Political capital

LONDONERS eager to prove that their metropolis really is, in Disraeli's words, “a roost for every bird” usually cite ordinary life at ground level: the diversity of races and languages, the yuppies, artists and immigrants juxtaposed in the same east London postcodes. They can now point to their aspiring rulers, too.

The third election for the mayor of London, an office created in 2000 for a city that had lacked its own administration since 1986, comes in May. The principal candidates are as curious as the population they hope to govern: a left-wing iconoclast who often favours globalisation (the Labour incumbent, Ken Livingstone), a shock-headed Old Etonian eccentric (the Conservative Boris Johnson) and a libertarian gay ex-policeman (the Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick), who made his name with a tolerant line on cannabis when he commanded a south London borough.

Many Londoners are indifferent as to who their mayor is (voting turnout was only 37% in 2004). Yet the office has come to matter. The mayor controls a budget of £10.6 billion ($20.9 billion)—up from £3.8 billion in 2001-02, and divided mostly between transport and policing (see chart). He also has powers over cultural matters and economic development; in 2006 he acquired more clout over housing, planning, the environment, and learning and skills. The biggest directly elected office in the country is also a bully pulpit.
It is true, says Tony Travers of the London School of Economics, that London's mayor is weaker than his counterparts in New York and Tokyo, and that much power, particularly over schools, remains with the city's 32 boroughs. But he is also relatively unconstrained by his municipal council. The London Assembly does little more than vote on the mayor's annual budget—a pygmy next to the mighty New York City Council.

Mr Livingstone, who won office as an independent in 2000 and retained it for Labour in 2004, has done better than many expected. He introduced a congestion charge in the centre of town (piquing the interest of other cities) and a more efficient ticketing system for public transport, expanding the bus service. He has enjoyed good relations with city financiers while redistributing wealth through planning decisions: developers are allowed to build in return for including affordable housing and other goodies for the poor. He also helped secure the 2012 Olympics for London and cash from the central government for a new cross-city train service.

This article is signifigant because it is about the selection of the Mayor of the Capital of the United Kingdom , London England . This Mayoral race is especially important because if will involve the preperation for the 2012 Olympics in London.


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