BNP success follows a weak Labour government

I think that Iain Dale has maybe got it spot on about the BNP.

In fact it is not Iain but his interview with Ken Livingstone in which the former mayor gives his views

Do you expose them for what they are or ignore them? I’ve always been in favour of exposing them and taking them on. The far right do well when a Labour government is failing. It’s basically working class voters who would be inclined to be our supporters become disillusioned. They don’t want to vote Tory. If Brown gets a fourth term it will grow as a problem, unless Brown’s policies become more popular with the working class. There is a lot of anger out there. If Cameron wins, it will be just like when Thatcher got in. The BNP will rapidly fade away. It’s a problem for incumbent Labour governments. It’s never going to be a problem for a Tory one. But the BNP are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. We’ve got to do everything possible to stop them, but it was like this in the Callaghan government when the National Front rose to prominence. The BNP will continue eating into the Labour vote until the government realizes it needs to do something for working class people.

Ken is back and in the Standard

The London Evening Standard carries an interview with Ken Livingstone today.Yes that is correct,the former mayor whom the paper in partnership with Andrew Gilligan campaingned to keep out of office.

As the Guardian's media monkey points out

just two days after new Evening Standard owner Alexander Lebedev formally took charge from Daily Mail & General Trust and installed Geordie Greig as the new editor. What's that hammering sound coming out of Derry Street – could it be colours being firmly nailed to the mast?

Anyway Ken reveals that

he will be putting his hat into the ring to fight Boris Johnson in the 2012 mayoralty election....."I would love to stand for Mayor against Boris in what will be the Olympics year," he says. I point out he will be in his 66th year and that already there is opposition within the Labour Party to him standing again. "Unlike 2000, when the party was desperate not to have me and chose Frank Dobson, even though I got three times as many votes as he did, I expect a completely fair contest for nominating the Labour candidate next time around."

Ken gives his insight into Labour success

Ken Livingstone as far as I an aware makes his first public statement since his defeat last Friday in an article in this morning's Guardian.

Writing that Labour must learn from London,where its share of the vote held compared to the rest of the country,Livingstone says that

There are three tasks for a government:

1. to ensure the country and London are an economic success
2. to ensure everyone shares in that success
3. to ensure that success is sustainable in the long run through improving the environment.

The article is worth a read if only beacause Ken uses it to justify his 8 years at the helm of London.It misses though one point that he also failed on.Listening to waht the electorate really want.Yes Green issues are important but the're not when people are faced with economic hardship.

Boris humble on his victory podium

I thought that Boris's acceptance speech was quite humbling.(You can read it in full here

But here is an excerpt as he talks about his defeated opponent.

And as for Ken, Mayor Livingstone, I think you have been a very considerable public servant and a distinguished leader of this city.
You shaped the office of mayor. You gave it national prominence and when London was attacked on 7 July 2005 you spoke for London.
And I can tell you that your courage and the sheer exuberant nerve with which you stuck it to your enemies, especially in New Labour, you have thereby earned the thanks and admiration of millions of Londoners, even if you think that they have a funny way of showing it today.
And when we have that drink together which we both so richly deserve, I hope we can discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London, a city whose energy conquered the world and which now brings the world together in one city

An appalling debate

After watching last night's Question Time debate with the three main candidates for the Mayoral election,if I lived in London I would be voting for Brian Paddick.

Boris Johnson was appalling.Obviously given a script to read by his minder Lyton Crosby he was determined to get his points across,no matter waht the qusetion concerned was.He made a complete fool of himself over issues of racism and morality.

Livingstone seemed subdued.He let Boris' comments drift over him.There was an air of resignation over his fate and little attempt to justify his postition on a number of issues.

Paddick was in good form.He kept himself generally aloof and used the line time and again that there was nothing to choose between the other two.

It is a shame that he won't win but at least his second preferences are going to amke the difference.Perhaps the winning candidate will invite him on board as an advisor?

Iain Dale wasn't impressed either

What a terrible advert for the political process. Compare this to the debates in the US primaries and I defy anyone to suggest that our system is any way superior. Thank God we only have to suffer this embarrassing charade for another seven days.

Strange goings on in the race to be London mayor

Rather a strange story appearing this morning about the London mayoral elections.According to the Guardian

Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell have both been giving advice to the campaign working for London mayor Ken Livingstone's re-election, the Guardian can reveal.
The former prime minister and his media strategist had been among Livingstone's most trenchant critics in the past, and he had derided them for being the architects of the New Labour project. However, with the race against the Tory candidate Boris Johnson on a knife-edge, Livingstone's team has sought their expertise, and also the advice of Philip Gould, New Labour's pollster and focus group adviser.

Meanwhile both of the leading candidates are under sleaze pressures.

Boris faces a possible enquiry into share holdings,the Independent reports

The Labour MP Karen Buck, called on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate after it emerged that Mr Johnson did not register shares in Finland Station, for more than 18 months. Aides to the Tory candidate for London mayor said he had not declared his 33 per cent shareholding because of an "oversight" and they had now ensured the shareholding was registered

And Ken has owned up to having according to BBC news

"ensnared" ministers over the bid to host the 2012 Olympics in an effort to get money for East End redevelopment.
He said he was not interested in "three weeks of sport" but wanted to get "the billions of pounds" from government.

Mayoral election kicks off amid more scandal

The formal launch of the campaign to be London mayor and the usual themes suuround the day,corruption,racism and celebratory politics.

