#VoteBike - 2012 London Mayoral elections

While it's endearing that you think people think this much about policies Oliver I'm just not sure it's true.

I thought I said the opposite? While I do think that people would think more about policies if things were clearer and there were fewer problems, I think generally (in this country) there's very little awareness of policies.

(NB I didn't think that Livingstone's policy package was very convincing, either, although it was better than what little we heard about policies from Johnson. There were no really big ideas.)

Boris didn't come out of that looking good either, especially when he lost his cool (which he has a habit of doing) in the lift after that LBC interview with Ken.

Yes, but he didn't come out of it looking like a hypocrite. You lose your cool and it's just your passion speaking; as various commentators have suggested, Johnson knew what he was doing when he swore. The minimal requirement that most people have of politicians is their honesty, so when that's compromised, it's over.

I don't think the policies came into it, in fact I can think of few elections where manifestos have affected the outcome any less.

That's what I think, too.

I don't think anyone really cared that much about the tax situation, the general public think politicians are all crooked and as bad as each other anyway. They just don't like Ken and many of them think Boris is a 'good bloke' (see the wisdom of Mr Jolly) or whatever platitude they choose to describe him.

I disagree. I'm convinced that the accusations of hypocrisy are what made the difference in the campaign. It even turned people against Livingstone who would otherwise have supported him.