Harriet Harman is outraged by the "disgraceful" Boris Johnson!

"Oh no! It's Candid Camera!"

Harriet Harman is a grade A hyprocrite when it comes to castigating people for political offence. She has been making offensive remarks most of her political life. Probably because she fits so badly into the clothes of a socialist. A wolf in sheep's clothing? More like a female polecat on the make.

Today she feigns outrage at comments the mayor of London has made about the Two Eds. That they would be "quietly satisfied" with disorder on a day of protest in London against cuts. Harman says it was a disgraceful remark. As if she has ever been full of grace herself. Who was it who likened the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to a "ginger rodent"? Why, it was the Harperson herself!

She is one to talk. A hypocrite all round!

Jo Johnson MP in uncommon prayer request

Who is Jo Johnson, I thought. Sounds like a Safestyle double glazing salesman. The sort that have been banned from doorsteps. Then I found out he's the MP for Orpington and the brother of Boris. One thing that family is not shy about is talking.

He wants to end the daily practice of saying prayers in the House of Commons chamber because he claims it would improve the image of MPs among the public and save time. That's a rather weak claim. A bit like his brother's desire to put an airport on the Thames marshes and get daily bird strike. Johnson junior has little clue about the constitution. We have an established church. It weaves in and out of Parliament. Left to his own devices he may forget this notion. If it ever caught on it would help to unravel our way of life.

The Conservative Party was once likened to the Church of England and vice versa. Now the Tories have left the party to be festered with modernists creepily posing ideas that they think will ingratiate themselves with the public. Misguided, I'd say. The CofE is fast becoming a sect where doctrine is scribbled out on the back of an envelope. The Conservative Party is in danger of imitating Shakespeare's “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Is there any place for High Church High Tories anymore?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353386/Boris-Johnsons-MP-brother-Jo-says-prayers-scrapped-Commons.html#ixzz1D7u83FWl

Boris Johnson wades in!

The Mayor or London hasn't claimed for duck housing but he managed to get a ducking himself! Nothing fazes him. He'll be mentioned on Have I Got News For You, no doubt about it.

Tories get legalistic in Henley

Is it a case of David Cameron huffing and puffing and trying to blow down the LibDems' house in Henley? In most by-elections where the Conservatives are defending a seat, the LibDems come up with all kinds of poetic licence. Falsehoods are par for the course. This time they have suggested two things. First that Boris Johnson, now succumbed in the penthouse suite of the Greater London Assembly as Mayor of the Metropolis, has a penchant for the LibDem policies and is keen on their candidate! Far-fetched, I'd say.

Second, they claim the Conservative candidate is less than supportive about community hospitals. The Tories are angry about claims in a Lib Dem leaflet that the Tory candidate John Howell watched the campaign to save Townlands community hospital in Henley "from the sidelines," when they say he was involved in it. That's one thing. They should have said he supported it and left it there. However threatening to sue the LibDems makes the whole issue far bigger than it ought to be.

Electorate's do not like sour grapes or bad losers. The Conservatives should have just countered the claim as is usual in a by-election. This has made the LibDems out to be the campaigners rather than the Tories.

Own goal with golden boots on, I'm afraid! They'd be far better off talking up the Real Opposition, the two young women from Beauties for Britain Party. Now Boris could have meant them!

The Henley By-election line-up

Today was closing day for nominations in the Henley By-election. Boris has gone, make way for, well, one of these!

In alphabetical order -

Chris Adams - UK Independence Party
Derek Allpass - English Democrats
Louise Cole - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party)
Amanda Harrington - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party)
John Howell - Conservatives
Stephen Kearney - Liberal Democrats
Richard McKenzie - Labour
Bananaman Owen - Monster Raving Loony Party
Timothy Rait - British National Party
Dick Rodgers - The Common Good
Mark Stevenson - Green Party
Harry Bear - The Fur Play Party

The Fur Play Party? Sounds like Cilla Black's needed!

Henley Tories pick accountant for by-election

Henley Tories (that's Henley-on-Thames not Henley-in-Arden) have chosen John Howell, a former partner at City accountant Ernst and Young, to be their candidate at the forthcoming by-election to succeed (hopefully!) Boris Johnson. Mr Howell was chosen from a shortlist of three.

All that remains now is for a date to be set. And someone to win, of course!

Boris is the next Mayor of London

Boris Johnson is the new Mayor of London, his rivals conceded tonight. The Evening Standard in London is predicting that the Tory MP scored a stunning election victory to end Ken Livingstone's eight-year reign and round off a disastrous 24 hours for the Labour Party. Gordon Brown is sitting in the Downing street flat with his cocoa wondering where it all went wrong. Probably on the day a certain Tony Blair waltzed into his office in the House of Commons for the first time and almost immediately began a cheesy relationship. Gordon's antennae were on the blink that day!

So now it is Boris. The liberally-minded libertine-leaning fellow travellers of New Labour think Boris is a buffoon. Far from it. He is a very clear-headed thinker who will be a great asset for London. A character who can play the international stage. Gone will be the nasal drone of Ken Livingstone, a man who has been barely tolerated by the New Labour hierarchy. In his place will come a man who will be fair-minded but not favourful when it comes to distributing the largesse of London. You won't see many brown paper bags in Boris' office.

