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Friday, May 2nd, 2008
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12:00a - Election Night 2008
Lots of chat on BBC1 and Sky News on all things to do with the local elections. Someone has compared the Ken and Boris show to Clinton and Obama bashing one another in debates. (Of course we now see Obama chicken out of debates before the next set of primaries). London is said to be "the big prize". A couple of the pundits (Sky News) are calling the mayoral race for Boris, and one of them said Boris might win bigger than people expect. I've also heard it suggested that turnout in London could have been as high as 70% (unheard of).
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BBC1 Election Night 2008 (see BBC's Elections 2008) Thu 1 May, 11:35 pm - 6:00 am 385mins David Dimbleby is your guide for the first major electoral test Gordon Brown has faced since taking over at Number Ten. Will he do any better than Tony Blair last year? And can David Cameron turn the Conservative Party's lead in the polls into an General Election winning platform? Nick Clegg is also a new kid on the political block - does he have electoral appeal? Jeremy Vine has his latest box of graphics tricks to explain what's happening as the results come in. And it's also your chance to discover the new world of Emily's blog - the fastest, sharpest, most politically opinionated take on what's really happening in the local elections. We have teams at all the key battlegrounds, with regular updates on what's happening in your area and a full regional summary at 12.15am, 1.30am and 2.15am. With BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson and Professor Tony King providing all the analysis, there is nowhere better to find out who's running things where you are. [S]
current mood:  calm (comment on this)
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4:38p - London Mayoral Election
On the London mayoral race, Andrew Pierce (Daily Telegraph) commented, "It [London] was never seen as a possible take for the Conservatives. And remember how Labour painted Boris Johnson - they painted him as an effete old Etonian buffoon, and now they're going to have this man in London as mayor, almost certainly in my view. He can virtually do no wrong, because there was so little expected of him, from the way the Labour party portrayed him. It will be a terrible blow to Ken Livingstone. He hates Gordon Brown. I can tell you, he will wreak a terrible public revenge on Gordon Brown, There won't be any knives in the back from Ken Livingstone. He'll kick him straight in the front."
"By the look of it, it is not going to be me today," admitted Brian Paddick (ex-police Assistant Commissioner, Lib Dem mayoral candidate). He has discounted any possibility of working with any of the two main candidates - e.g. as Chair of the Met Police - whoever wins, because he thinks that would be "hypocritical". (But surely it is hypocritical to now not want to do his best for Londoners when he swore he would do so as mayoral candidate?)
Everyone now thinks Boris will win it. This afternoon, on the basis of a "electronic voting system" BBC London reported that in nearly half of 14 constituencies where Ken got most first preference votes last time, he is behind this time. Turnout overall was 45% (compared to 37% last time). An interview that Gordon Brown gave today, indicated that he believed the writing's on the wall. The PM said he had congratulated and praised Ken for what he did for London. It sounded like a "valedictory" speech said Sky News. More like the "dead talking to the dead" one Conservative party member reportedly described it.
A complaint has been made by the BNP, about some ballot boxes being unsealed. However the returning officer say that it is more an issue of "lack of stickiness" (of the seal on the boxes) than any foul play. BNP think they can get at least one seat on the London Assembly if not two. If they get two seats, they'd be officially designated as a party and get attendant privileges such as their own press office. They've been counting the votes for the past 8 hours and are said to be near the half-way mark in some constituencies. So, the result may not be known till around midnight tonight, they say.
current mood: calm (9 comments |comment on this)
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11:55p - London Mayoral Election (II)
BORIS wins!!!
Final total:
Boris Johnson 1,168,738 votes
Ken Livingstone 1,028,966 votes
Ken defeated by 140,000 votes.
( Read more... )
current mood:  awake (2 comments |comment on this)
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