The new mayor of london

'
Last July I posted an article which I called Bumbling Boris for Mayor. Conservative MP Boris Johnson threw his hat into the ring in the fight for the post of Mayor of London.
.
My light hearted approach was typical of the view most people held at the time. It seemed very unlikely that this gaff prone politician would ever get his hands on the £22 billion budget and the keys to City Hall.

Boris once said "Voting Tory

.

will cause your wife to have

.

bigger breasts and increase

'

your chances of owning a BMW M3"

But how wrong could we have been. On Friday he was duly elected into one of the top jobs in the world - Mayor of London.

.

During the last few months he fought a very sophisticated campaign, and we all saw a different side to Boris.

'

Boris once said "I think I was

.

once given cocaine but I sneezed

.

and so it did not go up my nose.

'

In fact, I may have been doing

'

icing sugar

In an age of on-message machine politicians, Boris Johnson is a one-off. Often described as a buffoon, even by his admirers, his bumbling, self-deprecating persona has long made him one of the best known politicians through his appearances on TV chat shows. His image belies the fact that this Eton educated 43 year old is a formidable intellect and a fierce debater.

Boris once said "I think if

I made a huge effort always

to have a snappy, inspiring

sound bite on my lips,

I think the sheer mental strain

of that would be such that

I would explode"

So what is everybody saying now?

'

"The bumbling quiz-show host

'

isn't the real Boris at all.

'

I suspect he's tired of that

.

clownish persona and wants

'

to show us the real Boris -

.

orator, leader, heavyweight thinker.

.

Those qualities are there in

'

his personality; they just don't

.

come across on telly"

"Despite manic self-absorption,

he is a really nice guy.

'

He conveys a vulnerability which,

allied to his gift for laughter,

does much to explain his

appeal to girls"

"You're a self-centred, pompous twit;

even your body language on TV is wrong.

You don't look right, never mind act right.

.

Get out of public life!"

So not everyone is happy with his appointment, but the fact remains that he received by far the largest number of Londoner’s votes. They want him, it’s their city and that’s all that counts.

.

Eye - eye!

Since I wrote my piece on London, I have been asked by several folk for more information on the London Eye.

The London Eye is the UK's biggest tourist attraction. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Westminster Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

This amazing feat of design and construction was built to commemorate the new millennium, but as with most projects of this magnitude, it arrived fashionably late! The original idea was to keep it in place for a limited time - in fact planning permission was granted on the basis that it would remain in place for a year. However, it's popularity far exceeded expectations, and it's owners, British Airways, intend keeping it turning into the foreseeable future.

Some facts! The London Eye took seven years to plan and build. It is the highest observation wheel in the world standing 135 metres high. From the top the view stretches 40 kilometres in each direction. Passengers are carried in glass capsules which are fitted to the outside of the wheel, and a total of 800 guests are carried on each revolution. The trip, or flight as it is known, takes 30 minutes to complete.

A total of 3.5 million people a year enjoy the experience - that's a staggering 10,000 each day.

It has also become a popular venue for weddings. The happy couple and their guests are carried in a flower strewn capsule, and when they reach the very top they are declared man and wife! Ah! On the way down the champagne flows!

Although I'm not too keen on heights ( two pairs of socks and I go dizzy)I have ridden the Eye on three occasions! And I can't wait until the next time!