Ken relying on a wing, a prayer and a shedload of elastic bands…
Ken Livingstone, one time favourite for the London mayorality now looks to be in serious trouble on the eve of poll, depending of course on which opinion poll you put your faith in. As Oliver Kamm notes, he has always been favoured with an opponent who has made some strategically disastrous mistake. In Boris Johnson, it seems his luck may just be in the process of running out. Nevertheless, two polls give him a narrow lead over the mop haired old Etonian. The one with the better track record, YouGov, gives it handsomely to Boris. I’m in London from early on and will be Twittering for Brassneck. If all goes well, I should be there in time to watch Ken vote at 8.30. More at Brassneck.
Adds: Guido’s confident.
Bad news for Lodon – Ken should have seen the way the tide waas going and refused official Labour backing. Many think that Boris’s bufffoonery is a front to conceal towering intellect and ability. I don’t.
Huh “London”, “was” and “buffoonery” Sorry.
Too late. He sealed the deal in 2004. Backing out now he would simply have given the Standard another barn door to hit.
http://tinyurl.com/5acgqb
Here is what the bookies are currently saying. Red Ken was pro H Block. Boris was pro Boris.
(note the link above is to a blacklisted site but it says the following:
23 April 2008
Beyond Our Ken? Maybe Not
Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral odds, which drifted out as far as 7/4, have now come in to 11/10 with bookies William Hill – putting him on almost level terms with current favourite, Boris Johnson.
“When Boris took over as favourite it looked likely that his odds would continue to shorten, but the current round of hustings and meetings have inspired a Ken Livingstone comeback and his odds have shortened significanly over the last fortnight as punters begin to believe he might be able to win for a third time” said William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.
William Hill currently make Johnson 4/6 favourite to win the Mayoral Election, with Livingstone offered at 11/10, Brian Paddick at 25/1 and Sian Berry at 100/1.
I’m looking forward to doing my utmost to rid London of Ken!! roll on tomorrow..
There are better odds on Ken on Betfair… 2/1 against… hasn’t shifted much in the last 24 hours…
Londoners voting for Boris is like turkeys voting for Christmas.
I still expect that Livingstone will win. But should Johnson prove me wrong and triumph I am confident that the damage that this most recklessly arrogant egotistical minor Tory toff will visit upon the Conservative Party during his one term will prove to be compensation.
The vicious campaign against Livingstone by the Evening Standard – most notably by former BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan cannot have helped Livingstone, but then as the late Dr David Kelly was to discover – with friends like Gilligan, who needs enemies? However Livingstone’s own behaviour more especially his own tendency to arrogance over the last years have not endeared him to even some of his own formerly firm supporters.
A Johnson mayoralty would be a disaster for London but then we survived the Black Death, the Great Fire, the Williamite Occupation, Jack the Ripper, Margaret Thatcher and even lived through one awful period when the men took to wearing flared trousers and printed flowered shirts with tulip collars and (gasp!) matching ties so I expect we would recover from Boris Johnson should he win. Cripes!