This page aims to answer your questions about the Stop Boris campaign. If yours isn't answered here, e-mail it to us and we'll answer it.
Questions
Click on a question to jump straight to its answer, or scroll down to read them all.
- Is this site just some kind of front for Ken Livingstone or something?
- Who are you then?
- Are you sure you’re not Ken Livingstone?
- OK, so if you’re nothing to do with the Labour Mayoral campaign, are you maybe Brian Paddick, the Lib Dems’ candidate?
- What about the other candidates? Are you something to do with them?
- I’m a Conservative voter and/or party member. Presumably you lot are basically loony left communists and would hate me to get involved?
- I don’t agree with some of the reasons why you say we should stop Boris. I’ll just leave you to it, shall I?
- I don’t want Boris to be Mayor. How should I vote?
- Did you know there's a mistake on your web site?
- What’s all this politics stuff? I was looking for a web site about the 80s toy called ‘Stop Boris’. I hope the toy company sues you for every last penny you have.
Answers
1. Is this site just some kind of front for Ken Livingstone or something?
No. No-one involved in Stop Boris has ever spoken to Ken Livingstone or been employed by his campaign or party. This is a non-partisan, grassroots campaign against Boris Johnson, run by people who simply can't bear the thought of him becoming Mayor.
2. Who are you then?
Boris has a lot of big money and powerful interests behind him. We don't. So we'd rather not say.
3. Are you sure you're not Ken Livingstone?
Yes, we're absolutely sure we're not. We've never even seen a newt.
Here's some third-party confirmation from a Guardian.co.uk piece by journalist Dave Hill:
The Tory Troll and Stop Boris - neither of them Team Ken fronts - have both found little holes in Johnson's armour and the latter has identified a pseudonymous commenter at the site - scroll down to the fourth and fifth comments - as having links to both the Johnson campaign and the London Evening Standard Diary.
4. OK, so if you're nothing to do with the Labour Mayoral campaign, are you maybe Brian Paddick, the Lib Dems' candidate?
No. The last thing Brian Paddick needs is any more anonymity.
5. What about the other candidates? Are you something to do with them?
For the last time, no. The Stop Boris campaign is not affiliated to any particular candidate. Of course all those involved in such a campaign will have their own views about which candidates they would like to see as Mayor, but the only thing we all have in common is a desire to ensure it isn't Boris.
6. I'm a Conservative voter and/or party member. Presumably you lot are basically loony left communists and would hate me to get involved?
On the contrary! Conservatives are just as welcome to join the campaign as supporters of any, or no, political party are.
We've heard of a number of Conservative voters who simply can't believe that Boris is the best their party has to offer and are deeply embarrassed at the idea of him being the face of their party in the capital, given his propensity to major gaffes, his chaotic nature and his lack of experience. Such honest Conservatives can hold their heads high and join the campaign - unlike those who are keeping their reservations to themselves in the desperate hope that this clown might bring them power in London!
As a Conservative you may be particularly interested in our 'Conservatives against Boris' poster.
7. I don't agree with some of the reasons why you say we should stop Boris. I'll just leave you to it, shall I?
No, please don't! If you agree with some of the other reasons, that's a good enough motive to stop Boris. It would be a sad world if we all agreed on everything. We think we've set out a compelling case for why Boris would be completely inappropriate as Mayor, overall, but that doesn't mean you have to agree with every last bit of it.
If your gut feeling after weighing up the things you agree and disagree with is that Boris shouldn't be Mayor, grab the posters you agree with, slap one on your Facebook profile or in your window and get to work convincing your friends that he's not the affable, harmless buffoon he's cracked up to be!
8. I don't want Boris to be Mayor. How should I vote?
The simple answer is: for anyone other than Boris. The important thing is that you do vote, as opinion polls generally show Boris doing better the lower the turnout is.
The voting system used in this election offers you the chance to name your first and second preference, so make sure you use both. For instance, if you think the Green candidate, Siân Berry, would make the best Mayor, and perhaps Ken Livingstone would be the second best, you can give Siân a X in your First Preference column and Ken a X in your Second Preference column. Then if Siân doesn't finish first or second when they count all the First Preference votes, your second preference vote will be added to Ken's tally of first preference votes.
Ultimately the decision as to who you should vote for is one that only you can take, so have a look at our page about the candidates standing as alternatives to Boris.
In pragmatic terms, opinion polls suggest that the winner is likely to be Boris or Ken, with Brian Paddick the third-placed outsider with about a third to a half as many votes as Boris/Ken. But all this can easily change under what is a relatively fair voting system in which every single vote counts.
So to repeat the original point: make sure you vote if you want to stop Boris.
9. Did you know there's a mistake on your web site?
No, we didn't. It wouldn't still be there if we did. Please e-mail us with the details and we will sort it out. Thanks!
10. What's all this politics stuff? I was looking for a web site about the 80s toy called 'Stop Boris'. I hope the toy company sues you for every last penny you have.
That probably wouldn't cover their legal fees. We were astonished to discover, after registering this domain and setting up our campaign, that there was apparently a toy in the 1980s called Stop Boris, which involved firing a laser beam at a robotic spider (called Boris) in order to halt his advance towards you.
I'm afraid that no-one involved in the campaign had ever owned or heard of this toy before, although the parallels with our campaign to stop the undesirable, hairy Boris, who seems to have plenty of feet to put in his mouth, from advancing on City Hall are obvious.
Please note that the Stop Boris campaign does not advocate the use of laser beams to repel Mayoral candidates.
