ATTENTION LONDONERS!

I've seen a lot of stuff around these last few weeks along the lines of well, I'd like to vote for Brian/Sian/a.n.other candidate, but that would be pointless because it's a two horse race so I have to vote for Ken/Boris to make sure Boris/Ken doesn't get in. Voting Liberal/Green/Loony/Whatever is always a wasted vote anyway...

This is complete bollocks! You have TWO VOTES. This means you can, should, and ought to vote for the candidate that you actually WANT to win (yes, even if this is the BNP tosser) for your first vote, and THEN vote for the one you hate least of the big two for your second vote, and this will do your bit to prevent the one you most hate getting in. This is the whole point of the voting system!

It's very simple. A child of five could understand it (Actually, she's four and a half, but she does understand it, even though she can't vote due to being 1, underage and 2, not a Londoner) alexwilcock has been banging on about this (at great length) for ages. publicansdecoy has explained it in simple terms too. There is no excuse for failing to grasp the concept. Yet somehow, people ARE failing to grasp the concept.

Look, it's easy. Even the Stop Boris campaign get it. You have two votes. The first vote is for the person you really want to win, that you really support, that, if you were dictator, you would appoint. Your second vote is for either Boris or Ken, depending on which one you want to keep out most. Now, if you really do really WANT to vote for Boris or Ken, then you should do it. But if you're voting for one or other of them to keep one or other of them out, then use that for your SECOND vote, and use your first vote for the person you actually want to win. You won't let the candidate you hate in by doing this, I promise. Trust auntie SB, and vote for the person you WANT to win.

Now, despite the fact that I sort of agree with the commenter on Brian's CiF post who said that if I lived in London, I'd want someone competent running it - but since I don't, I'd quite like to see Johnson as mayor just to watch what happens, I really, honestly think that you should all vote Brian, for the following reasons:

You want political nous and experience? He's got political nous and experience!

- he did at least as much as Ken, if not more, in the wake of 7/7, by dint of his job at the time.
- he's committed himself to actual figures and detailed policy on crime and stuff and will not stand again if he doesn't achieve his aims, and his old job means he knows what he's talking about in this area

You want sensible, costed, good idea policy on a wide range of issues? He's got it coming out of his ears:

- he'll give free travel across the city to students, and has a whole tranch of other transport policies
- he's going to plant lots of trees and up recycling rates because he's cuddly and green
- he'll turn London’s 83,580 empty properties into sustainable homes at affordable rents, and release surplus public sector land for community land trusts, providing long-term low-rent housing without the need to build on London’s precious green spaces
- loads of other stuff, check out his website or this BBC bio for more detail

You want celebrity? Glitz? Glamour? His campaign is being bankrolled by Elton bloody John. You can't get MORE celebrity/glitzy/glamorous than that!

You want someone who knows London? Brian was born in Balham and has lived in London nearly all his life...

And, you know, far be it from me to play the discrimination card (again) but if we're going to have to have a middle-class, middle-aged white male to lead the most diverse city in Europe AGAIN, can we not at least have a gay one? Please?

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