(no subject)

[avevale_intelligencer]

And if proof were needed that our democracy is broken, the people have elected as Mayor of London a man whom no sane person would put in charge of a small pink pebble (edit: I beg your pardon, Libertarians might), in preference to someone who has, I am reliably told, managed real improvements in his term of office, and whom Tony Blair cordially disliked as well (what more recommendation could one need?).

My sympathies go out to the people of London. And to all of us, if this is a foreshadowing of what will happen in the next General Election.

Comments

[howeird]

Hmmm. Which reminds me, must email my cousin and find out how he fared in his bid for Bucks city (town? Shire?) council.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

So, how did he do?

[howeird]

Haven't heard back yet, and cannot find it on the web. Hmmm.

[rdmaughan.livejournal.com]

I do not like Ken Livingston. I think he is untrustworthy, egocentric and far too interested in his own well being than in the well being of his constituents. Comparing a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard is not acceptable behaviour for anyone.

Having said that I would not have voted for Boris Johnson under any circumstances unless it was him or the BNP. If I still lived in London I would have voted 1st choice for Brian Paddick and second choice for Ken.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I'd like him very much myself, but--again, I am reliably told--he made some good decisions and carried them through. I think we can safely rely on Boris to make no decisions whatsoever that do not redound to his or his cronies' personal enrichment--though, of course, if I'm wrong I shall be pleasantly surprised.

I don't know who Brian Paddick is--of course I should have known that it wasn't the two-horse race we were being told about. Presumably he was either LibDem or independent, in which case the question would be would a vote for him have stood a remote chance either of getting him in, or keeping Boris out?

I just hope to gods this isn't a foreshadowing of what's going to happen with the country. To be quite honest, if we get the Tories back and the Americans get McCain I shall be seriously considering chucking it in. I am not a Nyrond, I'm not immortal and I don't have four or five more years to waste on this kind of nonsense. I need to see some kind of sign that things can get better before I get too old to appreciate it.

[aunty_marion]

Paddick is a (?)gay (?)ex-police chief constable (or thereabouts) - LibDem. I voted for him, with a side order of Boris, because I'm a little tired of Ken thinking he owns London.

In fact, I voted LibDem throughout - all three ballot papers. I doubt that, generally, they're any better than any other party (except BNP, spit), but I do see them somewhat as the voice of sweet reason. I may be influenced by knowing ci5rod, of course.

[grey-lady.livejournal.com]

Since we've moved out of London we didn't vote in this one - but the voting system used involved choosing your 1st choice and 2nd choice candidate; if your first choice didn't make it into the top two, your vote rolled over to the second choice. It did at least mean that people wanting to vote for parties that weren't going to make it into the top 2 (and, I'm sorry to say, the LibDems still fall into that category) at least knew they could then express their view on the top two.

[madfilkentist]

Livingstone's reputation for tyrannical measures in the name of "protection from terrorism" made it over to the US. For example, when the police got lightly slapped on the wrist for shooting and killing Charles de Menezes on the subway, Livingstone was aghast that they got any punishment at all. I'd have voted for the small pink pebble itself in preference to him.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

It would be nice to be able to vote for someone who was perfect, or even almost perfect. In the meantime, while acknowledging Livingstone's many faults, I don't think you'll find many Londoners among our community who are actually happy about Johnson being the winner.

EDIT: original post edited with some illuminating links.

[madfilkentist]

From the first of the articles you linked to:

Johnson is what is often referred to as a “Libertarian”, once the name of a proud philosophical tradition but which has sadly now come to describe little more than the articulation of self-entitlement on the part of the privileged. The Libertarians of today’s Western political class mount strong principled arguments in defence of their own rights whilst exhibiting little concern or even appreciation of the existence of the rights of others.

If David Wearing has that little knowledge of what a libertarian is, or alternatively if he intended that as a conscious smear, then I would not trust anything else he said without checking the sources. If your evaluation of Johnson comes from reading tabloid drivel like that, then I'd suggest that we're both equally ignorant of what Johnson is really like.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

My knowledge of Johnson from other reliable sources bears this piece out completely. Whatever you may understand by "Libertarian," this is what he is.

[valydiarosada.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately with property prices falling through the floor, now is not the time to up sticks and leave London.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, it is interesting times we live in, isn't it?

My own reflection on this is that it has the potential to have an enormous impact on the next election depending on when Boris succeeds in making a total arse of himself. (Saying stupid things about foreign people whose relatives then camp on the doorstep of City Hall or having affairs are the top possibilities although the office does increase the range of trouble he can get himself into.)

If by some malign miracle he holds off till after the next election then the Tories will have a huge boost to their chances.

If, as seems more likely, he cocks up before (or God willing even during) the next election campaign the opposite effect may be seen.

M.Cule
Parliamentary guru

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

We can hope.

[placeofhonour.livejournal.com]

Face it now: the Tories *are* going to get in at the next general election. Pretty much the entire country is sick of NuLabr, and "everyone knows" the Lib Dems are third in the running so there's no point voting for them. (Nothing to do with self-perpetuating myths, oh no). I'll be voting Lib Dem, because last time I made a tactical vote it helped give the nation Tony Blair and I still feel guilty about that, but then Cambridge is also a traditional Lib Dem stronghold so my vote will actually have some effect.