Ray Lewis resignation

Ray Lewis has resigned as deputy Mayor to Boris Johnson over allegations of impropriety that date back 10 to 12 years. Some of the allegations are listed here.

We do not know what truth lies behind these allegations but what we do know is that they are coming thick and fast.

The lesson clearly is that if you stick your head above the parapet and get into politics your enemies will try to get you.

I do not know why we are in this position. Clearly any appointee needs to be vetted. Was this done? Is this just a case of bad blood?

Still, a mans reputation lies in tatters because he tried to do something, and all this without a trial.

The BBC has this on the resignation, Iain Dale has this on the affair.

Boris Johnson, James McGrath and The Shrill Cry of Racist!

And so we have our first casualty of the Boris Johnson mayoralty.

James McGrath was a senior aide to Boris Johnson who gave an interview to Marc Wadsworth, who is a member of the Labour party, alleged journalist and race campaigner.

Alas before doing so he appears (according to Marc Wadsworths article here) not to have bothered looking the man up. As refreshing as this is, after all it is good to know that those in government don't spin, it was also a mistake, because those in "journalism" certainly do.

James McGrath has stood down, over this exchange:

McGrath was far from politically correct, David-Cameron-new- cuddly-Conservative Party, when I pointed out to him a critical comment of Voice columnist Darcus Howe that the election of "Boris Johnson, a right-wing Conservative, might just trigger off a mass exodus of older Caribbean migrants back to our homelands".

He retorted: "Well, let them go if they don’t like it here." McGrath dismissed influential race commentator Howe as ‘shrill’.

Now it is clear to me who is saying "blacks go home", it is Darcus Howe, though why is unclear as I can't find the article in the Voice online.

The problem we have is that whilst someone like Ken Livingstone can tell Jews to "go back to Iran" and get away with all sorts of other comments some might view as racist, (as indeed can Labour with their "British Jobs for British Workers" slogan) we can't. That sort of mud sticks to us far more than it does to Labour. We can't change that perception over night.

So was Boris right to ask for his resignation? I fear he was. I have not met James McGrath, but hear he is a decent, kind and honourable man.

The problem is that our opponents aren't.

They will use any means to smear our party.

We need to be much more careful about playing the game.

People like Marc Wadsworth and Darcus Howe will use what ever means they can to both get at the Conservative party and to divide the Afro Caribbean community from the rest of society. After all, how else could Darcus claim to speak for older Caribbean migrants?

Iain Dale has this, Conservative home has this and the BBC has this.

Dogs in mangers to be humanely euthanised!

This is the big shock news from Boris Johnson's speech after signing his acceptance of office. If you keep any dogs in mangers, you have been warned.

You can view the whole speech here.

That said he does seem keen to build a government of all the talents. It will be interesting to see what next week brings.

That Boris Speech: Echos of Thatcher.

in victory and it echoed I have to say I thought Boris' acceptance speech was fantastic. MagnanimousMargaret Thatcher's speech when she took office in 1979, echoing Saint Francis of Assisi's prayer.

Boris said:

Where there have been mistakes we will rectify them,
where there are achievements we will build on them
where there are neglected opportunities we will seize on them.

Outstanding speech. I should add that he started by thanking all those who voted against him many of whom he said he had met over the last month, not all of whom were entirely polite.

Ken Livingstone also delivered a gracious speech.

Well done all.

Can I just say this.

The voting is over. It is excruciatingly hard work to lose an election,
(well, it is if you are trying to win) let alone winning one, however the work for the winner has only just begun.

I am personally confident that Boris Johnson will be a fantastic Mayor of London and will deliver results even if Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh is his diplomatic adviser. He may say some things that will throw seasoned hacks in to spin, but that is just Boris.

Boris Johnson wins Conservative nomination by a landslide!

Boris Johnson has won the Conservative nomination for the Mayor of London by a landslide.

Clearly this shows he has the larger than life personality it will take to challenge Ken Livingstone.

I will watch the contest with interest.

Guido has this, whilst the BBC has this.

Labour MP's fail to back Boris Johnson's mayoral bid shocker!

Two Labour MP's (Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North, and Dawn Butler, mp for Brent South) have spurned Boris Johnson's London Mayoral bid.

In a statement I just made up, Boris said "Crikey! Cripes! I was hoping to get the backing of all Labour MP's but now these two have some out against me, all is lost! I shall have to think very carefully about my political future."

Editorial note. Boris Johnson is in the race to be nominated to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.

The BBC had this ridiculous story, whilst Iain Dale has this, part of which is by Andrew Gilligan.

Boris for Mayor!

So Boris Johnson has thrown his hat in the ring for Conservative nomination for Mayor of London.

Can he win? Yes he can!

That does not mean he will, but he could.

He announced his candidacy in typical Boris style, turning up on a bicycle outside Ken Livingstone's office to greet a throng of the press, to ride off shortly afterwards. He has a website here, and I have to say I love this quote from an Op Ed piece in the Evening Standard:

I will be running against the strong advice of those who say I would be better off writing books, and going on television, and that I risk throwing away what remains of my political career; and though there have been literally hundreds of people who have urged me to run, I have found myself brooding - like all paranoid politicians - on the negative voices, the people who say that the great King Newt is too dug in, that his positions are impregnable, his machine too vast and well-oiled.

And having weighed up their warnings, over the last week, I say phooey.

There are some who think he is very bad, notably the privately educated and somewhat vacuous Polly Toynbee who has written this article in the Guardian. All Polly can see of Boris is what she wants to see. I wonder if she is going to attack Ken Livingstone for hanging out with the sort of people who want to stone homosexuals?

Mike Read (the DJ) has this interesting article on Comment is free as well, firstly saying he won't be in the race, and will be backing Boris. What he also does is outline some interesting ideas for London.

Guido has this which he says shows that Boris can win if he can just get out a few more Conservative voters whilst Mike Smithson has this on 7 reasons why Boris is in with a chance.

The one thing that is clear though, is that now there will be a real election for Mayor of London and it will be interesting.