So – Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman grilled the three main candidates for Mayor last night. Personally – I thought Jeremy won hands down. Boris was appalling – and Paxman nailed him on his waffle approach by asking him for a figure for something he was proposing re-replacing bendy buses. Boris was baffled. Boris was bamboozled. But Boris didn’t answer the question. Boris was exposed as not knowing a thing really about bus costs.
At one point I nearly thought Jeremy Paxman was going to punch him – as he strode menacingly towards Boris repeating his question as Boris refused to answer!
Ken was somewhat downbeat – but competent. And Brian, despite a slightly nervous start in his statement, went on to make good substantive points about how to really tackle gun and knife crime – not just talk about it like Boris or say you can’t do anything about it like Ken.
Brian attacked Boris over his lack of experience of delivery and management. When asked about second preference votes – Ken said without hesitation that he would prefer Brian to Boris – but Brian said basically a plague on both their houses and that they were both bad in different ways. So true Brian – so true!
UPDATE: Here’s the Paxman/Johnson face-off from YouTube:
Lynne Featherstone 
We will all be wanting to punch him Lynne if he gets in for four long years.If you want to stop him from bothering us like he bothered Paxman last night, then you can get a Stop Boris banner for your blog here:http://www.stopboris.org/campaignposters.html#blogbuttonsLets keep the berk out.
H-e-l-l-o, Lynne, had you taken something or what? Paddick was absolutely dreadful. Leavingsoon, is a polished speaker – Boris is Boris.Narrowly, I’d say Boris won, followed by Livingstone and then Paddick. If you Lib Dems lend your support to New Labour’s candidate, you’ll never be forgiven – especially by Conservative voters who lend their support to you to stop Labour in seats like Hornsey and Wood Green!
There is enough time for big movements before polling day. The Newsnight debate didn’t see Paddick make a big breakthrough or Livingstone smother Boris. But Boris’s failure to say how much his bus policies will cost may turn out to damage him:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRRYDVaXdaA
Justin – I know you want to get Boris elected. However, as far as I am aware there LibDems are not recommending anyone for second preference in particular – just as last night Paddick didn’t put forward any preference. In fact – he clearly said they were both awful!
‘Jeremy won hands down’. An unusually non-partisan comment on this blog – and hardly a vote of confidence in dull Mr Paddick!