After yesterday’s brief flutter of excitement – when Ed Davey hinted Lembit Öpik might consider running as the Lib Dems’ London mayoral candidate – it seems we’re as we were, Lembit having ruled himself out.
So, over to you – which of the following do you want to be our mayoral hopeful? (And, yes, I know a couple of these have said they won’t stand, but, frankly, no such poll would be complete without Greg, Simon, or indeed Lembit, in the mix.)
Your 10 choices are:
Paul Burstow MP
Lord Navnit Dholakia
Greg Dyke
Lynne Featherstone MP
Simon Hughes MP
Susan Kramer MP
Lembit Öpik
Brian Paddick
Sarah Teather MP
A N Other
To vote, look at the poll to the right.
If you want to mount a write-in campaign, use the comments section.
UPDATE: This poll is now over. Results here.
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26 Comments
I don’t live in London, so I suppose it’s none of my business.
But I wonder, why is Ed promoting Lembit, rather than vice-versa?
Charles Kennedy?
Why are all the MPs shown as ‘MP’ except Lembit. Are you trying to tell us something?
Surely it would be sensible to include the four people who put their names forward for the role a few months back, which was none of the nine listed above.
I think there is no chance of any of those 9 names standing whatsoever. I know of the two names most likely to be candidates, but they are not exactly household names.
My vote for AN Other is in support of Andy’s comment above; I’d like to see a serious ‘policy’ candidate to combat the perceived lightweight effect of the big two, but I think anyone not already a known politician would be good.
And surely as LDs we should not be using a FPTP ballot?!
Does anyone HAVE an online STV application? That would generate literally days of fun!
Any of the MP’s would be silly to go for it, frankly – “Being your MP wasn’t good enough for X, s/he wanted to be mayor – vote for your Conservative/Labour/Green candidate” although there are some who might otherwise make very good candidates.
It would be nice if we could have someone with charisma AND policy nouse but I suppose that’s just wishful thinking now!
Oh and who’s been repeatedly clicking on Lynne?!
Now that you mentioned Lynne Benjamin – why not Lynne Featherstone – Ex Business Women – Ex Councillor – Now MP – and a Londoner too !!!
Yeah, Lynne Featherstone. Please!
Lynne’s fabulous – although some of the more fanatical liberals I know question some of her views particularly on drugs and alcohol – but some people don’t think ANYONE’s liberal enough.
As I said, I think it’s a bad idea for an MP who will be seeking re-election to go for mayor as the opposition campaign at the GE then writes itself. I think Lynne is much more use to us as a rising star in parliament than as a defeated one-term MP who once came a good third in a mayoral race.
11 – Susan Kramer was third in the mayoral election.
Indeed she was, Mr H, but 5 years before entering parliament. For a sitting MP to seek other elected office and them attempt to retain their seat would IMHO be a mistake, especially when Lynne’s seat was won with such a large swing: They swung once, give them a reason to turn against you and they’ll swing right on back!
Which is a shame because I think Lynne is wonderful, would be a great candidate and a great mayor and if she went for it I’d be right behind her all the way to polling day, I just think it could be a tactical mistake that winds up costing her dearly.
ADDENDUM – Not forgetting the very real possibility that any MP who puts themselves forward MAY well end up fighting BOTH elections on the same day!
Just to confirm that in the real ballot all members of the Party in London will select the Mayoral candidate in an STV (AV) postal ballot.
Applications will be invited in a formal advert in Lib Dem News which I will also post here when details have been finalised, and full details will go to all Party members for whom we hold an email address.
Jonathan Davies
Returning Officer
Lynne has pretty comprehensively rules herself out of standing for London Mayor. On her blog, Lynne writes:
“Thanks all those who’ve put me (as I type) at the top of the poll, but sorry to tell you – I’ve no interest in putting my name forward for the selection when it kicks off again latter this year.”
http://tinyurl.com/3chulj
Andy: Not sure how they could have included the four people who puts their names forward as I don’t remember those names ever being publicised.
8 “Being your MP wasn’t good enough for X, s/he wanted to be mayor – vote for your Conservative/Labour/Green candidate”
Hmmm, I’m sure that Lib Dems can use that next time in Henley, if Boris doesn’t get elected as Mayor.
I guess the Lib Dems in Henley are already using it against him – after all Henley isn’t in London and there are public comments from some local Tory councillors about Boris letting them down.
Big problem for any sitting MP is that the General election could be before the Mayoral election and effectively put them out of one of the races with now where to go – this was apparently Boris’s connundrum and why he took so long making his mind up.
Boris has effectively admitted that the Tories won’t win the General election!
Lib Dems need to get a candidate in place who will commit to running a wholehearted campaign.
Susan Kramer actually came fourth, not third http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_mayoral_election,_2000
Ah, yes, the ever-luminous Frank Dobson.
Is there any reason why Millennium Elephant and Pink Dog are not on the list?
So the Party can’t find anyone who is ready to stand as our London Mayoral Candidate
Well – here is an opportunity for the Party to turn adversity into virtue
It should declare that it wants to demonstrate its commitement to equality by selecting a ethnic minority candidate.
Not as daft an idea as it may first seem – after all London’s majority population in many of its boroughs is made up of ethnic minority.
Ming Campbell belongs to an ethnic minority.
Having made that somewhat flippant point, I would warn against even the slightest move down the road the US went back in the 19th century of cobbling together coalitions of ethnic and religious minorities and interest groups – pork barrel politics of the very worst sort.
If there is a good ethnic minority candidate out there, then let’s have him, or her (if he or she is genuinely the best). But please, we don’t have to have an ethnic minority candidate just to prove our anti-racist credentials.
http://tinyurl.com/2jf7rx
Paddick ‘in London mayor bid’
The policeman who pioneered the “softly-softly” approach to cannabis use is being lined up as the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor.
Brian Paddick, 49, has held talks with the party about standing against Labour’s Ken Livingstone and the Tories’ Boris Johnson.
The entry into the race of Mr Paddick, who is gay, paves the way for a colourful contest.
The former Scotland Yard officer came to prominence while masterminding a scheme that meant people caught with small amounts of cannabis in Brixton would not be prosecuted, but sent away with a warning.
He joined the Met as an 18-year-old recruit in November 1976 and worked his way through the ranks.
The officer had reached the £125,667-a-year rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner when he retired this year after clashing with Met chief Sir Ian Blair over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
A LibDem source said: “We have been in talks with Brian Paddick and we hope and expect him to go forward for nomination as part of a full and open selection process.”
Not as daft an idea as it may first seem – after all London’s majority population in many of its boroughs is made up of ethnic minority.
Sorry, that’s even dafter than it first seems. Isn’t saying we won’t have a white candidate racist in itself?
Angus Huck is quite right.