Round 1 about to start in London's mayoral race

Today sees the start of the hustings season for the contest of London Mayor.In the red corner Ken Livingstone,.present incumbent,former socialist and lover of newts.In the blue corner Boris Johnson,former old Etonian and star of Tv and gaffs galore.

They meet today along with Lib Denme candidate Brian Paddick and Green Party hopeful Sian Berry as they potline plans for London's green future.

Livingstone has had a rough passage over the last few weeks.An orchestrated campaign led by the London Evening Standard has exposed cronyism in his administartion amid allegations of the misuse of money.one of his closest associates Lee Jasper was forced to resign on an isue linked to the same investigation adnLondoners are not keen on his close links to the likes of hugo Chavez or his attacks on Sir Trevor Philips

But Boris is not going to find the going easy


A warning for Boris comes from David Aaronovitch writing in the Times today

Ken slides out of Life in Cold Blood, like some Lambeth axolotl, emerged from underneath the stone to sit in triumph on top of it. Everyone who has attempted to kill off his career has been left only with a handful of tail and a vague feeling of having been made to look silly. Boris's series, David Attenborough's Life on a Warm Sofa: The World of Pets is as yet unmade, but would feature a smiling, boisterous Johnson destroying a house by knocking everything over, eating all the food and pooing in the beds

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By all intense and purpose the recent polls show a tight race ahead,Boris in the latest is slightly ahead