As we were heading home from a lovely spring evening walk around Ruskin Park, I saw the leader of Southwark Council out canvassing ahead of the London Mayor and London Assembly elections on May 2. He was walking down my street and based on the fact there was a Labour flyer waiting for us when we got home, I’ve never been more pleased to have been out. I’ve had to bite my tongue too many times when I’ve seen him out, about acting all smug about his role in the local area. My encounters with him when he was Cabinet Member for Housing and Modernisation before being elected leader were far from positive.
I like to think I’m pretty clued up when it comes to politics and local democracy, but it was relatively recently that I realised these elections were coming up. It was possibly when Adam received his polling card in the post, and mine came the next day. There’s been talk about the Tory candidate for Mayor for quite a while but even that felt like it had quietened down.
It was earlier this week that I saw the first Mayoral manifesto – and it’s probably the only one I’m going to in any way agree with. It’s worrying in a way when that manifesto is from Count Binface.
“Space politician. Campaigner for affordable croissants. Sane.”
Count Binface’s Twitter bio
Today what I thought were my postal vote papers arrived in the post. As I opened the envelope I realised it’s too early to receive those (you have until 17 April to register for a postal vote). It was in fact the London Elects booklet containing all the information about what the elections are for, how to vote and who the candidates are.
“Stand up to woke” declares the Social Democrat Party’s candidate Amy Gallagher.
“London is becoming a Third World cesspit” proclaims Nick Scanlan from Britain First.
Independent candidate Andreas Michli thinks he is the candidate “prepared to do what is necessary to MAKE LONDON STRONG”.
The Labour flyer advises us that “this election is a close two-horse race between Labour and Tories” which gives me little hope for the next four years. I’m not anti Sadiq Khan like so many Londoners are, but he just talks about what he’s done since he became Mayor eight years ago.
“Just imagine what we could do with a Labour Mayor and a new Labour Government working hand-in-hand”. Firstly he’s jumping the gun a bit, we still don’t know when the general election is going to be, even though it has to be held by January 2025. But no, I don’t want to imagine – tell me what your priorities are for another term as Mayor. Where are you going to put your energies if you do win again to help ensure London remains, in your opinion, “the greatest city in the world”?
As for the other horse, Tory candidate Susan Hall claims to be listening “to the concerns of ordinary Londoners”. When she talks about cutting the cost of travelling around London she just talks about drivers – scrapping the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) and removing low-traffic-neighbourhoods (LTNs). The majority of ‘ordinary Londoners’ do not have cars! And a lot of those who do really don’t need to use them as much as they do when we have such a great public transport system – even in areas where, shock horror, we get by without the tube.
And if I see one more political candidate refer to ‘affordable’ housing I’m going to scream. Affordable for whom?!
Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed in London. Knife crime is out of hand. The city is unaffordable for far too many people. Public transport needs more investment to ensure it’s a reliable service. But I’d this lot really the best we can do as our potential candidates for Mayor?!
One of the things I think Londoners benefitted from when it comes to the Mayoral elections is that, unlike the first past the post (FPTP) voting mechanisms of other elections, we had a supplementary vote – being able to vote for your first and second candidate. Thanks to our current government and the Elections Act 2022, that has now been scrapped in favour of FPTP, and we all know who that is going to favour. Don’t even get me started on the requirement for photo ID that it also brought in.
In flicking through the booklet this evening I’ve also discovered a change if you deliver your postal vote to a polling station. Ever since I moved to London and started doing a postal vote I have hand delivered my ballot. You get the best of both worlds – the polling station experience but being able to complete your ballot from the comfort of your own home. You can still drop them off rather than relying on the postal service but “when doing so you will need to complete a short form”. What sort of short form? What information do they think they need from me when my vote is all sealed and should immediately go into a box to be counted?! I’m intrigued but it sounds like another deterrent to me.
As far as I’m concerned, voting isn’t something we should be able to choose to take part in, though I also don’t think I agree with compulsory voting. Playing your part in the democratic process is something we should all want to do as part of our role as a citizen in a civilised, democratic society. I find it astonishing the number of people I’ve heard say they “haven’t got time” to vote or “don’t see the point” in voting. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t vote your opinion doesn’t count so you can’t complain if the elected officials do something you don’t like.
As someone who has never been represented by a political candidate that I’ve voted for at any level of government, I can happily moan away, despairing more and more at the political landscape of this country, whilst witnessing first hand from other countries experience how it could be a hell of a lot worse.
As we continue to wait for Rishi Sunak to have the guts to call a general election, I’m looking forward to playing my part and having my voice heard on 2 May, even if this motley crew of candidates is who I have to choose from.