So who's everyone voting for today and why?
I'm looking to go with the gay policeman pretty much by default as i don't think you can trust Bozza not to lose his front door key let alone look after billions of wonga. And Ken, for me, is far too smug and self-congratulatory. Three terms in office is not at all healthy for the democratic process imho.
Oh yeah, i'm being told left, right and centre (pun intended)that its about all about yr second vote. Use the force.
1. Sian, 2. Ken
Because I want Ken to win, but I want to register support for the Greens too.
Why is three terms necessarily bad for the democratic process? As long as the bloke's doing a good job, which I think Ken is, why not?
1.Sian
I'm voting Green too. I might just give my second to Boris because of his comment in the G2 ("its their own fat fault" when asked about obesity) which cheered me up immensely this morning.
That did make me smile
But then I remembered he's a dumb racist snob, which was less amusing.
I also might do it
to piss off the guardian. they devoted four pages for high profile people to say they dislike him in various ways.. when yesterday polly toynbee had a rant about the evening standard's lack of biased reporting.
So you'd like four years of Boris in charge
because you don't like a newspaper?
no
just because i'm feeling whimsical about the whole thing. neither have significantly different policies as the minor things i.e boris' pledge to bring back conductors seem to be the issues people are voting on. either way as a result of this election the conservatives are going to suffer. if boris wins then a complete idiot is in charge of london and it will damage the reputation and if he loses then voters will become disillusioned with the way that they can't translate polls to the ballot box
what?
so you aknowledge that Boris doesn't appear fit to be in charge of an international city ("if boris wins then a complete idiot is in charge of london") yet you're still "feeling whimsical about the whole thing"? you're really in no position to criticise the guardian...
sorry to sound old fashioned about this, but maybe you should try engaging with any one of hundred issues that are in play as part of this election and actually start caring rather than playing the jaded obdurist.
...
no what i meant was that if by voting boris as a second preference (which I now have).. it will in the long run, i believe, be beneficial to the country as the conservative party will be exposed as completely ridiculous and unfit to be in charge of a country. as for the suggestions people have put, both in the guardian and here, for not voting boris is that he has a silly haircut.
i compltely agree with you on engaging on issues and I have been very interested in following this election -especially in debates such as Andrew Neil's. However the differences between the candidates are not that huge.
no...
just because i'm feeling whimsical about the whole thing. neither have significantly different policies as the minor things, i.e boris' pledge to bring back conductors on buses, seem to be the issues people are voting on.
either way as a result of this election the conservatives are going to suffer. if boris wins then a complete idiot is in charge of london and it will damage the reputation and if he loses then voters will become disillusioned with the way that they can't translate polls to the ballot box
what with all
the furore around the Lee Jaspar affair and allegations of cronyism i think a third term would enable to the man get his mits in the cookie jar for another few years.
Plus a new candidate would bring in fresh ideas/people and prevents the stagnation/abuse of the position.
^ yes
Although, who the FUCK is that twat who looks like George Michael?
1. Ken 2. Liberal Man
i voted this morning.
for me the London of 2008 is a much better place to live in than the London before Ken became mayor. Thats why voted for him to stay in.
If you don't want Boris to get in
vote for Ken. PLEASE.
1.Ken, 2.Sian
There's no place for weird Boris here.
1. ken 2. brian
though I voted Green for the other two ballots
anyone read this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/01/boris.livingstone
sealed the deal
There is no point in having anyone apart from Ken or Boris in 2nd
due to the election system. If you want to show support for Sian or Brian then put them in first and Ken or Boris in 2nd otherwise your second preference will count for nothing.
Who is Winston anyway?
1. Ken 2. Brian
Oh god pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease don't let that fucking arse clown Boris get in!
McKenzie
Independant.
Having read his bio he looks like a fun candidate
Just looked as well
Fun seems like an apt description. I guess as there are no loonies (apart from - obvious joke - Boris) standing this year he seems to have taken their place.
Unfortunately, not living in london I miss all this malarky. I did like the newsnight rainbow video that someone made though.
given what I have since learned...
probably 1.Sian then 2.Ken
Ken and then Greens
obviously...
If you do that your Green vote won't be counted.
Because the top two go into a run-off, which is where the second votes come into play.
So if you vote for Green first, then that'll be registered, but as the top two will be Ken and Boris, a second preference vote for them will count just as much.
