The London Mayoral elections are just a few weeks away now, and things are looking pretty neck and neck between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson.

Here's Ken's official election broadcast:

I know a lot of socialists will be tempted to vote for Lindsey German, and possibly put Sian Berry from the Green Party as their second vote. I'd like to appeal to them to strongly consider backing Ken Livingstone, he is a socialist and he has been carrying out pro-environment policies in London, sure probably not as far as many of us would like. But there is a real danger of a Tory becoming Mayor of London, such an event would be a considerable setback.

Allow me to embed a few more YouTube videos:

And of course Boris, he may be able to get a few laughs but honestly what's he blabbering on about? Something about cutting funds to Marxists and anarchists, and worse still further destroying UK science which is in enough of a crisis right now and trying to draw a comparison between Ken Livingstone and DPRK's Dear Leader Kim Jong-il.

I think the Tory strategy here is very much to field the biggest nut they can find among their ranks to try and get some attention in the press.

More from Socialist Appeal on Boris Johnson.

First off, hat tip to the Stroppyblog for bringing this to my attention.

To quickly quote from the Daily Mail:

Lillian Ladele has launched proceedings against Islington Council in North London, claiming that to officiate at civil partnership ceremonies between same-sex couples is incompatible with her religious principles.

Her refusal to supervise such unions has brought her into conflict with the council, where she has worked for more than ten years.

Now she is taking her case to an employment tribunal, claiming "discrimination or victimisation on grounds of religion or belief".

As said on Stroppyblog, this isn't about her being discriminated against this is about her wanting the right to discriminate people she doesn't like - for no reason what-so-ever, other than she picks some values out of a book that says homosexuals should be stoned to death.

GET OUT OF THE DARK AGES. THE ENLIGHTENMENT IS HERE.

Hopefully her appeal will fail, after all it has nothing to stand on.

If we take her reasoning, I can flatly refuse to talk to people I don't like at work, and then say it is because I have beliefs which say I can only speak to people that are deemed worthy. Racists could demand not to carry out marriages of the "unclean" because it goes against their beliefs. Who knows what people could come up with as an excuse to discriminate against people they don't like.

Honestly Lillian, your gay-bashing it so last century. The rest of the world has moved on, I suggest you do too and stop looking towards the morals of such blood thirsty book, this is the 21st century.

I'm sure she'd go on to say that she doesn't believe in the rape, slavery and genocide that features in the Old Testament or the sadomasochism of the New, but if she discards that why does she hang onto the anti-homosexual stuff? If you believe the bible is the word of god you can't pick and choose what you want out of it and then later try and use the bible to hide behind.

As I've said before many times, religion should be a strictly private affair it should not influence policy, or be used as an excuse to do things, or not do things the rest of society disagrees with.