The battle to be Mayor of London
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By Time Out editors
Posted: Tue Aug 21 2007 -
Follow the most interesting mayoral contest London has ever witnessed. Finally Ken has some serious characters facing him in the form of Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Siân Berry. From now till May 1, we‘ll be bringing you the inside track on the contest, detailed reports on the candidates' progress and shaping a People's Manifesto for London
Mayoral candidate interviews
Time Out talks to Berry, Paddick, Johnson and Livingstone in a series of interviews
Time Out's People's Manifesto for London
We asked you what you would like to see on the Mayor's agenda, and your response staggered us. Here are your ideas and Time Out's ideas – a true People's Manifesto for Mayor addressing the issues that really affect ordinary Londoners.
Time Out's Mayor battle goes to Parliament
Our man Michael Hodges will focus on electoral reform, rather than running for office. Find out how you can help make London more democratic.
Quiz the candidates
Time Out is interviewing all four major Mayoral candidates and we want to ask them about real London issues, to do so we need your questions! Feature continuesAdvertisementVote Hodges!
Time Out's Michael Hodges is running for Mayor – visit his site, and show your support (or argue with him).Why Time Out is standing for London Mayor
Could an independent campaign with Londoners' passions and concerns for their city at its heart make its mark in the Mayoral race?Help with Time Out's campaign
Whether you're a bullet-proof marketeer or an enthusiastic volunteer, we want to hear from you.Time Out columnist Michael Hodges’ views on Boris Johnson kicked off a stormy debate. Read his column, 'Why we can't let Boris win', see readers’ responses and join the debate.
We’ve also got our in-depth breakdown of our current Mayor’s record – read Ken on Trial.- Add your comment to this feature
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11 comments
The very fact you said "bile-spewing oik" tells us all we need to know about Boris supporters, Patsy.
He needs a haircut.....
Voting for Boris would be like voting for Jeremy Clarkson, the sort of cheery buffoon who makes people laugh at a small/talk drinks do - he could not manage a tea party let alone a city such as London - he would do untold damage to the forem0st exciting city in the world, has no concept of what it is like to be a normal person - does he really think the Routemaster is the answer to the problems with transport - just going for the cheap populist gimmick. Londoners - vote for him and you will destroy everything that is good about this city. He has no vision beyond wagging his finger and saying he wants a London that is safe for his children - errr and exactly how is he going to bring this about - by abolishing the congestion charge??? Get real!
The very fact that Boris offends the sensibilities of the bile-spewing oik that is Michael Hodges is the perfect reason to vote for him. I'll definitely be Backing Boris.
You should check out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKRJVBqvd04. It's Zippy, George and Bungle from Rainbow recreating the Newsnight Mayoral debate. Hilarious!
This man is a political goliath, a man who all London should listen to and vote for. His 'No Pub Closures' policy is inspired, his oratory soars, his potential knows no bounds. All hail Mayor Hodges! To see the greatest speaker since Martin Luther King in action check him out on You Tube now!
Vote Ray Mears for Mayor!
Is it really the business of an events magazine to be standing a candidate in the London mayoral election, much less to join in the hysterical campaign against the British National Party? There are other candidates who's politics many would find distasteful, for example Lindsey German, member of the central committee of the Socialist Workers Party, a party that is proud to be in the tradition of the Russian Bolsheviks. Surely Time Out should be more neutral and report the facts and leave it to Londoners to decide who to vote for?
Fatigue with the existing Mayor and the disastrous launch by Boris are obviously factors in making your proposal interesting, but there's a rather obvious flaw in the idea of standing a candidate specifically to reduce the number of votes going to the BNP: the only way of doing this is for your candidate to put forward a version of the BNP's programme! Not, I think, what you intended surely? A major problem with this election is that it is treated as a joke celebrity awayday - because Boris is on the telly already, he gets given loads of coverage for a fatuous policy-free launch. But what about the other Tories fighting to get the nomination? Whatever they do by way of launch, however imaginative and however planned, will get hardly any coverage "because they are not celebs". When I stood in the 2000 Mayoral Election, I asked the ITV Mayoral Election programme why the 'smaller party' candidates were not allowed on their programme. They said it "wouldn't be democratic". Hmmmm.
Vote Vote Vote Vote for take that.
Following on from Laura’s comment.
Keep to reporting the news, not being or generating it.
Your idea could be taken up by any platform or company, the Red Bull Mayor, or the O2 Mayor. Politics should remain independent from the media and the media from the politicians.
You don’t gain votes by being the people’s choice; you become the people’s choice by getting the votes. Overstep your remit as a magazine and I’ll rather votes for the London Lite candidate or maybe the Metro’s one…
Saddened by your bid for London Mayor. An example of the media overstepping 'reporting' and undermining public confidence in politics. We want to read about London from you (which you do a great job of) not be represented by you. You could collapse the BNP vote share encouraging more Londoners to vote for serious political parties. Cynically it would be cheap advertising for your £10,000 stake with the timeout logo on every ballot paper and official election literature.