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 London Bikers Are Voters - The London Eye
Greater London Regional Rep - Gerard Livett (aka Uncle Sol) thinks about democracy.
First published in the MAG members magazine The Road March - April 2008.
My mate Andy the Hat won’t be standing for London Mayor in May. This is the second time he won’t be standing. The deposit required for Mayor is £10,000, which puts the contest beyond the reach of all but the mainstream political parties, or a well-backed independent.
This is a shame, as the fringe candidates often bring a burst of colour in what can often be a choice between shades of grey.
Apart from the election in 2000, when Ken Livingstone stood as an independent, we just end up with the choice of candidates that the parties want us to vote for.
There is an old anarchist slogan that says, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government always wins. Well that’s as may be, but another old argument is that if voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal. We only have to look to places like Pakistan and Kenya to see what happens when democracy goes wrong.
In this country, where democracy is well established, it would appear that our chance to participate is merely to put a cross on a piece of paper once every four years. And even then, in many ‘safe’ constituencies, where a hat stand could get returned if it had the right rosette on, individual votes seem to count for very little. Not surprising, then, that voter turn out rates are so low and the natural winner would be the apathy party.
In today’s politically correct climate it is often said that it’s not the winning that counts, but the taking part. Although in the race for Mayor of London, as far as the candidates are concerned, winning is a large part of the goal.
What will be happening from late February onwards in London, and many other cities up and down the land, is that the various candidates for Mayors and assemblies will be vying for our crosses. This is where you come in.
For many years now, MAG has run its ‘Bikers are Voters’ campaign. One thing that MAG will not do is advocate one political party over another. MAG is an organization whose members cover the whole spectrum of political belief, from none to fervent. What the campaign does, however, is remind candidates that bikers have a vote and that their attitudes and policies towards bikers can make a difference. It also helps inform MAG members what attitudes the various candidates have to bikers, which can be a factor in helping our members decide who to vote for.
When it comes to London, the Mayor has a lot of power, and a budget to put some small countries to shame. The key part that affects us, as road users, is the control that the Mayor has over shaping transport policy and its implementation through Transport for London. A lot of that policy is shaped through the political process. The congestion charge, bendy buses, parking fees, traffic enforcement penalties and even bikes in bus lanes are ultimately decided upon by the Mayor and the Greater London Assembly.
If you don’t use your vote, then you won’t have a say in how transport policy in London is developed. And if you don’t use your vote, you won’t be able to legitimately complain about London’s government.
In some ways, however, our voting system is flawed. We only have the choice of what is on offer. I sometimes think that it would be better if we had the student option of voting for RON – re-open nominations. That way we might get the candidates we want, and not the candidates we have foisted upon us. However, we have to work with the system we have got.
In the next issue, I will be bringing you the results of questionnaires that will be sent to all the candidates for London Mayor so you can read for yourselves where they stand on issues like access to bus lanes and parking.
As for me, I’m not going to tell you who I will be voting for. What I do know is that it won’t be the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Again.
Ride Free
Gerard Livett
Greater London Regional Rep.
greater-london-region@mag-uk.org
http://greater-london.mag-uk.org
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