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Poles may swing it for Boris
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent15.02.08
Poles and other European migrants in London could swing the mayoral election away from Ken Livingstone, it has been claimed.
More than 180,000 extra European Union citizens have registered to vote this year than at the last poll in 2004.
At that election the difference between Mr Livingstone and his Tory rival Steve Norriswas just 171,000 votes, indicating that the extra electors could decide the vote this time.
London government expert Tony Travers predicted today that many of the new migrants could vote for Conservative candidate Boris Johnson or Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick. "I don't think any of the political parties could or should assume that recent migrants will just vote Labour as straightforwardly as earlier immigrants did," he said.
"It's conceivable that there are many more votes up for grabs for the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats than there would have been traditionally."
London Elects, the body that oversees London elections, has launched a campaign to get people from the eight eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004 to register for a vote.
Almost 60,000 Poles have already signed up, although the figure is likely to end up being nearer 85,000.
The 150,000-strong Polish community in London is a mix of war veterans, political exiles, later arrivals and recent EU migrants.
Wiktor Moszczynski of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain said: "The Polish vote could actually be crucial to the mayoral election.
"I don't think Ken is the automatic choice for Poles in London. Among the older community, which is about 20,000 voters, the trend might be to go towards the Conservatives because of the old anti-Communist links.
"If the younger Poles come out and vote - and the election could just pass them by - they may remember it was a Labour government which opened the border for them to come here."
He said members of the established Polish community would vote on traditional issues such as council tax, while younger voters - many with menial jobs - would be more concerned about the Mayor's plan for a London Living wage, a minimum salary weighted to cover the higher cost of living in the capital.
Mr Livingstone, a veteran campaigner, already has one eye on the Polish vote. He has organised a party for Poles at City Hall and is promising a celebration of Polish culture in Trafalgar Square.
Mr Johnson claims he is reluctant to play to any one particular group but he is due to meet representatives of the Polish community next month.
"Whether you have been in our fantastic city for six months or six years, one thing is for certain - we all face the same problems," he said.
"Londoners are suffering with crime and incivility on our streets, a secondrate transport system and poor housing. For a first-rate city, we can do better."
Mr Paddick is being interviewed by the Polish media and plans to meet members of the London community.
| Registered Polish voters in London | ||
| London borough | Polish electors 2007 | Polish electors 2008 |
| Barking & Dagenham | 302 | 495 |
| Barnet | 1300 | 2712 |
| Bexley | 185 | 287 |
| Brent | NR | NR |
| Bromley | 601 | 839 |
| Camden | 912 | 901 |
| City of London | 16 | 20 | Croydon | 1066 | 1655 |
| Ealing | 6974 | 9118 |
| Enfield | 1376 | 2066 |
| Greenwich | 777 | 1074 |
| Hackney | 1518 | 1792 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 1785 | 1896 |
| Haringey | 3460 | 4267 |
| Harrow | 1124 | 1545 |
| Havering | NR | 254 |
| Hillingdon | 883 | 1256 |
| Hounslow | 2919 | 4436 |
| Islington | 725 | 969 |
| Kensington & Chelsea | 485 | 522 |
| Kingston | 624 | 941 |
| Lambeth | 1770 | 2503 |
| Lewisham | 975 | 1309 |
| Merton | 2117 | 3087 | Newham | NR | 2861 |
| Redbridge | NR | NR |
| Richmond | NR | Refusal |
| Southwark | 1172 | 1524 |
| Sutton | 485 | 701 |
| Tower Hamlets | 856 | 1269 | Waltham Forest | 2805 | 3509 |
| Wandsworth | 3211 | 3847 |
| Westminster | 701 | 837 |
| Totals | 41,124 | 58,472 |
NR = No Record
© Wiktor Moszczynski, Federation of Poles in Great Britain
Reader views (11)
I'm a Pole, living and working in London and believe me, Poles who are going back to Poland aren't going to vote, they really couldn't care less about London's issues. Only those who live here, pay taxes, want to stay for longer and feel like Londoners will vote.
I am with you Cyclist, we do pay tax and council tax and we want to have our say as to how this money is spent.
Simon Payton, what about somebody who just moved here from Yorkshire? As we all know, London's residents weren't all born here and some voters are going to come from Britain, but not necessarily from London. What about them? Do they know London's reality well enough to choose the best mayor?
Ex-Londoner, don't be so dramatic, you do have some choice... You can emigrate to Australia for instance.
And don't worry about Poles who make the wrong choice and then go back home, as I said earlier, Polish people who are here just to earn money and go back before April 5th aren't interested in your country's elections.
Those of us who are concerned and go to vote DO care about this country and want the best for it.
- Monika, NW London
Why shouldn't new residents of London from overseas be able to vote? I assume some/most of them pay some kind of tax/council tax which is spent by the Mayor so it goes without saying they should be able to decide who spends their money.
- Cyclist, London
This is ridiculous that people who have only lived here for a few years are allowed to vote. The law should be changed to make the minimum number of years you must be a resident before you can vote 10 years.
- Simon Payton, London, UK
Does no one else find it amazing that whilst registering to vote may be admirable, is it not worrying, and wrong, that so many nominally called 'foreigners' will decide the political make-up of London (or elsewhere for that matter) and have a dictation on the future of this country for the people who have NO other choice other than to live in the country they were born into, as British citizens of course.
Poles and others of course can easily move back home, usually within the end of a tax year!
Are there not any proper Londoners left who feel any passion about this? Long gone is the London I was born and bred into and knew well, before flight. And I am only 33.
- Ex-Londoner, UK
I hope Ken loses badly and if he does not like it he can go and live in North Korea or Cuba .
- Jasper Brett, Guildford , England
Boris won't win.
There was three (YES, THREE) suited and booted men giving out leaflets at my local tube station the other day. I took one as I didn't know what it was. When I saw what it was I ripped it up and left it on the side of the newsagents stand as had many others before me.
Ken gets my vote (again).
- Kim, London
So it would appear that Livingstone's unwritten policy of encouraging rampant immigration into London to guarantee him a compliant electorate hasn't quite worked. Unlucky.
- Ralph Lawson, Woolwich, London
Non-UK nationals should not have a vote. Why are foreigners entitled to vote?
- Anthony, London
Simple. Poles don't like Communists
- Archie, Palnackie
I think it just about says it all that immigrants can swing the Mayoral election.
- Squiz, Islington
My vote will certainly go for KEN
- Spaniard, london
