The Wardman Wire

The Mayoral Election turning point?

Last night Dispatches went for the throat of Ken Livingstone with a series of damning revelations and accusations. While all those interviewed clearly had agendas against the Mayor and most admitted that Ken has done some great things for London, there were certain issues that showed Livingstone in a very bad light indeed. Up to now, despite the polls, most commentators seem to think that this is Livingstone’s race to lose and that Boris is just is not up to the job. Could this be the turning point in the Mayoral elections, however?

The allegations

There was not much in the programme that has not been known or at least suspected for some time. Ken liking a tipple is not secret – but did anyone know that he was supping away on whiskey during public meetings, as the programme claims? We all knew that Ken was a left winger – but did we realise just how close he was to Socialist Action and that he was still meeting with them setting an agenda for London while he was Mayor? We all knew the LDA was a little bit useless, but did we know they were handing out over a million pounds to companies that seemed to disappear within months of receiving handouts? And as for his assuming a foreign policy for London, completely independent of the rest of the UK’s – we all knew, but dispatches spelt it out in no uncertain terms. This was below-the-belt-telly, but it wasn’t fiction. And can Livingstone really be in a position to complain? After all, he has tried to paint Boris as a racist and used public money, it is claimed, to discredit his opposition.

Even Labour supporters are rounding on him

Most worrying for Ken is that it is his own supporters who are turning on him. Peter Tatchell, a former close ally, former advisors, a TfL Board member, they all queued up to have their say. Martin Bright, the Labour supporting New Statesman’s political editor, has used a column in the notoriously anti-Ken Evening Standard to “kick Ken out when they go to the polls in May.” To me however, the most shocking part of all this story is not so much what Ken has done and how disliked he is by certain areas of London, but the fact he has got away with this for so long.

Give the elected members some teeth

The over-riding story that came out of the programme was that the GLA and just about everyone else is absolutely powerless to stop him. As far as politicians go, the office of the Mayor of London appears to be the most unchecked, unbalanced office in the UK. The elected assembly’s powers go as far as rejecting his annual budget – I am not sure what else they actually do. Outside this, the Mayor can do whatever he wants as long as it falls within his remit – which he is extremely good at defining and expanding. Power corrupts and maybe the problem is not Ken, but the office of the Mayor itself. Surely now is the time for more checks and balances to be placed on the Mayor, whoever he is, and the GLA’s elected assembly given some teeth. You can guarantee that under the current set up, not only will any future Mayor be tempted to take the Ken route, but they could actually be a lot worse.

The fallout

This programme will have no doubt damaged Ken, but will it be enough to start the cogs moving to destroy him? Let’s see what political capital his opponent can make out of this. I am sure though, that if Ken continues to play dirty by taking low blows at his opposition there are enough Ken-haters out there to throw it right back at him.

The Lib Dems decide not to make an impact as usual

I wrote yesterday, in my Late Lunch Briefing, that the fate of the EU referendum does not rest with the Labour party or even the Conservatives, but with the Lib Dems. It is that once in a blue moon event when the Lib Dems can actually claim to have had a real impact on the politics of this country. The Tories and Labour party are both split on this issue, but there might be enough rebels and opposition to actually force a referendum – as long as the Lib Dems get in on the action.

It is their chance to do something that would be incredibly popular with the electorate and would make a tangible, real difference – not their usual pie in the sky promises that they know they would never have to deliver. So what do they do when the opportunity arises for them to make a difference and win the plaudits of the country’s electorate? Absolutely nothing. Well done Clegg – a missed opportunity to show that you and the Lib Dems mean business. What is the point of the Lib Dems? Back to irrelevance for you.

Garbo - read more at http://thepoliblogs.blogspot.com/