London Mayor

[Abi]

One for the Londoners! Though if you're from elsewhere, you might have an opinion too..

Who are you think would be the best London Mayor?

I don't particularly like any of them. I think the Lib Dem bloke is doing a lot better, but Boris and Ken are really pushing him out of the race. Boris is really trying to avoid giving figures for his "get rid of bendy buses" idea though, which i don't really trust. And Ken doesn't seem to be coming up with anything new.

Theres a debate in a bit on BBC1 on Question Time. Should be interesting. Seems to be hard to call at the minute.

[StarsOfCCTV]

Anyone but Ken! He put up the train prices up but I have seen NO improvement of service! It's as worse as it always is!

I think the Lib Dem guy is the best candidate but I agree it's more between Ken and Boris. You never know though, the underdog might triumph!

[alan45]

Im not a Londoner but I think Boris is the best of a bad bunch. After all Ken is more interested in wining and dining terrorists and their supporters. Boris is just a public school prat

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

The day is here! Should be going with mum to vote at my brother's school :p Obviously not voting though :)

[StarsOfCCTV]

My mum and dad sent theirs off in the post. Personally I think all the fun is going to the polling station! Wish I could vote....:p

[Jojo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7380947.stm

So Boris Johnson is the new Mayor - what are the Londoners (and everyone elses) thoughts on it?

[pookie1968uk]

i think to a certain degree it reflects on the fact that people are getting fed up with labours antics and i think a lot of the local coucil voting reflected that too. they are going to have to buck their ideas up if they want to stay in power next time.

[Abi]

I did prefer Brian Paddick, but i'm pleased that Boris won. I think he's got the passion for the job that Ken is missing now.

[Abigail]

From BBC news


Asked by the BBC what his views were on the poor Labour showing, Mr Johnson said: "The smart thing for Labour to do would be to quietly to remove Gordon Brown and install [Foreign Secretary David] Miliband, is my view, but I don't think they'll do it."

I totally agree.

Roll on the next general election, I know who I'm voting for.

[parkerman]

I no longer live in London but I used to as well as working there for nearly 40 years. I'm appalled that Londoners should have decided to vote out Ken Livingstone and vote in that idiot Johnson.

Over the 8 years he has been mayor, Livingstone has done so much for Londoners.

1. He introduced the congestion charge which has improved bus travel around the capital no end. Also, there has been a 72% increase in bicycles in London.

2. The Oyster card was a brilliant innovation.

3. The bankruptcy of Metronet, one of the private operators proved Livingstone's argument that the Treasury was wrong to foist a Public Private Partnership on the Tube. If the Government had handed the Underground over to Livingstone before the PPP the whole fiasco would have been avoided. He was undertaking a massive refurbishment of the tube, including the extension of the East London line, upgrades of the Jubilee Line and DLR and the recent takeover of the North London Line.

4.He secured funds for the much-needed Crossrail. This will expand London's transport capacity by 10%.

5. Crime in London fell for the fifth consecutive year in 2007. Last year's 6.1 per cent fall in crime was the highest yet. This followed Livingstone's policy of reversing the Tory policy of cutting police numbers year after year, and instead recruiting record numbers of police and putting them back on the beat in every neighbourhood.

6. Crime on buses and Tube are both down despite rising passenger numbers, with new police unit on bus routes, and increase in British Transport Police from 450 to 700 to improve safety on rail services. All buses are now equipped with CCTV as are all Underground stations.

7. He increased the number of 'affordable' new homes - including those built for rent and for shared ownership, so that Londoners on low incomes could still achieve a good standard of housing and, where possible, get on the first rung of the property ownership ladder.

8. He strengthened planning laws to protect and improve parks and open spaces.

9. He invested money in tackling litter and instituted the widespread doorstep collection of recycling.

Ken did a lot for London and just because Gordon Brown is unpopular all that good work will be undone by a clown.

[Abi]

The problem i have with Ken Livingstone, is that he seemed to forget that London goes outside of Zone 1. He concentrated far too much on the city centre, and ignored the rest of the city.

[Chloe O'brien]

The Labour council tried a scheme up here a couple of years ago where they tried to charge drivers paying but the boundry was 4 miles outside the city centre and the only people allowed a vote were the ones who lived in Edinburgh. So if you lived in Glasgow and travelled everyday to work you didn't have a say.

We had local elections this time last year and Labour did bably up here in Scotland too. However I don't think it is down to Gordon Brown I blame the local councilors who were a waste of space and didn't do anything for their constitunion. I have allways voted Labour and my parents where strong laobur voters. I happen to think that Gordon Brown is a very knowledgable man and a very good Prime Minister and without him when he was Chancellor of the Exchequor I wouldn't have been able to return to work and afford childcare for Marley as the Tories did fook all for the working people up here in Scotland.

I will not hesitate to vote for Gordon Brown if they have a General Election next month or in two years.

[Abigail]

Don't you have you're own parliament up in Scotland?

[Chloe O'brien]

Don't you have you're own parliament up in Scotland?

Yeah we have some political issues are decided in Scotland some in London, Up until last year we had a Labour First Minister but after the local elections last May SNP had the majority vote so we have a SNP First Minister.

As I said the reason I think Labour did so badly up here last year and down south this week is that voters are sick of their local councillors ditting on their fat a$$es doing bugger all for £15 grand a year, but this was not Gordon Brown's fault it was Tony Blair.

Gordon Brown had the spirt and honesty to be a great Prime Minister Tony Blair could never be. Tony Blair only became PM because the UK was pig sick of John Major and the Tories. He would never had made PM if John Smith had lived to get Labour back into power.

[Meh]

Red Ken was becoming too much of a Champagne Socialist. My fear for Boris is that he will pander too much to the businesses but he deserves a fair crack. That's what democracy is about after all.