On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:34:17 +0000, Laurence Payne
wrote:

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 18:43:12 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:

It is
likely that Ken will be voted out or will not stand at the next Mayoral
election.

Is it? Why? (Don't tell us why you don't like Ken, tell us why he
won't get in again.)

These are my musings. My view of Ken is not relevant. I am not a member
of any political party so claim no inside knowledge.

If Gordon Brown is the Labour Leader then I think there may be pressure
for someone other than Ken to be the Mayoral candidate. There is too
much friction between those two for an amiable working relationship to
persist in my view. There will also be the inevitable clash on funding
for London and I don't see the current high levels being maintained.

I also wonder whether Ken will really want to stand for a third term.
Yes there is the Olympics but he'd get invited to that anyway. I get a
sense he is getting tired and there is a lot of evidence building up as
to the cost of his policies and also their effectiveness. I think there
will be a backlash amongst a cross section of the electorate against
what he stands for and how much it all costs. I've always thought Ken
would want to go at a time of his choosing rather then being booted out
by the electorate.

The other factor is the national political scene. Labour may struggle to
win the next election with any great majority and its policies, like
Ken's, are under huge scrutiny as to whether they have or can
deliver(ed). Again the momentum behind Labour's policies seems to be
flagging. The Tories appear to be reviving - it's early days I accept -
but I think a significant part of the London electorate will look for a
change in City Hall leadership. I have no idea who the Tory candidate
would be - I doubt Steve Norris would be up for a third go - but if they
get someone who is even reasonably electorally attractive with
reasonable policies I think they could knock Labour out of power. London
is not a Labour city - history indicates that the political landscape
can change quite considerably.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!