London Mayor Boris Johnson: Leading the polls photo: BackBoris2012
The London Mayoral elections will take place on Thursday 3rd May 2012. Incumbent Boris Johnson leads closest rival Ken Livingstone by four points, according to the latest YouGov/Evening Standard poll.
But political commentators seem less interested in whether BoJo or Red Ken will win, and more concerned with the idea that the 2012 campaign is shaping up to be so “uninspiring,” as The Independent put it.
And if the London Mayoral race really is lacklustre, this has implications for the rest of the country. Voters will be going to the polls on Thursday in ten other English cities to decide whether to replace the council leader system with a directly elected mayor. UK Prime Minister David Cameron described the referendum as “a once-in-a-generation chance to change the way our country is run,” reported the BBC. But does anyone care?
Why London matters. The capital is “a financial , artistic, political and transport hub. Note that image: a hub is crucially important to the entire wheel, so the spokes and rim should not resent it,” wrote Libby Purves in The Times (£). Purves argued that London is now in trouble, with a loss of civic pride and a growing wealth divide – and this could have consequences for the whole country. “I wish it a good mayor, with proper powers and a rigorous vision. We all should,” Purves said.
The London Mayoral candidates: Boris Johnson (Conservative Party), Ken Livingstone (Labour Party), Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats), Jenny Jones (Green Party), Siobhan Benita (Independent candidate), Lawrence Webb (UKIP) and Carlos Cortiglia (British National Party).
Lost opportunity. “As the most high profile of Britain’s elected mayoralties, the capital’s campaign season might have been a shining example of all that is to be gained,” said an Independent editorial. “Instead, it has been little more than a Punch and Judy show between the two main candidates.” According to the editorial, Johnson and Livingstone have ignored the real issues facing Londoners in favour of “sniping over tax bills [and] swearing matches in lifts”. What’s more, independent candidate Siobbhan Benita has struggled to secure media interest in a race dominated by “party stalwarts” – which is not how a mayoral election should function.
Politics as X Factor. “The Ken and Boris show has become the ultimate personality contest – and the interests of Londoners drowned out in a glorified game show,” wrote Seumas Milne at The Guardian’s Comment is Free, characterising the London Mayoral race as the exemplification of “X Factor culture.” Milne argued that the London elections should serve as a warning to cities such as Birmingham and Manchester that are due to vote in Thursday’s referendum: mayoral contests can become “a vehicle for unaccountable concentrations of personal power and the burying of policy choices in a depoliticised jamboree.”
Watch a spoof London Mayor election broadcast from ‘Sir Ian Bowler’ below. He’s looking for an owl.
Lack of clarity breeds apathy. The Telegraph’s Daniel Knowles reported from Birmingham that there is apathy towards the mayoral referendum: “The Yes campaign aside, no one is trying to convince the voters of the importance of this vote. Local councillors are more interested in their own re-election battles.” This is partly because the actual powers a Birmingham mayor would have are unclear: “Under the terms of the Localism Act, Birmingham’s voters are being asked to vote for a mayor without knowing what he is for,” Knowles said.
