April 25, 2012. Copyright 2012, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Will London decide to see the back of Boris?
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, April 25, Graphic News:  Even his fiercest critics would admit Boris Johnson has livened up City Hall since taking over as mayor in 2008, and he seems at ease representing the capital as it enjoys global attention in the run-up to the Olympics. On May 3 they must decide whether he offers more than a few more colourful years.

It might be the witty one-liners, the blond mop or the bumbling persona, but Boris, as he is known by everyone, has struggled to convince people he is serious about their problems -- he was criticised for not rushing back from holiday during last year's riots. He has got better at talking to ordinary Londoners during his walkabouts on city streets, but the former Eton schoolboy might lose votes because of a backlash against the privileged Conservatives who are in power.

To be fair to Boris, he has spoken out against certain Tory policies, including warning against "Kosovo-style social cleansing" because of the housing benefit cap. His nine-point manifesto includes holding Number 10 to account as well as cutting waste, reducing Tube delays and building Crossrail, and restoring 300 acres of green spaces. He has also promised there will be no repeat of the riots this year because the underlying causes are being tackled.

Everything about Boris, now 47, is a one-off: born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson in New York, he held U.S. citizenship until 2006. With Turkish, French and German ancestry, he says he is a "one-man melting pot". After Eton and Oxford, he was editor of the Spectator and he still writes for the Telegraph. The former MP for Henley has not just a flair for language but a talent for choosing initiatives that capture the public imagination, such as "Boris bikes" and the new Routemaster buses. He lives in leafy Richmond and his passion for London's green spaces -- and crowded skies -- is not in doubt.

Because he talks the talk, it can seem hard to pin him down, even after four years in the job. The jury is largely out on his record on everything from the accountability of City Hall to crime. And his casual dismissal of others' views can inflame tempers: he had to apologise to Liverpool after saying the city was maudlin, and he drove police commissioner Sir Ian Blair out of the job.

Boris has laughed off speculation that he wants the prime minister's job and insists being mayor is his ultimate ambition. If that is true, he does have something in common with Ken Livingstone. But, as his recent move on tax has shown (Boris left Livingstone squirming after revealing that he had paid possibly too much tax), Boris the clown should not be taken too lightly.
/ENDS