Britannist

Now that the English Democrat (ED) Party does not have a candidate for the London Mayoral Election of 1.5.2008 (although Mr. O' Connor's name remains on the ballot paper) one possible scenario is that the ED Party could ask people to vote UKIP on the first round of voting in the Mayoral Election and for Conservative Boris Johnson MP on the second round.

Such a gesture of goodwill from the ED Party would be received warmly by UKIP who, I would hope, would start talks with the ED Party straight after the local elections of 1.5.2008 on a possible limited or full agreement that (to avoid vote-splitting) the two parties do not contest the same ward/seat.

The ED Party should use the resignation of the ED 2008 London Mayoral candidate to back the UKIP 2008 London Mayoral candidate and forge some sort of official or unofficial alliance between both parties which would continue after next week's London/local elections are over.

The resignation of the ED 2008 London Mayoral candidate is the perfect opportunity to do so by the ED Party calling on voters to back UKIP 2008 London Mayoral Election candidate Mr. Gerard Batten MEP.

Both the ED Party and UKIP are pro-England and both want out of the EU. As I have written before - the two parties should be working together as and where they can.

I understand Labour and the Greens in London allegedly have friendly relations with each other (at least during this London Mayoral and Assembly Elections campaign). If they can co-operate - so should UKIP and the ED Party.

London Mayoral Election 2008 candidates: Richard Barnbrook - British National Party, Gerard Batten - UK Independence Party, Siân Berry - Green Party, Alan Craig - Christian Peoples Alliance and Christian Party , Lindsey German - Left List, Boris Johnson - Conservative Party, Ken Livingstone - The Labour Party, Winston McKenzie - Independent, Matt O'Connor - English Democrats, Brian Paddick - Liberal Democrats.

Full details of the London Mayoral and Assembly candidates for the 1.5.2008 London Elections at:

London Elects - The candidates

and in posting number three at:

UKIP Gerard Batten London mayor Election Broadcast

Johnny Hates Jazz

The fight for the small parties is not for London Mayor

It is for the London Party List

__________________
English or British or European ?
- It's time to decide at the 2009 European Elections

cassie

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Nice try Britannist, but there is a world of difference between suffering casualties and actually surrendering!



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Britannist

It is certainly true that the proportional London-wide list offers small parties the best chance of getting a member elected to the London Assembly (and it is still not easy for small parties to do this because of the 5% minimum rule).

But, Kentishman: now that your party has no candidate of its own in next week's London Mayoral Election - which (if any) 2008 London Mayoral Election candidate will the English Democrat Party endorse?

UKIP in the first round and Conservative Boris Johnson MP in the second preference vote?

Or will the English Democrats ask its members/supporters to abstain?

What will the English Democrat Party say if a member asks how s/he should vote in the Mayoral vote in the capital next week?

Britannist

Thank you for your reply Cassie.

The resignation of the English Democrat Party candidate (EDP) for next week's London Mayoral Election gives the EDP the opportunity to back the UKIP candidate for the Mayoralty thus paving the way for limited of full co-operation between UKIP to avoid vote-splitting in future electoral contests.

The more votes UKIP get in next week's London Mayoral Election the easier it would become to attract more supporters to an EDP/UKIP unofficial or official alliance in the future. And the way to boost support for the UKIP Mayoral candidate (Mr. Gerard Batten MEP) next week is for the EDP to announce that it is backing him.

I want to see the EDP and UKIP work together to avoid vote-splitting. And, what with the resignation of the EDP Mayoral candidate, a good time to start that process of co-operation between the two parties is right now - before and not after polling stations open next Thursday morning.

Independent UKIP

A very good idea Britannist. Sadly the reply of Kentishman suggests that the EDs are not open to the suggestion. If the UKIP constituency candidate for my part of London had withdrawan I would have voted for the ED candidate, though admittedly with some reluctance.

Britannist

I wonder if Mr. Andrew Constantine, a leading founder of the Free England Party (FEP) and a candidate in this week's London Mayoral Election, has asked the English Democrat Party (EDP if they might announce that they (the EDP) recommend to voters that they give one of their two votes (first or second preference) to him (in view of the fact that the EDP 2008 London Mayoral candidate has resigned)?

In return Andrew's new (FEP) party might recommend that people vote for the EDP in the Assembly proportional (London-wide) list vote and/or in the Assembly constituency votes.

Britannist

Kentishman - might your English Democrat Party (EDP) announce that people in the capital give one of their two votes for the Mayoralty (in this week's Mayoral election) to Mr. Andrew Constantine of the Free England Party?

Your party now has no candidate for the 2008 London Mayoral Election - if you (the EDP) back the FEP they (the FEP) may call on voters to back EDP candidates for the Assembly (London-wide proportional and constituency polls)?

Britannist

Correction (posting number five to this thread): I should, of course, have written "this week's London Mayoral Election."

Britannist

Correction (posting number four to this thread): I should, of course, have written "this week's London Mayoral Election."