Making the Mayoral Elections count

The elections on the 1st of May will determine not only the Mayor of London, but also the members of the London Assembly. The London Assembly is an elected body of 25 members, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget. So along with making an informed decision about who you want to vote in as Mayor, it's just as important to pick the right candidate for the London Assembly from your particular constituency, as they will also have a direct influence on London.

There are nine candidates standing for mayor, but Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone are without doubt the two leading contenders. As with a lot of politics these days, it seems to be a battle on personality. My worry about BJ is that he is capturing voter interest simply because he is Not-Ken. Whilst some little fringe elements are off talking about his views on Palestine or Iraq, I think as Londoners, we need to ask ourselves questions about BJ, and about Ken and the other candidates about what can they really DO for our city.

On the ultra-macro level do they have the vision to create a world-leading city that celebrates the multicultural and diverse nature of the city? Do they have the wherewithal to position us as a global player as power shifts slowly from the West to China and India? Do they lead on environmental issues which affect us on the global level, but also in our own day to day experiences of living in this city? On the realities of day to day, how will they make life better? What services will they offer, introduce and change? Really important, and I think seriously overlooked by even leading journalists, is the candidate capable of working with the system and making change? Can they actually deliver on the blurb they spout? On closer analysis, do they have the skills and commitment?

Alas, I share the view with many that the choice before us is very poor. But if we don't vote, then we are simply casting a vote for whoever ends up being elected. Anyone who says that not voting is not supporting the system is so utterly wrong. Not voting is actually totally supporting the system. So in order to make a choice, here are some interesting facts I found:

Commitment to exercising the duties of an elected official:
- Boris Johnson MP has only voted in 48% of Parliamentary votes
This is very low, and doesn't appear to have any excuse. A very half-hearted approach to exercising public responsibility - doesn't show respect or commitment to the people who elected him

Leading the fight against racism and gender discrimination by example?
- "Black people have lower IQs", a statement published under his watch as the editor of The Spectator
- "The chicks in the GQ expenses department – and if you can't call them chicks, then what the hell, I ask you, is the point of writing for GQ." (Life in the Fast Lane p57)
Whether you take the words at face-value, or buy into Boris' excuse that they are 'ironic', it certainly shows a strong lack of respect. If nothing else, in an age of soundbites, a leader has to show common-sense and political sensitivity in ensuring their words do not fuel hatred or encourage discrimination.

A sympathy and understanding for fighting inequality and poverty:
- 'We seem to have forgotten that societies need rich people, even sickeningly rich people, and not just to provide jobs for those who clean swimming pools and resurface tennis courts'

Respect and neighbourliness
- 'There seems no reason to behave respectfully towards that little old woman coming out of the Post Office if you feel that she belongs to a culture that is alien from your own' (Lend Me Your Ears p207).
Nice to see a leader advocating a breakdown of respect, especially towards the elderly. Surely good manners is something our city and its leaders should aspire to?

Respect for Muslims
- After the July bombings he said 'Islam is the problem' and "Having given due warning, we would dispatch an American-built ground-assault helicopter and blow the place to bits. Then we would send in bulldozers to scrape over the remains, and we would do the same to all the other houses in the area thought to have been the temporary or permanent addresses of the suicide bombers and their families"
Not much respect going on for people, faith, and most importantly for democratic process here. Whatever you make of the bombings, surely our leaders should respect the law?

Finally, I thought you might like this little piece of irony. Boris claims he is not in fact Islamophobic, and bases this claim on the fact that his great-grandfather knew the Qur'an off-by-heart. (which is like saying black or Asian people cannot be racist, it simply doesn't follow). His ancestor was a minister in the Turkish government after the caliphate fell and "when the British occupied Constantinople for four years at the end of the first world war, he collaborated with them". Nice.

Happy voting.

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A bit of background on the process:

How the Mayor is elected in this year's scenario of more than 3 candidates:
Voters cast a vote for their First Choice candidate and have the option of casting another vote for their Second Choice candidate. Any candidate who receives more than 50% of First Choice votes will be declared the winner. If no candidate gets more than 50% of First Choice votes, the top two candidates with the most First Choice votes go through to the second round. The remaining candidates are eliminated but the second choice votes on their ballot papers will be counted. The candidate with the highest total of First and Second Choice votes is elected.

Some blurb about how the London Assembly is elected:
The London Assembly is made up of 25 members: 14 Constituency Members who represent different areas in London and 11 London-wide Members who represent the city as a whole
The First Past the Post system is used to elect the Constituency Assembly Members - the candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected. A form of proportional representation is used to elect the London-wide Assembly Members. Votes across London are added together regardless of constituency boundaries.