In 1981 I sat two of my "O" Levels, Charles & Di were married and Ronald Reagan took office.
It was also the last time that anyone other than Ken Livingstone was the elected leader of London. For those on their way to a pub quiz night, that man was Sir Horace Cutler, born in 1912.
If Livingstone wins on 1st May, it is hard to see him losing in 2012, just three months before the Olympics. That could mean that with 21 years in office (over a 35 year period), he would be in power longer than Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago - senior or junior.
I believe that if Livingstone wins - despite a popular and high-profile Conservative candidate and a hostile news environment - he will believe himself to be untouchable for the next 8 years. Over the last year or so, Livingstone has noticeably tried to keep himself out of trouble - nobody pushed off a wall at a party, no homophobic Islamist preachers, no calling Jewish reporters concentration camp guards and so on. Most of the current Livingstone sleaze controversies actually relate to events a few years back, which are only now coming to light.
Eight more years of Livingstone is a truly terrifying thought for Londoners. There are many very good positive reasons for voting for Boris Johnson. The best negative one is that he is probably the only chance to prevent a further 8 years of havoc in our capital city.
Most Londoners think the following: Livingstone is arrogant and out of touch, he's had his day and he's mired in maladministration. Despite this, it will still be close on 1st May. It's time for all of us to go to www.backboris.com and get organised.
