London is a fairer, more tolerant and sustainable city with Ken Livingstone. He must be re-elected

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:



What's at stake
London elections 08: We believe London is a fairer, more tolerant and sustainable city because of Ken Livingstone. He must be re-elected
Open Letter


Statement on the election of the mayor of London

On May 1 London will elect a mayor. It will be either Ken Livingstone or Boris Johnson. Livingstone has been the frontrunner for re-election, but alarm bells may be sounding.

One straw in the wind was the unprompted comment from a progressive colleague last week that she thought Johnson was going to win. This wasn't a statement of desirability but feasibility.

Are the centre-left and the progressive voices and organisations of the capital sleepwalking into the nightmare of a Johnson victory? Well, maybe. This isn't just about the politics of London, but a battle between the forces of progress versus reaction in the nation as a whole.

Let us be clear. Ken Livingstone is not perfect. Show us a politician who is. But he is not just a serious and skilled politician compared to almost any rival (but especially the horror and embarrassment of the Johnson alternative), Livingstone is a standard-bearer for real progressive politics.

That is why this election matters to the nation, not just the capital. Livingstone represents a hope that something better is possible; that a different type of society is not just some pipe dream of the left, but can be created. This is the reason he is under such severe attack. The Conservatives see a Johnson victory as a springboard to beat Labour at the next general election. They are piling in with every resource to make it happen - not least the negative campaigning skills of the Australian, Lynton Crosby.

The lead attack dog is of course the Daily Mail group's Evening Standard. The Standard is the most influential paper in the country because every decision-maker and influencer in London reads it. It is being used, day-in and day-out, as a battering ram, not just against Ken Livingstone, but against the ideals of more democratic, egalitarian and sustainable politics. This is not the freedom and independence of the press but the disfigurement of the fourth estate into a blatant propaganda machine for the rich and powerful who fear the re-election of Ken Livingstone. It is indeed the few using their wealth and influence over the many. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_letter/2008/02/whats_at_stake.html