By rights, Labour ought to walk next year’s mayoral election. But all is not going
to plan. The latest polls put Boris ahead; one conducted at the end of last month even had him 7
points clear.
Labour’s problem is Ken Livingstone. As Jonathan found recently, a full fifth of Labour voters in London say they would prefer Boris to be mayor rather than Ken, an extraordinary statistic. Livingstone is also seen as dishonest in comparison to Boris. His opportunism often contributes to that perception — for instance, his attempt to tar Boris with the filthy Murdoch brush earlier this week was the most transparent piece of hypocrisy. Andrew Gilligan has more news on that front; news that illustrates why Boris also leads Ken in the charisma stakes. Here’s a snippet:
‘Andrew Boff (Tory AM): I think it’s very important to ensure that the mayoralty cannot be compromised by undue influence. Bearing in mind when [the hacking] took place [during Ken’s term of office], can I ask the mayor to look into the meetings the previous Mayor had with News International? Boris (grinning broadly): Is this the guy who’s been popping up attacking me for having meetings with journalists? Boff (innocently): Oh, I wasn’t aware – did he comment?… Could you also, Mr Mayor, look into any contracts that may have been entered into with the Murdoch dynasty? Boris (mock surprise): Contracts? Involving taxpayers’ money? Boff: Yes, contracts with the Murdoch dynasty, with Freud Communications [owned by Murdoch’s son-in-law]. Boris (mock incredulity): You’re joking!… I think it would be unbelievable and monstrously hypocritical, would it not, if the previous Mayor, having broken bread with the hirelings and the leaders of Rupert Murdoch’s group, were then to attack any other person for doing so…wouldn’t it be an unbelievably opportunistic thing to do?’
As both Gilligan and Paul Goodman note, Ken’s campaign will disintegrate if he becomes a national joke.
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