Think you’d do a good job of running London? Brand Republic reports on a new social networking venture that encourages Londoners to run against Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson in the chance to become the next Mayor of London. LondonElectsYou.co.uk has been set up to allow any individual to nominate themselves as an independent candidate for the Mayoral election on May 1st and promote themselves within the social media space.
Interested parties can set up a profile on the website stating their election manifesto with views on everything from crime to culture, and anyone can join up as a member which enables them to then vote for their chosen candidate. The nominee with the most votes on the site will be announced on March 28 and will then receive a generous £50,000 in funding for their deposit and election campaign, apparently provided ‘by anonymous members of the public, who believe that the time is right to bring politics back to the people’.
LondonelectsYOU is the first phase of the ELEXU concept. It is a social networking tool and a platform for ordinary people to use to bring politics back to the people. It’s about providing people with a VOICE and CHOICE in what is otherwise a limited and controlled political process. Left or Right, Red or Blue that’s the way it’s always been…, until now that is. As consumers we demand choice, we demand 1000 different TV programmes, we demand hundreds of different types of mobile phones, different foods and delicacies yet extraordinarily we are content to leave the most important choice of all (that which governs our lives) to a selection of Left or Right, Red or Blue. It is now time for people to take back this control and shape their own destiny.
The metric for the success of this site is not about whether our candidate becomes Mayor or not, it’s not about whether we have 1 candidate or 1000 candidates or 20 advertisers or zero. It’s about shaping the debate, empowering and inspiring people to come forward and challenge the system. It’s about creating VOICE and CHOICE. With your help and your friends help we can do just that.
