It couldn't last - Boris snatches the foot-shooting gun from Ken

/ Chicken Dinner / 03 April 2008 / 1

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It has taken a while, but Boris Johnson's gaffe generator is functioning again

Boris Johnson has enjoyed some success in recent weeks persuading the people of London that he really does have a serious side, but on Tuesday night the mask slipped and his inner buffoon slipped out again. Punters quickly trimmed the lead he currently holds over Ken Livingstone in the race to be next mayor of London, and you can now get Boris at [1.59] on Betfair. Ken Livingstone is currently available at [2.72].

His gaffe came at a question and answer session with a group gathered by the homeless charity Shelter. The first question, "How much is your house worth?" failed to set off the sophisticated alarm system that his handlers have tried to implant in his head, and off he went, boasting about "a big house in Islington which is worth shedloads of money." Some of the audience had been homeless for years.

The blunder is very much in keeping with Johnson's signature insult technique of adopting insensitive positions to the planet's less fortunate. Or those who are different. Or even just those who didn't go to Eton and Oxford. "What Johnson said is an insult to the homeless. You should not show off about how lucky you are in front of people who are struggling," said one charity worker.

Newspaper reports this week have claimed that Boris Johnson's campaign team, led by fearsome Australian veteran Lynton Crosby, have been muzzling their client, such is their fear of his ability to generate negative press. His campaign team has denied this. While not serious enough to cause major damage to his campaign, it will be added to the extensive record of Johnsonian insults that the press trots out almost daily as evidence of his error-prone style, and by extension, unsuitability for office.

A poll in the Guardian this morning brought further news of a mildly vexing nature. "Johnson v Livingstone: it's now on a knife edge," screamed their front page headline. A Guardian/ICM poll has Boris in the lead, but only by two points (51%-49%) once second preference votes have been factored in, a far narrower lead than Evening Standard polls over the last couple of weeks have suggested. This means that the winner is likely to be determined by the second choice votes of the minor parties, including the Lib Dems, the Greens, the BNP (who yesterday urged its followers to give their second vote to "the Tory clown Johnson") and a raft of other deluded egomaniacs.

The poll also reveals that while Livingstone leads on policy, only 28 per cent of voters believe him to be the most honest candidate. Johnson enjoys significantly more support from men than women, while Livingstone leads 46% to 35% as the most likely to understand the needs of Londoners. Further confirmation then, that Boris has yet to be taken seriously.

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Don't Patronise Me | 04 April 2008

Unbelievable - this guy is an idiot and I can't think of anything worse than having him as the face of London. He's a funny bloke, that's for sure, but I don't want the man representing London around the world to be funny all the time!