Livingston set for narrow re-election as London Mayor

[mom cat]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=530312

Livingstone set for narrow re-election as London Mayor
By Andrew Grice and Marie Woolf
11 June 2004


Ken Livingstone is on course to be narrowly re-elected as Mayor of London, according to a poll released last night.

The YouGov internet survey of 7,000 London voters gave the Mayor 35 per cent of first-preference votes, increasing to a likely 53 per cent when second preference are taken into account. His nearest rival, the Conservative Steve Norris, looks set to win 31 per cent of first preferences, rising to a final 47 per cent, according to the poll. The official result of the capital's elections will announced tonight.

The survey, which also asked people how they would vote at a general election suggested that Tony Blair would lose his huge parliamentary majority and Britain would have a hung parliament in an election held now. The figures were: Conservative 36 per cent; Labour 32; Liberal Democrats 18; United Kingdom Independence Party, 7; and others 7. This would give Labour 327 MPs to the Tories' 257; the Liberal Democrats' 46 and others' 29.

Senior Labour sources admit that Labour is likely to lose seats on the London Assembly, which monitors the Mayor's performance, calls him to account and, crucially, can amend his budget. At present, Labour and the Tories each have nine seats, the Liberal Democrats four and the Green Party three.

[BlackActivist]

1. Good

n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

2. I wonder if he'd have had an easier go if

he hadn't rejoined Labour?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Maybe, but I don't know how his fundraising would have gone

the advantage of being a Labour candidate was he got access to Labour funds for campaigning - leaflet printing, adverts etc. (though the UK doesn't allow radio or TV adverts, so we spend a lot less than the USA on that), and Labour party volunteers to distribute them, etc. He also got the 'diehard' Labour voters, who would always vote for the party whoever they put up.

[mn9driver]

3. This is the guy that hammered Bush last year.

It's good to see a majority of London voters like him enough to re-elect him:

"...London Mayor Ken Livingstone has launched an astonishing attack on US President George W Bush, calling him "corrupt".

Mr Livingstone made his attack during an address to schoolchildren in a debate on the Iraq war.

He said he would get as much pleasure from Mr Bush being forced out of office as he had done from the downfall of former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3011999.stm

[pennylane100]

4. If Labor were to dump Blair in the near future,

would that help them in the next election.?