Friday 24 September 2010

Labour's first mistake - the return of Ken

A big weekend for the Labour Party begins this morning at 10 o’clock with the announcement of who will run against Boris in the next battle for London Mayor. The choice is between Oona King and Ken Livingstone. I expect Ken to get the nod but would much prefer Oona not because this would necessarily be an easier fight for Boris, rather that Oona is much more representative of London today.
Having worked on the last Mayoral campaign I saw at first hand Ken’s politics of division and how he would target disenchanted groups in pretty cynical ways to motivate them to vote for him. Clever but depressing politics. Oona has been the victim of this type of campaign herself in the brutal fight against George Galloway and Respect in Bethnal Green & Bow so one would hope her approach would be different.
Boris v Oona would be an interesting battle which I believe would bring the very best out of Boris and spark interest in politics right across London. The return of Ken would be seen by many as a retrograde step but may well be the first of two mistakes the Labour Party will make this weekend.  

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