but what's the new mayor all about? Anyone know?
I'd like to know the answer to that
Breaking news :
2.59 A plane has been spotted at RAF Northolt ready and waiting to take Ken Livingstone into exile in Venezuela.
FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2008
Goodbye to Red Ken
by Baron Bodissey
First Italy, now Britain.
Or, more specifically, London: an electoral earthquake has hit the most multicultural city in Europe and dumped “Red Ken” Livingstone as mayor while driving hundreds of Labour Party members off the city council.
Early results are so overwhelming that Mr. Livingstone has conceded to Boris Johnson, the Tory candidate:
Boris is the Mayor
Boris Johnson is the new Mayor of London, his rivals conceded tonight.
The Tory MP scored a stunning election victory to end Ken Livingstone’s eight-year reign and round off a disastrous 24 hours for the Labour Party.
After a nailbiting count, Mr Johnson was so far ahead on first-preference votes he could not be caught by Mr Livingstone, even after second preferences were taken into account.
Labour officials conceded privately that the Conservative was too far ahead. At 5pm, Mr Livingstone’s campaign chief Tessa Jowell said: “The reports I’m getting suggest Boris Johnson is ahead.
[..]
The result in London came on a nightmare day for Gordon Brown, as Labour crashed to its worst town hall results in 40 years and lost more than 300 council seats.
This is a local election with national ramifications for the UK. According to the Times Online:
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Meanwhile, Labour backbenchers began to tear into the Prime Minister for being out of touch. One MP described it as Mr Brown’s “John Major moment”, a reference to the drubbing received by the former Tory premier in 1995, two years before he was ejected from Downing Street by Tony Blair.
The deposing of Red Ken is cause for celebration, no matter what. But don’t break into the second case of champagne just yet: Boris Johnson, like John McCain, is preferable only because of the man and the party he is running against.
Not long ago he suggested an amnesty for illegal immigrants, much to the consternation of anti-immigration and Counterjihad sympathizers in London. Check out this blog post, not for the post itself — which is supportive of Boris’ multicultural sympathies — but for the comments from disappointed conservatives who would otherwise have supported Mr. Johnson.
Here’s a typical comment, chosen at random:
Guido, You recently posted how many hits you had, I didn’t realise each one had landed squarely on your bleeding head. Amnesty my arse, come back and live in vibrant multi culti s**t hole that is London why dont you!
So Boris Johnson is no knight in shining armor, but at least he’s not Red Ken. And, for right now, he’s the best that London can hope for.
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