Whereas if you vote for Ken first, that's al you'll be doing.
sorry, not that it matters
but i meant greens for the assembly and locally, then ken for mayor
Ah, I see
Same as me then.
i'm not voting but this i like
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/01/boris.livingstone
This is better
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/14/charliebrooker.boris
1. Lindsey German 2. Ken
Why vote.... no really
I've actually worked as parliamentary liasion officer and would like to point out that 90% of those involved with politics are absolute morons, that it makes no difference who you vote for, and that its just a novelty to placate the general public
HE’S CRACKED THE CODE
^This is so stupid
If you have the chance to vote in these elections, you should do, not only for the usual reasons (suffragettes, people have fought for this, etc), but it is actually a tight race that your vote could make a difference in. And you can get a chance to show support for minor candidates without wasting your vote. [rant over]
people have fought for this! suffragettes! (I'm a gent)
Minor candidates - yes lets be like Italy- what is now about 60 governments formed since WWII. Fought for this!?!?!?
You know the swiss didn't let women votes till 1974 - and its a fine country (minus the odd money laundering)
I was trying to make the point (badly)
that even if you don't usually care for voting, that you should vote in this case as it is a close race and your vote could make a difference. Also on the minor candidates, I was saying that if you want to vote for any of them, you can and your vote should count due to proportional representation in the london assembly. You can't really have much more from an election.
Also on Switzerland - a fine country: you reckon these lot are a barrel of laughs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7054932.stm
Bravo on finding that
and no its not particularly amusing - the point I am trying to make is that the dynamics of our society are not constructed by politicians but rather by business and the media (media = business by another name) - just dwell on the notion that virtually all the information you will have made your decision on has been provided by agents who have there own agenda which will be far removed from your own.
Following on from your swiss jibe and as example of how skewed popular perception is - Mori conducted a poll last year asking people what percentage of the population were immigrants and what paper they read. All respondents overestimated, guardian readers at 12% the daily mail readers at 25%. Whilst Mori stated that the true figure was 11% and this of course could be wrong it demonstrates just one of the impracticalities of a democratic system - how can we make decisions when the information we are provided with is biased and when we have no time to actually go and conduct research on a subject for ourselves
Yes it can be argued that the media have too much power
but this is not a reason not to vote. Although if it was down to the media in London Ken would be being thrashed due to the evening standard.
I think you just have to judge things you read with a critical eye and not necessarily take everything at face value. I can't think of any better system than a democratic one as all the other ideas have been proved to be shit.
Vote Ken
As a commuter (who is moving to London in the next couple of months), I'm finding it incredibly frustrating that I can't vote
It says a lot about politics in the 21st century that somebody like Boris Johnson could quite possibly become mayor of the most powerful city in the world. He has a silly haircut and mumbles his words. How charming! How is anybody in their right mind supporting this bumbling, incompetent racist?
Ken is by no means perfect, but really, London under him really hasn't been that bad, has it?
It's the arnie/bush effect
and it seems to be working, in the polls at least. The tories saw who gets elected in the US and thought, "hey, we've got a well-known idiot in our ranks too... lets make him a candidate!"
Arnie on Boris:
"Who is this guy? He's fumbling all over the place."
i'm no fan of his
but calling Boris rascist is a cheap shot. OK, so he's a relic from a bygone era but rascist? i really don't think so.
Im voting for the green party
and then maybe lib dems. COZ IM A MASSIVE STUDENT
Ken
Sian
Lib Dem for local
This website might help
http://london.votematch.co.uk/
but please god vote Ken - Boris is a liability
I live next door to a polling station
and given how close it is I was expecting a decent turnout but it seems very slow at the minute, similar if not a bit worse than the last local elections. Plus during the general, even local elections, there are all the parties outside trying to convince people at the last minute. Today there was just the Labour bloke and all he was doing was counting the numbers going in. All a bit odd.
i voted
sian then ken with second vote strategy, then i realised that a first vote is probs still worth more... DOH. ah well.... i am going to be up all night i well love elections.
there is a polling station literally 100ft from my house but i had to go one a ten min walk away, LOGIC?
Ken
boris = bush
They're worth the same pretty much
If someone gets over 50%, which is highly unlikely, on first votes then they get it. Otherwise the top two have second votes included (votes that don't include the top two as first or second are discarded) and whoever has the majority wins. So given this seem fairly tight it makes little difference if you voted for Ken/Boris first or second choice.