No surprise at all that Boris Johnson has won the primary to be Conservative Candidate in next years London Mayor election.

The Mayor posts introduced by the Blair Government are a unique innovation - an individual directly elected to the top job - and all the evidence is that having a big media footprint helps.

So far Ken Livingstone has been by far the best known name in London politics. Johnson will challenge him on that.

If as expected, Brian Paddick, the gay senior Metropolitan Policemen, secures the Liberal Democrat nomination, all three parties will now be running celebrity candidates.

This week Ken Livingstone told me that he wanted to run against Paddick and Johnson.

He recognises that Londoners may be getting a little bored with him after 8 years and two election victories but he reckons a clash of the stars will revitalize the contest.

He also expects that comparisons with Johnson will favour him.

Livingstone is Mr London. Born and bred in the Capital, he led the old GLC, and was an MP for a London Constituency.

Boris Johnson has no such links. He grew up in the country and was educated at Eton and Oxford, and he is MP for Henley in Berkshire.

But in spite of his gaffes and his cunningly exploited eccentricities, he is nobody's fool.

His fortunes in London will matter more than ever for the Conservatives, because he is a toff from a similar privileged background to Dave: if London buys Boris, it will be safe to assume that Britain could buy Cameron.

The first tight corner Johnson may find himself in is what to do about his seat in Parliament.

It's quite normal to stand in this sort of election while remaining an MP, and then to resign subsequently, that's exactly what Livingstone himself did. ( LibDem Sarah Teather now holds his Brent seat).

But it will be difficult for for Boris to ride two political horses if there is an early election between now and the Mayoral Poll on May 1st 2008.

That could mean that if he doesn't win London, Boris could find himself out of politics altogether.

Meanwhile - for a fascinating insight into the role of personality (or lack of it) in modern politics, take a look at Danny Finkelstein's breakdown in today's Times of the borrowings from others in Gordon Brown's leader's speech.

At least Ken and Boris have made their own moulds!

Comments

[carol-ann liverpool 29 Sep 2007 02:37:04]

I suggest Boris should audition for the role of Dick Wittington in one of the local Christmas pantomines. Such a role is much more befitting of his talents and skills than the 'real' Lord Mayor of London.

I haven't got a clue what he stands for because I only get to hear about his bumbling and blundering.
He seems a nice enough chap but what is his manifesto? Does anyone know?

[Patricia 27 Sep 2007 19:25:47]

Are there any average 'Londoners' left in London Merv?.

[Victor, NW Kent 27 Sep 2007 14:27:31]

Boris might do a bad job as Mayor but so has Ken, At least Boris will do it pleasantly.

[Madnurse 27 Sep 2007 12:29:19]

London's gain will be Henley on Thames' loss. Good luck Boris. You may at times engage your mouth before your politicians brain but at least you are not tied down by political correctness. You are one of the few politicians that sayes what they really think and I respect you for that. Incidently I also agree with much of what you have said in the past and say now.

[David Boothroyd 27 Sep 2007 11:06:08]

Actually Ken stayed on as MP until the 2001 general election, and then Paul Daisley was elected as Labour MP to follow him. Unfortunately Paul Daisley already had terminal cancer and when he died, the tiny but useless Sarah Teather won the byelection in 2003.
--------------------------
Thanks for the correction. AB

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai 27 Sep 2007 10:40:05]

If Boris can work on his rhyming slang, and develope a slight Cockney accent, then his chances of success would be greatly enhanced, and although appreciating that he is nobody's fool, I do feel that the average Londoner will tend to lean towards a local boy. The old Etonian bit will not be in his favour, in the same way that it isn't for Mr. Cameron.

[Peter, Fife 27 Sep 2007 10:28:39]

The reality of the battle for the Mayor of London creates few sympathisers in the country at large; I do mean the country at large, not just in my little corner of God’s country.
Ken Livingstone living on the old socialist ideals challenged by Boris Johnson, a twittering toff may well be the reality of the competition, yet the real question that must be asked is how is the power associated with this office is not borne out in the quality of candidates proposed for the role.

Both major political parties are content to have their court jesters front up their political ideologies in the largest, most publicised, most disproportionally funded city in the UK; could it be that if serious politicians were in office the budgets and expenditure would be subjected to a greater degree of scrutiny?

London this and London that, we the majority outside of are seemingly tired of the overvalued views of Londoners and those who claim the interests of London; when other cities require redevelopment they have to struggle to acquire funding an in general have to accept second best in terms of the building programme; however this is not the case in London, redevelopment is masked by the 2012 Olympics which we are assured the whole country will benefit from, I shall not hold my breath, yet nobody else in similar situations is permitted to loot the lottery funds for their own projects, let alone have a dedicated lottery game in support of them produced.

[Khalid 27 Sep 2007 10:14:17]

Sounds more like the Ken & Barbie show as oppose the mayoral elections. Ken indeed has been in power for the past 8 years, purely because previous candidates were not fit to live, let alone govern.
Whilst Boris has indeed got the backing of the media footprints, Ken on the other hand has been and will be renowned for his betrayal of the very motorists he once was, as I recall it he was a cabbie and what a divine congestion he has charged all and sundry, destroying what was a beautiful capital place. Nevertheless, Oyster on the other hand is something unique but just like Ken, doesn’t go far enough as it is not accepted on over ground trains. So, if Boris will ensure the job is complete, then I’m sure the capitals commuters’ from city to city will welcome the fact that long last we have someone with a sense of direction (I think) as well as to provide motorists with reasonable timelines for their bank accounts to pay for any congestion.
One Question I would like to put to any mayoral candidate: If the congestion charge is to clear the smog as they put it, and that smog is caused by the oil giants and the motor manufacturer, why then are drivers penalised and later “Hypnotised-Simple Minds”?
On the whole, I cannot see why we need yet another mayor as each and every council has one, and yet neither they or the London Mayor have the authority to do what’s best for London’ Multicultural society (eg: Brent’s Chinese Community might ring a bell Ken, whom became further victims of property development!!!!)