Red Box looks at the form which is at the centre of the controversy surrounding Ken Livingstone this morning

The Labour Party says the form solicits donations on behalf of the London Labour Party, not Ken Livingstone. Some may beg to differ.
It's an important distinction. Money raised directly for Ken is subject to much stricter rules than money raised for the party. The declaration threshold is £1,000 rather than £5,000, is published every month and - crucially - is identifiable as money meant for Livingstone.The rules say money can go to the party "unless the person giving the donation specifies that it is for the benefit of a particular candidate".
Can you see anything on this form which suggests it might be for specifically for Livingstone?
The Electoral Commission - which Labour say have pre-approved the arrangement - are looking again.

The Mail carries a similar story

The Electoral Commission said it was considering a complaint that Labour's London mayor has failed to declare a single donation since election funding laws were introduced seven years ago.
Mr Livingstone claims he has not received a penny and any money he spends is raised by Labour.

Ken Livingstone began by pleading to Londoners that this was a real political battle and not a celebrity big brother contest.

Jonathan Freedland writes in this morning's Guardian that

Livingstone needs voters to take the issues and candidates seriously in a contest that will have repercussions nationwide

adding that

Ken needs to keep speaking about traffic and policing and housing, until the penny drops that these things would genuinely change under a different mayor. That case can be especially hard to make in London, with such a large proportion of those in the top socio-economic categories, people who aren't personally affected by talk of affordable housing or free travel for pensioners.

The Telegraph reports this morning that

The mayor then devoted much of a set-piece speech to painting his opponent as a right-winger who would undermine race relations in London.
Accusing Mr Johnson of "dog-whistle politics" over race issues, Mr Livingstone highlighted the role in the Conservative campaign of Lynton Crosby, the Australian polling adviser who helped run the last Tory general election campaign.

The truth is that there is little between the candidates.Both want more police,both back a green agenda and both are focusing on transport.This morning's Guardian the Guardian is reporting

Ken Livingstone and the Green party will unveil an election pact today urging their supporters to join forces in an attempt to defeat the resurgent Tory candidate, Boris Johnson, in the race to become London's next mayor, guardian.co.uk can reveal.
The Green party leader, Siân Berry, will ask those who vote for her on May 1 to pick Livingstone as their number two choice. At the same press conference the mayor will ask his voters to put the Green party candidate second.

Should those outside the capital worry about ths battle.The answer is yes,it will give a pointer towards the mood of the nation in reaffirming Tory support,even if the Tories themselves are unsure about Boris.Brown is backing Ken in a way that Tony Blair never did,a defeat will refelct badly on the Prime Minister.So eyes down for the next 5 weeks.

Boris racing ahead of Ken

Centre Right carries news of the latest London Standard poll which puts Boris 12 points ahead of Ken in the mayoral election race.

The Standard reports that

The YouGov poll has Mr Johnson on 49 per cent, the Mayor on 37 per cent and Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick on 12
Mr Johnson was particularly popular among women voters. He also picked up 53 per cent of the 18 to 24-year-olds, compared with Mr Livingstone's 41 per cent.

Mind you Londoners This is what you might be letting yourself in for.Sam Coates tells

The Tory mayoral candidate was briefed a few weeks back at Canary Wharf by Olympic chiefs. They told him that should he win the mayoral race, we would be expected to attend the closing ceremony in Beijing on August 24, for the official handover from the Mayor of Beijing to the Major of London. A flustered Boris took out his diary, and declared he was in France that day. "Are you sure I have to go?", he is reported to have asked....

Meanwhile the Beeb is in trpouble over it Livingstone reporting,

According to Labour Home,which refers to yesterday's Adam Boulton show

"Ken repeated what he had said before – that bendy buses have been popular where they’ve been brought in, but they’re only needed on a few busy routes, so there’s no plan to extend it further.
This has now been followed up on the BBC as a u-turn story, saying he’s declared no more bendy buses. There were never going to be any more – but it’s linked under the headline “Mayor to dump bendy buses”.
Then there’s the reporting of the £100 million hole in Boris Johnson’s transport plan. It’s barely been covered on BBC news. A huge planning gaffe that independent experts have verified has gone virtually unnoticed on the beeb. That should have been a major election issue this week.

Police called in over Jasper allegations

The news that Ken Livingstone's right hand man Lee Jasper has been suspended will no vindicate much of the anti Livingstone that has eminated from the likes of Andrew Gilligan and the London evening standard.

According to the Guardian,the move has been instigated by the major himself

The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, today demanded a police investigation into misconduct allegations involving his race adviser, Lee Jasper, in the hope that the inquiry would prove his innocence.
The mayor also announced that Jasper, who has faced a series of allegations about his role in suspect spending decisions by the London Development Agency (LDA), would be suspended from office during the police investigation.
Jasper stressed that he had personally suggested to Livingstone that the allegations should be referred to the police.

Jasper has been accused by the paper of being the channel for over £3m of funding paid by the London development agency to organisations which are linked to Jasper or his associates.

Livingstone has now called in the police to investigate the claims over the money and the lack of audit trail.

It comes on the back of a Gmtv interview to be broadcast on Sunday in which according to several sources,Ken Livingstone admits that his has a fight on his hands for the elections in May

Three Line whip reports

Sounding like a rattled man, the Mayor tells interviewer Steve Richards: “This is bound to be a close fight. The Conservatives have found the most popular Conservative in Britain – maybe the only popular Conservative in Britain – and you’re clearly going to have huge resources put into this from the Telegraph, the Mail and others.
“It was always going to be a tight fight and I’ve always said this.

The link between the two-Surely a mere coincidence!!!!!!!!!!