Can Ken, or ken Boris become London Mayor?

London elects its mayor today. The least you can say is this election pits two characters against one another.



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It's a close call by any standard, and such neck-and-necks usually provoke the weirdest media coverage. There is a classic example of counterproductive campaigning in this morning's The Guardian. If I were an undecided London voter, this article would definitely push me over the edge and make me vote for Johnson. It is a personal attack, it is below the belt and it takes many of Boris Johnson's funny or tragi-comic quips from the past seriously, thereby demonstrating that the authors have no sense of humour whatsoever. If these are Ken's supporters, I'd pass.

The snobbery expressed in many of those comments is breathtaking. The article itself is slanderous and very weak on real arguments.

If the people of London feel Boris is for them, all well and good. He may be untried, but career politicos like Ken run out of ideas about a year after they started.

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Originally Posted by Vivienne Westwood

Boris as mayor? Unthinkable. It just exposes democracy as a sham, especially if people don't agree with me vote for Ken

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~:rolleyes:

Go Boris!

Boris for PM!

I personally think he'd be a good larf. And, would most likely come up with some rather good ideas.

Go get 'em Boris!

:laugh4:

How long is the Mayor's term, and is it limited in length? Are there "recall" provisions if the wrong guy gets the job and makes a total mess - or must the voters wait 'til the next election?

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Originally Posted by KukriKhan

How long is the Mayor's term, and is it limited in length? Are there "recall" provisions if the wrong guy gets the job and makes a total mess - or must the voters wait 'til the next election?

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Four years IIRC.

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Originally Posted by Vivienne Westwood
Boris as mayor? Unthinkable. It just exposes democracy as a sham, especially if people don't agree with me vote for Ken

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A Londoner? I thought she was from Oldham or somesuchplace. :dizzy2:

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if the wrong guy gets the job

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That's democracy for you, you get what you ask for, not what's good for you :clown:

OIC. This is a pretty new postcreated only recently, presumeably to get Parliament out of the day-to-day business of running London.

How exciting. No wonder the election garners such attention (and vitriol).

I'd vote if I didn't have a data analysis writeup for an EPIC cohort due tomorrow.

Maybe I'll sneak out for a few minutes at night to do so.
My district is heavily convervative but I don't think I'll vote for them.

I've already voted. And it's a secret. :quiet:

Do UK elections always occur on weekday/workdays?

Ours (U.S.) usually are, though I think we'd get better turnout if we held them on Sundays.

You know until you asked I hadn't thought much about it. Upon reflection I do believe we vote on Thursdays. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to either verify or dismiss my assertion.

I have to say I do love the thrill of putting a simple cross on the ballot paper. Yay for democracy! :2thumbsup:

As I thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_elections

:beam:

If anyone has read his biography on his official campaign website, it gives a good hint of things to come if he wins - an end to those ridiculous bendy-buses.

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Originally Posted by Boris's Campaign Site

As well as being a passionate cyclist - he has had many near-misses with bendy buses - he enjoys painting, playing tennis and spends much of his time bringing up his four children with his wife Marina in North London.

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He has cited his dislike of them in the past, but i think this is his funny little way of saying "i'm, er, getting rid of the, erm, buggers."

http://www.backboris.com/about/index.php

Make sure you don't have a near miss with him then, you might be removed next :clown:

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Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost

The snobbery expressed in many of those comments is breathtaking.

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You are so right, somehow I forgot to mention the snobbery. You look at all those prominent names and you say to yourself: these people are actually in a position to influence Livingstone, these are the sort of people who can talk him into taking or scrapping all sorts of measures and policies. That's what makes this stupid, vindictive lot downright scary. And this in a race that is so close, with victory depending on maybe half a percent of voters. I mean how stupid and full of yourself can you get?

It's a prime example of campaigners shooting themselves in the foot with a big phat Bazooka.

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Originally Posted by Adrian II

It's a prime example of campaigners shooting themselves in the foot with a big phat Bazooka.

