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| Sunday, May 04, 2008 |
Good news and bad news for LondonCongratulations to Boris Johnson on his remarkable victory in the London Mayoral election. Even on a very good day for the Conservatives this represents a substantial personal victory, not just over Ken Livingstone, but also over a lightweight reputation which Johnson never fully deserved. Of Ken himself, little more need be said: he's gone.Elsewhere in London the news is less encouraging. The Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick has hopefully torpedoed any chance of extending his political career with his astonishing admission that he deployed his second preference vote in support of Lindsey German, the senior SWP member, convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, erstwhile scion of George Galloway's ironically named "Respect Coalition" - who at this election was representing the so-called "Left List" (i.e. the SWP half of Respect). Paddick told Evan Davis of the BBC that he approved of the Left List's anti-discrimination and public housing policies. We wonder whether Nick Clegg is also so enthusiastic. Meanwhile, in the London Assembly election both Labour and the Conservatives improved their position, thanks to losses by the Lib Dems and other minor parties. UKIP failed to win back the seats it lost when its former representatives decamped to Veritas (remember them?). The two ex-Veritas men, running under the label "One London", also failed to be reeelected. On the other hand the Greens held their two seats, and the British National Party also gained its most senior elected representative to date: Richard Barnbrook's compensation for failing in the mayoral election is a seat on the London Assembly. Paddick's endorsement of the Left List and the BNP's electoral success are most unwelcome developments. It is evident from opinion polling that notwithstanding David Cameron's success in transforming the Conservatives' electoral fortunes, there is still a substantial tranche of the electorate which is unwilling to support any of the three main parties - and thus far, nowhere for these voters to go, other than the extremes. This is, to say the least, an unhealthy state of affairs. While so many voters remain alienated from the political process, the outlook for democracy in this country is uncertain. |
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