London Mayor

Election coming up. Got a dithering annoying w**ker as favourite and a dithering annoying w**ker as second favourite, but that order depends entirely on what poll you read.

So who will win, who do you want to win etc?

I want Brian Paddock to win. He won't, it'll go to the Tory Toff or the Labour Loony.

Dithering annoying w**ker as second favourite for the win!

As I could actually vote in this I should really be more bothered about it really. But I couldn't care less to be honest. I don't mind Ken but I don't like him enough to vote for him, think all the negative campaigning has put me right off both of them.

Don't think I'll be voting.

Interestingly though there's a vote in Bristol about whether we want to introduce the system they have in London for mayors. But nobody seems that fussed about it. Going to vote in that one though as I haven't voted before and I'd like my first vote to be cast at home.

There are few in the Labour party I despise more than him. How can you run on a platform of protesting against Tax Avoidance whilst avoiding masses upon masses of tax yourself? Tbh I half wish he would do something that would get him sacked so he could go the same way as Galloway.

No idea why Labour are putting him forward, apparently popularity matters more than integrity.

I've never voted anyone other than Labour in my life, but if I lived in London I think it would be the first time.

I am voting for Boris. I am not conservative, not by a long shot. But basically he knows the job, London has a massive year coming up and he has put in the hard work so far.

Ken Livingstone is promising people "free money"

I remember the GLC and I am probably still paying for it too.

So politics aside here I have to vote for who will serve London the best right now.

There's something about Ken I don't like. I am voting for Boris, he gave us Boris bikes and Halved the percentage of the fare rise this year.

Are people from Liverpool actually allowed to vote conservative?

I'm not from Liverpool I just lived there for 4 years.

I never vote conservative EVER...usually, but this is my exception. I think he's actually made a good mayor, or as good as can be. There's just something about that Ken I don't trust...

I would quite like Boris to win, on the account that it doesn't actually affect me and he makes me laugh.

On the news the other night the BBC correspondent called it the 'second most important job in British politics.

Now maybe I'm just biased because I don't live anywhere near London, but really? Second most important job in British politics?

Surely Chancellor of the Exchequer is more important than London Mayer no?

Well it's starting to look like this vote doesn't matter as by the time they finish counting the votes it will be time for the next election.

I have to confess to having not paid much attention to the whole thing, but did remember to ask a couple of questions in view of the postal vote thread a while back.

I asked about no ID requirement.

Response: Shrugged shoulders.

I also queeried why an alternative vote system was being used, considering the country voted against it.

Response: Shrugged shoulders.

At that point, one Mr. Jefferson came to mind:

“If voting changed anything, they'd abolish it.”

Lets face is Boris and Dave hate each other, so Dave would probably prefer Boris to lose.

There is never ID requirement for elections in the mainland UK (quite right too imo) and AV and STV tend to be used in these sort of elections as with this you really are voting for a single person, not just one person who is part of a larger group and they are seen as opportunities to test different systems.

Normally used for party leadership elections as well.


We only voted against AV for general elections, not other votes.


Not sure why we voted against AV for general elections anyway. Would have been a better system.

So you prefer the idea that anyone can pitch up and vote, regardless of entitlement to do so?

There's differeing info on this though; The website giving info on it says that the alternative vote is not counted at any stage towards the overall result. BBC says the opposite.

If it is superfluous, then why put it in the mix in the first place etc.

I was under the impression that AV as a public voting system was what was in question. I hadn't realised that was solely for general elections.

It's not a better system. That was evident when we all discussed AV at the time of that vote.