Licence to Loot (11/08/11)
The sitting candidate is Boris Johnson who defeated his biggest rival Ken Livingstone last time round.
So the 2012 contest has developed into a bit of a grudge match, understandably.
Both men have a reputation as 'loose cannons' within their respective Tory and Labour camps.
And while I not a great fan of Boris Johnson - I suspect Ken Livingstone is likely to turn out to be the damaging of the two, as far as the party leaders are concerned.
Because Ken is now arguing that the London riots are the result of spending cuts - it's all the fault of the nasty Tories and Lib Dems apparently.
Which sounds a bit bonkers to me, given that a Labour government was in power for 13 out of the past 14 years.
The violence and looting in London and elsewhere raises many social challenges, but Ken Livingstone's approach will come across as a 'licence to loot'.
To my mind it's a complete cop-out to suggest that this was caused by or would be cured by simply throwing some more public money at the problem.
Ken is telling a particular group of Londoners whom he regards as potential supporters what they want to hear, courting them with weasel words instead of trying to provide answers to difficult questions.
Which might involve people facing up to their own behaviour, for example.
So I hope Ken fails in his bid to become London Mayor again in 2012 his cynical tactics are unworthy and depressing 'dog whistle' politics of the worst kind.
On that basis he doesn't deserve a second term.
