Gay Thursdays: Pax Britannica

And why there will always be an England:





Brian Paddick, the former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, today pledged to bring about a "dramatic" effect on crime and disorder if elected as London mayor.

Paddick was earlier named as the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate after he won a ballot of the party's London members. He will take on the current mayor, Labour's Ken Livingstone, and the Tories' nominee, Boris Johnson, in next year's election, scheduled for May 1.

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In his first speech after being chosen, Paddick said that crime was the "number one priority" of Londoners and urged them to look at his track record.

"I am going to work with the commissioner to transform the relationship between the police and Londoners so that all but the tiny lawbreaking minority will have trust and confidence in, and be justifiably proud of their police service," he said. "The effect on crime and disorder will be dramatic."

With all three major parties fielding well known names in next year's poll, the stage is now set for the most high-profile mayoral election since the position was introduced in 2000, as Paddick locks horns with the controversial Livingstone and the eccentric Johnson.

Paddick insisted he was the only "serious alternative" to Livingstone, as he accused the Conservative candidate of "playing the fool".

He said he had delivered "real results" as commander of Lambeth police force, where he had responsibility for a £37m budget.

"I have looked beyond the criminal activity to understand the issues behind the crimes - poverty, housing, education, health, business and employment - and I have worked with those agencies responsible for these aspects of London life," he said.

Paddick said he would champion the London assembly and not surround himself with "my friends and my cronies".

He beat Chamali Fernando, a 28-year-old barrister, and Fiyaz Mugha, a former deputy party president and Haringey councillor, to win the Lib Dem candidacy.

Paddick, 49, was the highest-ranking openly gay officer in the Metropolitan police before he retired in May.

A London-born Oxford graduate who worked his way up through the ranks, he was a sergeant on the front line in the Brixton riots of 1981 and returned to the area when he became the Met's commander in Lambeth in 2000. His critics dubbed him "Commander Crackpot" after he ordered officers in Brixton not to arrest or charge people found in possession of cannabis - three years before the government downgraded the drug from class B to class C.

In his manifesto, Paddick promised to overhaul London's congestion charge in order to target "the chief executive in his chauffeur-driven car instead of the delivery driver who keeps the capital supplied".

He also pledged to recruit more police and convert the tube to run on renewable energy.

Vincent Cable, the acting Lib Dem leader, said that Paddick had the "high-level experience needed to be London mayor".

"London is one of the greatest cities in the world and, in Brian Paddick, Londoners finally have the serious candidate they deserve," he said.

Stolen from The Guardian.

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