That however is not the main topic of my blog, I will however be staying in France. Anybody who follows European Politics will be aware that this week marked the re-election of Bertrand Delanoe as 'Le mayor de paris'(That's Frenglish for The Mayor of Paris). The left wing Delanoe, who was re-elected with 58% of the vote has also been tipped to face Sarkozy in the 2012 Presedential race.
The effect of this election however, as many people have pointed out, is not confined simply to paris, but also to the French government and, some say, our own. The election of a Socialist Party candidate to the position is a snubbing of right wing Sarkozy, with the left taking more votes than the right across the whole country, a reversal of last years presedential elections.
Could this pattern then, foreshadow the upcoming London Mayoral elections? I'm not so sure, in my last post, I called the British public undiscerning, however, I'm still not sureif they are so desperate as to vote for Mr Johnson. The Anti-Boris Johnson group on Facebook, has well over 1000 members in just a few weeks (Who ever said that the youth were politically disengaged?), and some of the sentiment is strong.
I also don't believe that the British are anywhere near as intolerant as the French, and this French intolerance is far from a bad thing, it's merely a no nonsense approach to everything. When the French are annoyed by something, they get rid of it, sometimes they're a little Rash about things ( Rainbow Warrior - 1985),
and sometimes, as in this case, in the true spirit of democracy.
What I think the Mayoral election will be won on is what all elections these days seem to be won on, the media. Boris Johnson has a very large media presence, and I hope it'll be his bigoted remarks (The section on his Wikipedia entry entitled 'Controversies' consists of 12 sections) that are remembered over his appearences on Have I Got News For You. If you can't remember any of them, here's a small reminder...
On the people of Papua New Guinea: "orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing"
His Beautifully eloquent and respectful remarks on Ken Bigley: The people of Liverpool are wallowing in "vicarious victimhood" and that many Liverpudlians had a "deeply unattractive psyche"; and also refused to accept responsibility for "drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground"
And on Portsmouth: "one of the most depressed towns in Southern England, a place that is arguably too full of drugs, obesity, underachievement and Labour MPs"
I can see why the British public would want this kind and sensitive gentleman to run the capital.
Yours
Sir Boris Humphrey.
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