Compass on Boris - 3 comments

I can't think of any positive reasons why anyone would vote for Boris Johnson for London Mayor. What concerns me, though, is the distinct possibility that Compass - who have launched a 'dossier' (PDF) about the Johnson threat - will find one by mistake.

Compass, and everyone else in the Labour Party, ought to be offering positive reasons why Ken Livingstone should be re-elected, as well as impressing on Ken the need to avoid needlessly alienating many of his party's supporters by (for one thing) chumming-up with foreign dictators - part of the reason why he isn't a shoo-in (a mere 7-4 on) right now. We really must avoid insulting the electorate's intelligence by claiming, as Doreen Lawrence (why?) has, that Johnson they mustn't even think of standing voting for Johnson because cities have a 'unity' (perhaps in the same way that cities can be offended, as Liverpool's spokesmen once claimed it to be) that would be damaged by the election of someone with divergent views. Sorry, but can such sentimental tripe possibly convince anyone over the legal voting age? Adults conduct politics based upon policy (OK, fine, but they should), not identity, and we need to prepare for the day when the Conservatives decide to stand a proper politician as candidate for Mayor. Or PM, for that matter.

Via Tom. Tyger is somewhat in agreement.

Update: fixed an error; added a link.

Speke by-election - 1 comment

This hasn't attracted much attention until today (considering Labour won...), but it was a very impressive one, back on March 8th, the result being:

Colin Strickland (Lab) 1,984 (gain)
Lynnie Williams (Lib Dem) 1,218
Steven Greenhalgh (BNP) 281
Cherry Fitzsimmons (Green) 68
Brenda Coppell (Cons) 54
Mark Bill (UKIP) 49
Turnout: 28.76%