Spiders and newts

The news that Boris Johnson has agreed to stand as prospective Conservative candidate for the position of Mayor of London will, I am sure, be greeted with mixed emotions, and these emotions will probably not be segregated by party politics, such are this man's particular characteristics.

Boris is one of the few MP's who has been asked to apologise for telling the truth, he portrays himself as a larger than life character with his frequent television appearances and he is an advocate for the use of cycles ahead of the motor , even though he loves fast cars. He could probably entertain viewers in a one man "I'm a celebrity..." or "Celebrity Big Brother", but is he the right man for the job of Mayor?

He is seen as a bumbling character, but this is an image he works hard at portraying, very few people actually dislike him, but he does have a problem with people failing to take him seriously. Like Ernest Shackleton, however, he is very good at surrounding himself with highly skilled, successful people. The Mayor of London will need such support to manage the diverse and endless tasks which the position warrants.

Then, of course, we have to ask whether 'Red' Ken is worth a third term in office. In the same way as Monty Python asked what had the Romans done for us, so Londoners could ask the same of him.

The congestion charge will probably live as his legacy, it has certainly earned a lot of money for the coffers, but has it been the success he says it is? I don't drive into London so I am not at liberty to say whether the traffic flows more freely during the day, but I see it as a bit like speed cameras. They too generate income but do they stop accidents or speeding motorists, I don't think so.

Livingstone will at last face a tough election if Boris is indeed his opponent, and Ken will be keen to win. He has his Crossrail scheme to see through, and would dearly like to be Mayor during the London 2012 Olympics albeit having to face a fourth election to achieve it. He does, however, court controversy in the same way as he indicates his opponent does. His stubbornness is illustrated by his insistence on progressing the West London tram link through Shepherds Bush and Ealing, when most of the local people are not in favour. His free travel for U18's caused a rash of streaming attacks on buses and his intransigence was evident when he failed to review and modify the scheme, and his power trip has been most evident with his insistence on taking over local planning approval from the Government, something which will allow his own personal taste for high rise and unsuitable architectural design to dominate the London development landscape for as long as he remains in power.

First of all Boris needs to be nominated as one of the Conservative candidates, then all of London get to choose whether he stands against Ken. The opportunity for tactical voting, and election fraud will reach new heights I suspect, as Labour look for ways of excluding Boris from the final election. The fact that Livingstone is already bad mouthing Boris in a sure sign of genuine concern at losing his job.

As The Times quoted "We ought to celebrate it, being the first election for decades when a maverick can't lose."