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:yes:

Anyway, their mock-working class disdain is utterly misplaced - it's hardly the case that Boris is of the finer classes. He's so arriviste.

:toff:

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Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost

:yes:

Anyway, their mock-working class disdain is utterly misplaced - it's hardly the case that Boris is of the finer classes. He's so arriviste.

:toff:

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And Circassian, too!

The man's sense of homour is unsurpassed in today's politics. Dear Lord, grant us, modest Dutchmen, one Boris of our own. Just one, please. Please?

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The article itself is slanderous and very weak on real arguments.

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Do you think it goes back to their falling out at the spectator ?
Williams always seemed like a vindictive :daisy: who would really harbour a grudge whereas Boris would probaly go "Spectator ????I was one at Lords I think ..lots of people from the colonies....hmmmmmm....radishes are quite pleasant"

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Originally Posted by Tribesman

Do you think it goes back to their falling out at the spectator ?

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Is that so? :mellow:

Well in any case someone at The Guardian deserves a really hard spanking for letting this through at all.

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Originally Posted by Mikeus Caesar

Go Boris!

Boris for PM!

I personally think he'd be a good larf.

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Yep, you clearly don't live in London. A good laugh, yeah we will all be laughing when he :daisy: everything up.

I voted a couple weeks back via postal vote and it's no secret who I voted for, Ken first choice, green second.

Ken has been good for London, if he hadn't I might understand some of the abuse which has been aimed at him. But of course no one can really explain the problems with his policies, especially not the Tories - they send an upper class babbling baboon to contest the vote, whose only benefit is name recognition - as a moron - and have the Evening Standard slander Ken day in, day out.

Come on Ken.

I am pretty confident he is going to win and I think the winning margin is going to be if not comfortable, still significant - say 4-7%. Boris is not going to get the second place votes, he may win round one but when the Lib Dem votes go to Ken, he will walk away with it.

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Well in any case someone at The Guardian deserves a really hard spanking for letting this through at all.

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Why ? its what the Guardian is good for , it gives all sorts of idiots an oppertunity to publish .

Wow, I wonder what Boris' peripheral vision is like. :stare:

Go Boris! That would be an excellent way to have the semester end.

CR

I did good on my EE final, and it looks like Boris is winning.

Huzzah! I guess democracy is a sham after all!

CR

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Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit

I did good on my EE final, and it looks like Boris is winning.

Huzzah! I guess democracy is a sham after all!

CR

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Crazed, congrats with your EE final.

And thank God democracy is a sham.
Imagine the disaster if they would all stick to their promises! :dizzy2:

Well, the answer is out.

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Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit

Go Boris! That would be an excellent way to have the semester end.

CR

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I agree - congratulations, United Kingdom!

The man seems like a degenerate liar and womanizer, but at least he is a change. Big cities do well under the leadership of lying degenerate womanizers. Plus, it isn't my country and it isn't ken livingston.

Speechless. :2thumbsup:

Just wondering , for those that oppose or support Boris . Which of his policies do you like/dislike .
Or is it just that those that support him think he will be funny ?

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Originally Posted by Tribesman

Just wondering , for those that oppose or support Boris . Which of his policies do you like/dislike .
Or is it just that those that support him think he will be funny ?

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I like that he understands that homosexual marriage will eliminate any obstacles regarding marring plurally or even inanimate/living objects. I also like that he recognizes that Islam is a violent religion and doesn't buy into the "religion of peace" idea.

I don't like that he cheated on his wife(/s) numerous times and lied about it - each time. I don't like that he plagiarized things. He is a sloppy mess. I don't like that he is clearly an opportunistic politician that would go anywhere and represent anyone to get into a powerful position. Thats all that I've really got so far.

I am sure that you like and dislike him for the exact opposite reasons - including some more important reasons like his economic agenda. He is a shallow mess - but he highlights just tired of Livingstone everybody was. This is the realistic equivalent of electing a rock into office instead of old Kenny-boy.