Boris Johnson has decided not to appear at our Mayoral hustings tonight at the University of London. As The Guardian picked up on today, this isn’t the only time that the Conservative candidate’s campaign team have hustled him out of the limelight. Could it be that they’re so nervous about the gaffe prone candidate that they’re not even allowing him to speak to the public?
It’s not been an easy ride for our team of Time Out journalists and volunteers, but after four weeks we’ve done it: successfully raised the £10,000 minimum required to stand for Mayor of London. We’ve also collected the 330 signatures of registered voters from 33 boroughs (ten per borough) every candidate must supply. Great, lets stand for Mayor of London then…
Well, actually, let’s not. This campaign was never just about Michael Hodges becoming Mayor, it was about putting your concerns on the Mayoral agenda and fighting an electoral system that is inherently unfair and undemocratic. That’s why we opened up the pages of Time Out, and this website, so you could help us shape what is truly a people’s manifesto. Your manifesto. To be honest, we were staggered by how much passion, verve and imagination you mustered for this particular cause. We also learned that you don’t necessarily want grand or radical policies but the small and simple things which, if implemented, would improve life in this city immensely.
Every turn of this campaign seemed to reveal uncomfortable truths about London democracy. Gathering the required signatures was hard enough for us, a well-staffed weekly magazine, but for ordinary Londoners wishing to stand as independent candidates, it’s almost impossible. Political parties get access to the electoral rolls for every London borough. They also have teams of party workers who are paid to go out and chase the signatures. Is this any way to run a genuinely democratic city?
We are proposing an early day motion in the House of Commons, which will call for an end to discriminatory barriers that prevent Londoners like you contributing to the running of your own city. So, although we have qualified to enter the race, we are withdrawing from the official election, but fighting on against the system that’s let you – and London – down.
The Time Out Mayoral campaign stops but the people’s manifesto lives on. And to ensure it does, we will be putting its key demands to each of the main candidates over the coming weeks.
We hope they listen to you. To find out more, and to get involved, visit the Time Out site.
Gordon Thomson, editor of Time Out, and Michael Hodges, Time Out Mayoral candidate
Well what an interesting night, and not just because I fell asleep on the train home and ended up in an old people’s home in Gillingham at three o’clock this morning. No, interesting because Time Out readers came in their droves to our quiz and proved our platform to be correct - that is, they are clued-up bright and generally the best people in London - by displaying an astounding amount of knowledge about our fair city.
This wasn’t any old quiz but a fiendishly tough one devised and delivered by Marcus Berkmann, the master of the form and author of the rightly lauded ‘Prince of Wales Quiz Book’. Thanks to everyone that came but since you had a free drink, I am informed by the electoral commission that it would be a criminal offence if I then asked you to vote for me. So don’t, ah, vote for me (if you get my drift).
Read what the crack team of London bloggers had to say about the evening (and their less-than-perfect performance!)
And there’s a report from the Word magazine’s admirable team who are still deluding themselves they came joint third. In reality, they fell at the final tiebreaker hurdle and missed out on a slap-up meal for six at the Wagamama of their choice.
Photo credit: Jonathan Perugia
Our campaign for mayor has registered at number seven on the Londonelectsyou website after only 24 hours online and I am currently featured as candidate of the day. Or rather you are, as we remain the only campaign with a manifesto written by the people and for the people. Don’t forget you can still contribute as we have a few days before we announce our full manifesto. Elsewhere Wednesday’s Evening Standard featured our wind-up toy race outside City Hall last week and the LondonPaper chose to publish a picture of me looking remarkably fat and bumptious. Thanks for that.
A quiet morning at Hodges HQ as we mulled over Boris Johnson’s decision to actually pay rent for his campaign headquarters, a decision which we really have to applaud. But that’s enough of him and his toff chums, our campaign - the people’s campaign - gains momentum every day (you’ll notice our financial pledges are increasing all the time) and today we have joined up with the socially progressive website www.londonelectsyou.co.uk.
Dedicated to picking a truly independent candidate for mayor of London, the site has promised to award £50,000 to the campaign of the candidate who gets the most online votes by 18 March. So, if you’re committed to our people’s manifesto please log in and cast your votes.
An early start for the campaign at City Hall this morning and an even earlier start for the security men working for developers More London who own the ground City Hall is built on. You, like me, might have thought the area around City Hall was free public space but as was made clear to me after been taken to the ‘manager’s office’ by security this not the case and the Time Out team were not welcome. At every turn this campaign seems to be revealing new and uncomfortable facts about London democracy but not being allowed to take pictures outside City Hall seems more appropriate to Moscow or Beijing than London.
We took the pictures anyway as we unveiled our ‘wind up a politician’ Mayor of London street race featuring several wind-up toy cars with the candidates faces on. Johnson went off the tracks relatively early in proceedings, Paddick actually went backwards and Berry and Livingstone crashed into each other, leaving the Hodges wind-up toy free to win – an omen?
Photo credit: David Axelbank
Find out at Time Out’s exclusive London-themed Mayoral pub quiz, held on Tuesday March 18 at a central London boozer. Questions will be compiled by a London expert and there will be prizes, as well as a free drink for every competitor. If you have a team of six you would like to enter for this sensational event, email mayor@timeout.com or just post your details on here and we’ll get back to you.
One of the main planks of our campaign for Mayor is to fight the shockingly undemocratic nature of the process. To qualify for the actual election not only do you need to find £10,000 but a candidate is also required to find ten signatures from registered voters in each of the London boroughs and the City of London. Fair for everyone? No, because if you are a registered political party you have access to the electoral rolls, effectively handing you the information on a plate. If you are an independent candidate you don’t get to see the electoral rolls and have to do it yourself. So I must be off, I’m walking round Haringey with pen and paper tonight. In fact, that’s me knocking at the door.
Get down to City Hall tomorrow morning at 8am to witness a truly historic event. The first ever wind-up toy race for London Mayor will take place in the shadow of the seat of the power while all around us Londoners make their way to work. So, set your alarm half an hour early and come join in the fun.
Event: Wind up toy race
Time: 8am
Place: City Hall
Nearest tube: London Bridge
It’s official! We really are the campaign of the moment. In last night’s Evening Standard Andrew Gilligan devoted a considerable amount of space to my exploits, relegating his comment on Senator Clinton’s fading chances to a mere sidebar. Despite not being able to resist taking a swipe at Time Out, he waxed long and relatively lyrical on his support for our mission to save London’s soul and ended with a rallying cry declaring that he ‘hadn’t been to a gig since Ken was Left-wing, but I agree with Hodges. London’s character is at risk and it’s not just a problem for Time Out readers’.
Stirring stuff indeed. Perhaps Mr Gilligan would like to throw his considerable weight behind our campaign and put his money where his pen is?
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