Predictions for the morrow?

[Morris Onions]

I reckon Ken gets his marching orders, Boris gets his job & Labour lose between 200 and 400 council seats nationally, with the evil wicked Tory bastards picking up 80-90% of them.

[non sociopath skin]

1. Sadly, Dog, I think you Tories will do well tomorrow but for all the wrong reasons.

I may even give your site a miss tomorrow in order to avoid the gloating.

But after that, it won't be so easy. You're going to have to come up with some positives along with the knocking copy.

The Skin

[Morris Onions]

3. "you Tories" ????

Comrade!

How dare you!

:mad:

[T_i_B]

2. The question is......

....will Labour's kicking be as bad as in 2006?

As Labour are nowhere round my neck of the woods I can't comment on that much with any great authority. I don't even have much clue about whether my own council will end up Tory or NOC!

[Anarcho-Socialist]

4. Are you supporting Boris?

Do you think someone who is a misogynist homophobe who calls black people "picanninies" is fit for office?

[Morris Onions]

5. I think it's up to the people of London who they want to be their mayor,

regardless of who you or I think is fit for office.

[T_i_B]

6. Now you really do sound like a politician dodging questions!

[LeftishBrit]

7. Obviously; but that's never stopped us having opinions here

It's up to the Americans, not you or me, whether to elect McCain or the Dem; but I think we'd all say it's best if it's not McCain.

And don't you live and vote in London? So to that extent it's up to you too.

[Morris Onions]

8. I don't live or work in London. I live just outside (a couple of miles out)

For what it's worth, my opinion on the Boris Johnson "picanninies" thing is that it was very ill advised and unfortunate, but no more so that Ken Livingstones "Nazi Concentration Camp Guard" comment to a Jewish reporter.

Both issues have, in my opinion been grossly twisted round, altered, exaggerated and shamelessly exploited for the respective other sides benefit.

Further, in reply to Anarcho-Socialist above, I'm not aware of any instances where Johnson has demonstrated or been accused of misogyny or homophobia.

London is the most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Britain, probably in Europe, possibly in the world. So if, as looks likely, these vastly diverse people have indeed chosen Boris Johnson over Ken Livinstone, who are we to argue?

[LeftishBrit]

9. Well, people chose Thatcher over Callaghan/Foot/Kinnock

and Reagan over Carter and Mondale (I won't say Bush over Gore, as they likely didn't!) People have a right to vote as they please; but sometimes they make the wrong decisions, and we have the right to think so. Do you think re-electing Berlusconi was a good decision for the Italians?

[Nihil]

11. Be fair ...

> Well, people chose Thatcher over Callaghan/Foot/Kinnock

I'll give you Callaghan but you can't fault people for choosing
even Thatcher over either Foot or Kinnock ... those two were
complete and utter arseholes (especially Neil/Glynnis)!

I think I voted MRLP against Kinnock as there wasn't a Lib
in our area. What's more, the Labour party would have been in
better shape now if the MRLP candidate had been their leader!

[LeftishBrit]

12. Foot was a good man, if unfortunately not a great campaigner..

The country would have been *much* better with him. And probably would have got him too, if not for the Falklands War. As for Kinnock, a bit of a windbag as they said at the time, but INFINITELY better than the evil and destructive Thatcher. So of course were the MRLP.

[LeftishBrit]

10. Well, I'd have to admit that Ken and Boris have ONE thing in common: tactlessness

However, Ken also has solid policies and actions, whether you agree with them or not. Boris seems to be just pure buffoon.

While I dislike the over-use of 'Nazi' accusations for anyone or anything that a person dislikes, it should be noted that Ken didn't call the journalist a 'concentration camp guard' *because* he was Jewish. He didn't rescind the comment when the journalist pointed out that he was Jewish, which is a bit different. Of course, it was an overblown and crass comment to make in the first place. But let's also note that Boris has compared laws that were proposed to restrict racist speech with 'Ceaucescu's Romania'. While not quite as bad as a Nazi comparison, this is also pretty overblown and crass to anyone who knows anything about Ceaucescu's Romania.

Well, if Dan Quayle could be elected senator and vice president, I suppose Boris can be elected mayor of London. But it wouldn't exactly be the finest hour for my former home. Deep sigh, and still hoping that this is another 'Dewey beats Truman' moment.

[Morris Onions]

13. Now I'm not usually one to blow my own trumpet but...

I was pretty close with this one.

Final results.

Labour lost 331 councillors nationally with the Tories picking up 256 or 77% of them.