[Nigredo]

Only a few weeks away, Sadiq Khan looking comfortable for a second term and London does not encapsulate the whole of the UK despite what the Financial Times and the FTSE 100 insist so I'm unsure how much mileage this thread will garner.

Still, it might be fun to laugh at the various loons and grifters that have somehow stumped up £10k on a vanity bid to become the next manager of the TFL budget who occasionally has a stern word with the Met Police over their PR disasters:

https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-vote ... candidates

For what it's worth, I'll probably go Count Binface and Sian Berry as my 2 preferred choices (oh there's preferential voting in this election, that's an interesting talking point).

[Boiler]

I want to know who's backing some of these people.

[Nigredo]

I want to know who's backing some of these people.

Brian Rose is an out and out bridge-selling conman, one of the (sigh) Youtubers running just to beat Lozza is presumably using his ad revenue. I couldn't say for the various other loons, all I know is that Farah Landon had a fairly disastrous Q&A session on Reddit a while ago:
https://old.reddit.com/r/london/comment ... dependent/

[davidjay]

I want to know who's backing some of these people.

I would guess that once you've paid the deposit you don't really have to spend much else and the publicity is cost-effective for your cause/business. A similar thing happened in the 2016 presidential election, with hilarious consequences.

[The Red Arrow]

Absolute embarrassment for Count Binface being tied with the two joke entries.

(I hear other polls show Binface ahead)

[Boiler]

Didn't Gammons actually change his name to Gammons?

[Nigredo]

It seems he's some kind of god-bothering motivational speaker. And a doctor apparently, though given he's American I'm fairly certain he's a bogus one.

[kreuzberger]

Bogus Gammon. That'll be that Beyond Peter.

[mattomac]

Absolute embarrassment for Count Binface being tied with the two joke entries.

(I hear other polls show Binface ahead)

I noticed Khan had slightly dropped but it’s not Bailey who gained it seemed because they ran all the names in this poll, his second preference vote has hardly changed. Still be nice if he got closer to 50% on first preference.

[Youngian]

This article about coverage of the ludicrous Laurence Fox’s mayoral campaign also applies to British media’s obsession with the AfD’s short lived surge. Which was piffling compared to the German Greens whose candidate is currently favourite to succeed Merkel. But you’d be hard pressed to find any UK coverage of this phenomenon.

A ComRes poll yesterday put him on one per cent, tied with a man called Count Binface.

How much ink has been spilt on this individual, who has nothing interesting to say and no elegance in the way he says it? How much time and energy has been devoted to covering his constant attempts to secure some attention? And yet, when you strip all the chatter away, this what you get: someone so foolish as to start their political career among possibly the least receptive electorate for his message in the country.

And yet, something interesting happens when you look slightly higher up the polling results. The Liberal Democrats’ Luisa Porritt is on eight per cent and the Greens’ Sian Berry is on six per cent. They’re not exactly storming home, but they enjoy considerable support.

Where has their coverage been? Where is the frenzied Twitter chat, the column pages, the pundit spots? It doesn’t exist. Because they are two decent-minded and impressive women who are not playing the culture war. https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2021 ... 1-support/

[Andy McDandy]

AfD coverage fed into the idea that "zee Jairmans" are only ever one step away from firing up the gas ovens and rolling out the Panzers. Surprisingly common in the British media.

[Bones McCoy]

Not that London, but a reminder of old mistakes.

BBC Radio are covering the local elections by doing a morning VoxPop with local "characters" * in a series of northern gammon enclaves.

* Types found waiting outside a pub garden at 10:00Hrs.

[Samanfur]

On a weekday.

[Bones McCoy]

On a weekday.

It's part of a week long series, so "on all the weekdays".

[Boiler]

Not that London, but a reminder of old mistakes.

BBC Radio are covering the local elections by doing a morning VoxPop with local "characters" * in a series of northern gammon enclaves.

* Types found waiting outside a pub garden at 10:00Hrs.

Q. What had twelve teeth and four hundred legs?
A. The queue outside Wetherspoons on April 12th.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Absolute embarrassment for Count Binface being tied with the two joke entries.

(I hear other polls show Binface ahead)

There's still 5% of others. Who the heck are they voting for?

I expect Khan will get more than that on the first round.

[The Red Arrow]

What ho, my Cockanese chums! In the unlikely event you're undecided, here's all you need to know...

[Bones McCoy]

Those Powerpuff Girls have let themselves go.

What ho, my Cockanese chums! In the unlikely event you're undecided, here's all you need to know...

[Killer Whale]

Parallels there with the Abolish the Assembly (sic) Party in Wales, who are getting publicity, including from the BBC, far outweighing their actual support.

[Crabcakes]

I look forward to Fox being as electorally successful as Farage was in becoming an MP, and am sure he'll be only to keen to follow him into a career of hawking shout outs for pennies.