Boris Johnson gets the friendly vote

Boris Johnson got the backing of 79% of Londoners on Thursday, winning a US style Primary, using a premium phone line. He appears to be viewed as a fresh face for the party, from the out of touch, cold-hearted view of the old party.

His rapport is easy to digest and show a friendly side to the Tories which should stretch his party's support into much needed sections of London's community. This is needed to pose a challenge to Ken Livingstone,. However their is quite a big risk that many voters will see him as a bumbling fool, rather than caring and accessible.

Johnson's air of eccentricity is a match for Ken Livingstone's, who has had some maverick policies during his time as Mayor. The race for Major is likely throw up some individualistic ideas on how to run London onto 2013.

The Liberal Democrats have yet to choose their candidate. Other candidates include John Bird, standing as an independent. 

Photo: Cropped, UCL Conservative Society (Flickr)

Idea: Confused BBC Climate Chaos Trailer

While I am fond of the BBC's programmes in general, they have made an annoying TV trailer, that takes out of context the R.E.M. song The End of The World As We Know It (and I feel fine). It seems a shame to take one of the few positive R.E.M. songs to illustrate a negative story. It's not even a political song, which would be much more appropriate.

The R.E.M. song is about starting again. With the metaphor "The End of The World as we know it" meaning stopping doing things the way you have been doing them. And is a positive song, where R.E.M. say "[they] feel fine" with accepting the change to their world.

In contrast, the BBC's season of programmes is about the ignorance of most people in realising the damage we are causing to the environment, and in being content through lack of knowledge about what is actually happening  So it is inaccurate to talk about the End of The World, and as I understand Climate change it is inaccurate for at least another few hundred years. This then makes a nonsense of talking about people today feeling fine, as the world is not ending today.

My annoyance really comes from them taking the words literally, when that is nonsense. It really should be the case that the opposite happens, with sound-track re-interpreting songs to mean something different, whilst crucially still making sense.

Blog tags: BBC, tv, R.E.M., soundtrack, Climate