free travel wud be aweSOME lulz

Free travel? That's my vote bought. If I remember to register.

"free travel wud be aweSOME lulz"

Pardon?

I wonder how he is going to pay for this?

Re: Brian Paddick paying for transport

I'm guessing that a) he isn't an adulterous racist so won't be spending a load of money in compensation to all the people he will have offended/need to shut up and b) he won't spend so much money on unnecessary PR. Also, thanks partially to Ken's deal with Chavez, public transport has become cheaper.

I think a gay policeman is just what London needs.

I don't think that cutting PR and the rest of it will fund all the students in London's transport; it's not as cheap as you think. It'd be nice if one day a candidate put forward some kind of business plan to show how they're actually going to get funding for their wacky ideas in real terms. Then they'd have my vote.

Besides, Paddick was a Commander in the Met. PR and bulls**t is their bread and butter.

I'm sorry, I was being flippant. It would be nice if he could but I am perpetually a cynic in regards to such things and think it unlikely that he will manage it, but I admire that he wants it. Nor did I say how cheap it is, I merely said it was cheaper due to Ken's dealings.

I think Brian has never really towed to Sir Ian Blair line all the time. He has been rather open in his ideas of anarchism and society. Also, he got into a lot of trouble for being honest with regards to the De Menezes shooting. I just think he has a bit of integrity but I am yet undecided who I shall be voting for until I see all policies get expanded on in the upcoming weeks.

Also, if we are talking about PR, it has been one hell of a PR exercise to get Boris as the front-runner. All that with bendy buses, whoever is his campaign manager is a genius.

Don't you think this "free transport for student" is the best PR Brian's men have came up with recently.

I think Matty is right to wait for the explanations of the policies from all the candidates. University students deserve to be given free"r" transports, but as tax payer, I would quite like my transport bills reduced. And what's with free transport for under 18s? Most of them cause serious trouble on buses and tubes and most of them are supported by their families, unlike university students.

I'd say, let's come up with a sensible way of paying for all these facilities before claiming he can do so. Unlike our most loved Chancellor on tax rate reduction, by charging the poor more!

I agree we should wait, although it has to be said that on a personal level I have little faith in the Tories to do anything right. As much as I know Boris will be a front man for the many advisers he still doesn't fill me with confidence. I think Ken steps out of line sometimes, but I have to admit a lot of things he has responsiblity for in London have got better- and these improvements aren't free.

I liked Paddick when he was in the Met and I agree that he has a fair bit of integrity. He did once, I remember, post on a message board a comment that was taken to be anti-met, which I suppose is a bit refreshing to hear someone in the higher ranks voice dissent. Having said that, this rendered him to an investigation and nevertheless, he has to toe the line of the Met. The more cynical, myself included, probably can't help but feel that these promises are spin to appeal to an otherwise untapped student voter pool. But then so are they all, so good on him for taking the initiative. But I don't think he can win when all is said and done.

I would agree that Ken had done much good to London, but in the recent year or even 2, his ideas are no more than a revisit, the man and his team, in my opinion, as simply ran out of decent ideas!

As for Brian, he recruited a brilliant PR manager from the States and then come up with the student free transport idea. Brilliant in pulling votes, BUT can he really deliver? Frankly, I am sick of empty promises, including this one!

As for Boris, he is a joke most of the time. However, the man does have good qualifications, experience and fresher fulfillable ideas. He might not think twice when making "rude" comments, but at least he seems to care about everyday London issues and is running a semi-noticeable campaign.

Let's see what more will they promise.

Free transport for students will only be followed by you all complaining how overcrowded it is...

so we have a wannabe maverick, a man who resembles those angry cigar smoking newspaper editor charicatures and boris johnson.

he's an odd one. people hate him because he's a blithering idiot, or because he comes across as one or because he's racist or because he's having a joke or its all an act.

whatever, he's impossible to get to grips with so he's out. CHOOSE AT RANDOM PEOPLE!!!

One thing I forgot to mention - you get a first and second preference vote!

If 'mmm' runs for Mayor, he will neither be my first preference nor my second. I'd rather CHOOSE A RANDOM than him.

BORRRRRRIS

Newsnight debate tonight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7331578.stm

do you actually have to effort it to a post box to send off a form just to be allowed to vote? so can't be bothered to do that!

Whos the black guy, we can't have a black guy running London... This is Britain ffs - not niggeria, he clearly isn't the BNP candidate

Gibbs you make me proud - don't worry your pretty little head now, and make us a cuppa will you?

read richard barnbrooks manifesto.

it proves that you don't have to read past - BNP, to know that this is a guy who shouldn't be voted for

:)

Don't need to send by post. Can scan and email it for registration.

Think it will be Berry and Ken for me.

I don't know how Brian can improve the transport in London seeing as it is already very good. If he provides free transport for students then the rental for houses near tube stations will hike even further, as there will be no incentive to take buses rather than tube. The over-crowding in tube will worsen and that will make it inconvenient for Russian housewives to shop at Harrods... bad for the economy.

During Ken's eight years, he's broken promises about the congestion charge, air quality has worsened, traffic speeds have decreased, road deaths have increased, more and more teenagers are being stabbed and he denies there's a problem, child poverty has increased, Central London is being dug up and the Tube still can't be relied on. He doesn't know where his campaign money is coming from (or won't let on), says he needs to steal other candidates' ideas, and the best he can come up with is, "you know what you're getting with me."

Suffragette, mine's milk-no-sugar... thanks.