greeks weren't admitted to the original Games so this sort of contradicts Ken's take on history. And let's not forget Ken's fawning to religious extremists not so long ago when I got the impression he seemed to suggest Denmark was to blame over the cartoon uproar, not the "Londoners" carrying anti Europe banners. As for George he seemed to forget that having a bit of a laugh on Big Brother doesn't go down well amongst many of his ultra religious supporters. At least we know George does at least have a sense of humour but not the clerics and mullahs who "supported" him prior to Big Bro. Personally I hope Boris gets in as he's better educated and harder working.

Stanley Jerusalem

Will some kind person out there please remind me why we need a Mayor of London?
I've forgotten since I left town and I'm damned if I can remember now I listen to the drivel that passes itself off as campaigns, hustings and policies.
What did we do before and however did we survive?
It can't be " New York and Paris have got one so we want one too!"?
Please tell me it's not that.

Laura

We don't need a Mayor of London.

This along with the new parliaments and aborted regional assemblies was all part of New Labour's grand plan to swell the ranks of the state thereby hand huge pay packets to people who couldn't malke it in the real world.

The bigger the apparatus of state, the more people in whose vested financial interest it is to believe in New Labour's idea that government big and small is the cure for everything.

Blue_and_White_Avenger

To Stanley Jerusalem. Good point. There's been a lord mayor of London for donkey's years & that was invariably someone of consequence who brought prestige and honour to the post (e.g Whaley-Cohen, Moses Montefiore...).
Whereas Red_Ken has made a mockery of this new post for which, as you write, there seems little need.
However, other major cities have had mayors who brought honour to the position, such as Guiliani, Kollek, La Guardia). But then, you can't mention Ken in the same breath!

phil

ken livingstone has said it all when he supports galloway -how low can this man stoop?

Dee Ranged

Patricia and Bob Latchford -

Why the silence?

Verity

Blue And White Avenger - The Lord Mayor of London is the Lord Mayor of the City of London, not the gigantic sprawl of villages seeping into one another over the centuries. That urban sprawl never had a mayor until Livingstone spotted a "need" aka "job and self-aggrandisement" opportunity.

DaveM, yes Boris is obviously better educated and therefore more appropriate. For example, Boris will have done Greek and he, unlike the trite commie Livingstone, will know that "phobia" means an irrational fear of. It doesn't mean a politically incorrect (as legislated by the thought fascists) dislike.

Anyone in an advanced democracy who does not fear militant - and they are legion - Islam is a bit of a fool.

David Lindsay

Hurray! People saying that it's all a waste of time. London media types who think that it's an indicator for a General Election, get over yourselves.

There is nowhere else in Britain like London. There is nowhere else on earth like London apart from New York, a very important point in the debate on non-domiciles, many of whom have nowhere else to go in order to enjoy the specific lifestyle that they want, since they would never be let into the United States.

So winning the position of Mayor of London proves nothing at all about a party's chances of being elected in the country at large.

What is more, all EU citizens resident in this country can vote in local elections, whereas only British and Irish citizens can vote in parliamentary ones. This country's resident non-British, non-Irish EU citizens are largely, if not predominantly, in London, again making the mayoral election incomparable, not only to any election outside London, but also to any parliamentary election even there.

And the fact that the three main candidates are Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson and Brian Paddick proves that this is essentially a non-job. None of those three could be elected to a Parish Council. Seriously.

Of course Livingstone would give a job to Johnson. And to Paddick, I'm sure. The compliment is fulsomely returned in all directions. Those backing Johnson should perhaps be forced to endure what they have asked for, as a miniature rehearsal of what a Cameron Government would be like, a dry run for Andrew Adonis as Education Secretary and Tony Blair attending Cabinet.

And whoever wins this election will have proved nothing except that they can win an election conducted by a system used neither for Westminster, nor for Strasbourg, nor for local councils, and that with an electorate including a sizeable number of people who cannot vote in parliamentary elections. In Johnson's case, a victory would also prove that a Tory could win if backed by the BNP. But that is all.

Away with it!

D Gray

Odd that Kate thinks she is up to the job of advising anybody....when she had a job in government she was crap at it.

Stuart Rose

As a casual but partisan observer of U.K. politics from the States, I can see the point about the unseriousness of the campaign for mayor. But London voters turning out Lil' Ken after all these years(I remember seeing him on Parkinson in the early 80s when I first visited the U.K.) would be a symbolic blow against the class baiting, the philo-Islamism and mindless multi-culturalism he's been peddling.

Sam C

Personally I think this is a great endorsement by Ken Livingstone. George Galloway has shown on many occasions that he can be the voice of reason in among a chaotic organisation. Whilst in the Labour Party, George leading the anti-war coalition was able to show another side of Labour to which the core of the Labour Party adhere to.

George is a rational candidate who although is deeply rooted in the neo-socialist/leftist politics of nationalisation of important infrastructure and social services, is also able to logically take non-partisan positions to tackle issues in crime and what not.

George Galloway!