Boris Johnson has just been elected Mayor of London as the candidate of the Conservative Party (the Tories).

The former labour mayor, Ken Livingstone, lost the first election for the first time in his political life, following the path of the Labour Party which has known its worse results for 40 years, becoming the third party in Britain with only 24% of the votes, the Liberal-Democrats (centre) getting 25% and the Conservatives 44%.

Boris Johnson, also known as Boris-the-Buffoon is a highly controversial character, often denounces as a demagogue making silly jokes on television and he is accused by many of being a racist and a homophobe.

The result of this election can be explained by the fact that many voters from the traditional left-wing districts of London didn't turn up to vote, whereas masses of voters from the right-wing suburbs went to the polling-station.

Left-wing voters have decided to stay at home or even to vote against the Labour candidates, therefore expressing their disagreement with the policies of New Labour, the name given to the current led by Tony Blair and the present British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The cost of living (housing, food, transports...) has become a burden for many British people in the recent months, and particularly in London: a simple bus ticket can cost up to £2 and it can go up to £4 for a tube ticket in the central area (£1 = €1.3). If you want to take you car to go to central London, you must pay a congestion charge which costs £8 per day.

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