The Wardman Wire

Is the unthinkable about to happen in London?

Is the unthinkable about to happen in London politics? Can that wild haired buffoon who made his name by fluffing his lines on a comedy panel quiz show really be the bookies favourite to become the next Mayor of London? Until just a few weeks ago I would have said that there is more chance of Jacques Chirac becoming London Mayor than Boris Johnson. Don’t get me wrong, I think Boris is brilliant. He is an instant draw, even to people who are not remotely interested in politics. When he speaks you can see everyone’s attention is instantly arrested by his engaging, witty, brilliant style. Yet the man is actually just a very entertaining guy doing a bit of politics on the side, isn’t he?

Ken only has himself to blame

If the polls are right we better start to get used to having crowd pleaser “Bojo” in charge. It is amazing to me that he has managed to get in to this position – but it reflects just as much on the brilliant campaign he has run so far as the absolute shambles of a campaign Ken has run.

Livingstone could have had this contest wrapped up by now if he wanted to – but he made the oldest campaigning mistake in the book: he got so pre-occupied with the opposition that he forgot about his own campaign.

He had it easy and is blowing it

Livingstone is the incumbent – a far easier position to campaign from – and was up against a man that everyone said was a fun but ultimately not serious alternative to Ken. So what does Ken do? Does he go out to show that he is the real politician in all this and focus on his vision for London and his past successes? No. He goes “Look at that idiot Boris with his racism and lack of ideas!” In doing so, he has given Boris the platform he so desired. We all looked at Boris, saw he clearly wasn’t a racist and then listened to those ideas that Ken said he didn’t have. The effect being we all listen to Boris as Ken had nothing interesting to say; in fact he just came across as desperate and mean.

Bendy Buses!?

Take Bendy Buses. Boris has made these things a central part of his campaign! In the grand scheme of things there are many, many bigger fish to fry in London right now, but Ken let him get away with it. The subtext behind the Bendy Buses wasn’t that scrapping bendy buses is going to make a blind bit of difference to traffic levels in London, nor will it halt the spiralling violent crime and poverty. But it made Boris not only look like the candidate who was listening to the electorate, but by backing the end of these ridiculous vehicles he was seen as the sensible candidate too. That’s right – Boris more sensible than Ken! Why did Ken let this happen?

It ain’t over until the Bojo walks into City Hall

There is a long way to go in this campaign yet and I don’t think I’ll believe that London has Boris as a Mayor until all the votes are counted and I actually see him walk in to City Hall with my own eyes. But for the first time I am seriously considering the real possibility that Ken’s days are numbered – and he will only have himself and his pitiful campaign team to blame.

I hate cyclists. Sorry.

As a pedestrian and public transport user in London, and I am sure many will back me up on this: there is one type of person who annoys me more than anyone: the cyclist. They have no regard for the rules of the road, flying through red lights nearly knocking over anyone who dares get in the path. And God help anyone who does get in their path – even on the pavement. Cyclists must be the most angry, hate filled people on planet earth! They are full of abuse and insults for anyone and anything – they even shout at inanimate objects as though it’ll do anything.

But this is a fuss about nothing

But the fuss that has been given to David Cameron’s cycle to work every day is verging on the ridiculous. The Daily Mirror should be ashamed! By all means stick on page 12 in some journalist’s diary column, but not the front page. I mean, it’s like he was wielding an axe or doing cycle by shoot outs with a AK-47.

Pathetic Media Party Sniping: It’s boring and does not get the electorate interested

And then the rest of the media decided to take the story up – it was on prime time BBC news! How can these journalists preach to us that politicians are not engaging in the rest of us in politics when they see it fit to follow Cameron to work for a week on his bike and put in the public domain along with stories of savage behaviour by the authorities in Tibet and goodness know else? What a pathetic anti-Tory attack – one that neither true Labour nor anyone else for that matter should seek any comfort out of.