A new dawn begins.

Cameron slaps down Boris over illegal immigrant amnesty remark

David Cameron has weighed in to the London Mayoral contest by effectively trying to silence Boris Johnson, the Conservative contender, on matters of immigration. Johnson said that he thought it would benefit the capital if illegal migrants were offered a one-off pardon. Cameron thinks this would just let others think they can come into the country illegally leading to demands for further amnesties.

Both sides have a point. The truth is, though, that we don't have total control over immigration now that the EU gets its 90 cents worth of nose-poking into the issue. Immigrants are required for our economy, because a lot of people won't work in the places and for the pay that the migrants are prepared to. The government is going some way to relieving the problem of unabated, unregulated immigration.

However, the Conservatives need to get to grips on this too. All the while that the government of the day knows little of the numbers here, then it feeds into the electoral success box of the BNP. I think that come the local elections on May 1st, it will be a wake-up call to these politicians. The BNP will score successful results in places. What then for David Cameron?

It is very unedifying seeing such policy differences between Conservatives. Not because we shouldn't have a debate, we should. But because it gives the impression they don't know what they are doing. I hope we can get a detailed, fair and workable policy outlined without soundbites and spin.

Boris to win by a whisker!

According to the Guardian, Boris Johnson is likely to win by the slimmest of margins. Today's Guardian/ICM poll gives Johnson a two-point lead overall - 51% to 49% - once second preferences have been allocated under London's alternative voting system. That is the narrowest possible margin of victory. But a win is a win!

The New York Times journos have taken him to their hearts, bless 'em! They quote the self-confessed "buffoon" as saying ""My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters." Sounds like George Bush could have said that! Well, maybe not.

Mingling with potential voters in Borough Market, he sampled an oyster at a stall. “Oysters for everyone!” he boomed expansively. “I promise to oysterize all of south London!” Searching for money to buy a magazine, Mr. Johnson excavated from his pocket some coins and a grubby piece of cheese. Asked what he could offer as mayor, he reeled off, “Optimism, energy, dynamism and creative ideas!”

Boris has got on the first rung of his international publicity campaign. With Boris in charge, London won't need to pay for any publicity for the 2012 Olympics, they'll just wheel Boris out!

David Cameron backs 'brilliant' Boris!

"I don't always agree with him but I respect the fact that he's absolutely his own man", says David Cameron. I suspect that the admiration temperature only shot up the scale when the polling results came! Boris is in the lead, over Ken Livingstone, that is.

This election will be very interesting. I hope Boris wins, partly because Ken Livingstone has had his day (too much cronyism!) and partly because London requires a mayor who will be larger than life. I bet that it won't be just Londoners talking about the Mayor of London. Boris may appear on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. He may well visit other cities around the world and be remembered and not forgotten.

The one thing Boris has shown is that you can put a bit of fun into politics but also be serious as well. Jeremy Thorpe, the past Liberal leader, was an excellent mimic. He could make Lord Boothby think he was talking to himself! But Thorpe was very scared of being naturally funny. It was a pity, I think. I'm glad Boris can be his own man, seen by the public as such, and not moulded by a creepy coterie of spin merchants and message massagers!

The Boris, Ken and Uncle Tom Cobley handicap stakes

Boris Johnson is a Conservative who has broken quite a few moulds. Ken Livingstone is a socialist who has cracked many moulds. This mayoral contest in London seems more about personalities than about policies. Is Boris bananas, bohemian or brilliant? Is he all three? Much is written about his perceived character, but not so much on his political ideas. Red Ken, Cheeky Ken, or just plain KEN! is a man living on the edge. Tony Blair tried the full-frontal Caesar attack, then aped Brutus, but still Ken stood standing. I think Londoners would have a fit if the mayor was boring. Nothing to talk about in the offices or cafes or bars.

The others in the contest are equally flamboyant, controversial, or mould-crackingly suitable. The Liberal Democrats have an openly gay ex-police chief in Brian Paddick, the Greens have Sian Berry (who is encouraging "EU citizens" to vote). Respect has disrespectfully split and is in two parts, one with Lindsey German as a Left List entrant and the other called Respect Renewal (not standing). UKIP is flying the flag with Gerard Batten, the BNP has its London leader in Richard Barnbrook, and the English Democrats have picked ex-rooftop protester Matt O'Connor. Added to them is Alan Craig of the Christian Peoples Alliance and Damian Hockney of One London.

Ten politicians hanging on the wall, or will it be sitting on the fence? Either way, this is probably the most mixed bunch of candidates any electoral contest in the British Isles has seen. And it has just five weeks to run!

In the late entrants enclosure is John Flunder of the Senior Citizens Party, Dennis Delderfield who has announced he would stand for the New Britain Party, and Chris Prior from the Stop Congestion Charging Party.

And them to the mix and you get a baker's dozen! Happing voting, London!

London Elects!