Boris Johnson

It was definitely true of Tony Blair!

I agree, anno, but I think the same can be said for most persons so much in the public eye

In my opinion what people see in Boris is the personality, not the person.

Some do though Pogs , believe it or not

I am pleased to know I was wrong to associate some comments with being left or right of politics.

So that means, if Ken was Tory and Boris Labour those who dislike Boris would be happy to have a Tory London Mayor in Ken.

Great, voting for the person not the party.

Who's to say he'd have been reliable? His record as police chief wasn't terribly reassuring.

I'd go for boring but reliable any day.

Brian Paddick? He was so, so boring.....

I agree, Jess. I suspect that many Londoners didn't see Boris as just any old Conservative but as a 'personality', a 'celebrity'. I wouldn't mind betting that a lot of people who would be inclined to vote Labour in a Parliamentary election voted for Boris the 'character'. And, of course, the red-tops rubbished Ken. If I'd been in London I'd have opted for Brian Paddick too.

well I guess they did know what they were voting for with red ken cos he what he is, and he had done the job before a few times.

" how on earth do people know what they are voting for"

Sweet Jezus jess, I think that just about sums it up.

Oh lord let the fun begin , lots of xxx xx to u all

Don't really see the Boris issue as a right left one. Just a really weird person one. how on earth do people know what they are voting for?
I would have voted for the gay ex policeman probably.

Am on a roll now!!

What about voting for a manifesto with fixed headings:
E G: Economy , Employment, Education, Health, Environment, Family welfare, etc.
Create 500 voting regions.
Then, depending on the number of votes each manifesto gets regionally, MPs are appointed after the election e.g 1 MP per x thousand votes in a region. This would stop 'personalities' winning seats regardless of the politics they represent! Also possible in densely populated areas to have more than 1 MP as if it was 1MP per 15,000 votes it could be possible for 2 manifestos to gain 15,000 votes! MPs would have to be f/t resident in the region for at least 18 months to be eligible to represent it.

Each manifesto could be promoted with a specified maximum budget to stop waste of money / private sponsors buying influence etc

Needs a bit of refinement but think I will propose this to the Parliamentary reform Group !!!!!!

Yes ana coalition governments is what they end up with.
That does not matter. What DOES matter is that you and I don't count.
That would be the whole electorate then.

Did you vote for to go to war in Iraq? Did you vote to go to Afghanistan?
No, I didn't think so. That would have been the same in another countries voting system.
And Granjura's explanation of the voting system in other countries is very nice
but the end result is the same.

Think that we should adopt the consensus style of many 'primitive' societies where they continue to debate and discuss until a consensus is agreed! Now that is when I would watch parliament on TV!!

But don't those other countries tend to end up with coalition governments, granjura? I can't see from the evidence so far that the one we have at the moment is any improvement on an outright left or right government.

What should happen is like a school report or end of year company accounts every Government should be held to account with regard to it's manifesto and awarded or punished accordingly. At least then we could be reasonably certain that what was in the manifesto that we voted for would be carried out.

POGS this polarisation of left and right is a very British thing, due to the First Past the Post system. Most other countries have a more democratic way of election which means there isn't this constant rush to extremes as the country is thrown form left to right and back again.

pogs What is the most upsetting for me has nothing to do with left or right.
It is to do with the realisation that we really do not matter.
That does not scare me, but it infuriates me.

Whatever, whoever we vote for, at the end of the day it stands for nothing.
We might as well not vote at all.
In the grand scheme we do not count!

We think we are free.. like hell we are.

That's politics for you, you are either right or left I guess!.

Someone will win and someone will loose. Someone will be happy, someone will be upset.

Scarily enough, he did. Ken made the mistake of not appearing regularly on "have I got news for you'

Pogs
I knew KL as a hard working politician , connecting with and working for less affluent Londoners, when he was with the GLC and so my experience would make me vote KL rather than BJ. Also I am more left wing so BL would not deliver for me on that aspect alone!

JessM.

Well they were not wrong then.

Everyone has their thought but only the individual voter knows their reason don't they. The fact is he won.

pogs - because lots of people thought Boris would be entertaining!