Brian Paddick

Brian Paddick visited Southall earlier today and you can watch part of his campaign stop by clicking here or by clicking play on the YouTube video below:

The best friend of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has given his support to Brian Paddick’s mayoral campaign as the Evening Standard reports:

Duwayne Brooks, who watched his friend get stabbed and beaten to death, has taken a week off work to help on the campaign trail.

He says the Liberal Democrat candidate is the only person who can rid London’s streets of escalating gun and knife crime among young people.

Now a 33-year-old engineer, Mr Brooks appears alongside Mr Paddick in his election broadcast which focuses on youth gun and knife crime.

In the broadcast, Mr Brooks says to Mr Paddick: “Since that day knife crime has continued to plague the city of London. We’ve had eight years of Ken Livingstone. Our youngsters are still dying on our streets.

“We need somebody that can make a difference. I believe you can make a difference and would be able to tackle the gun crime and knife crime that’s on our streets today.”

Mr Brooks was 18 when he and Stephen Lawrence, also 18, made their way home on the night of 22 April 1993 in Eltham.

As they waited for a bus, Mr Brooks spotted a group of five or six young white boys who ran across the road towards the pair.

Mr Brooks fled from them, yelling at his friend to do the same. But the group surrounded Stephen, punching and kicking him and pulling him to the ground.

As the youths ran off Stephen staggered 100 yards before collapsing in a pool of blood. Mr Brooks has campaigned on gun and knife crime with groups such as Mothers Against Guns since his friend’s death .

He met Mr Paddick when he was a police officer in Brixton five years ago and says he was immediately impressed with his attitude towards the problem.

He said: “I’ve never stopped campaigning, but I’ve just seen it get worse. The police don’t interact with the kids any more. And I don’t know where these postcode wars have come from.

“I think Brian is the only candidate who can have some influence and I’m going to tell everyone I meet.”

Mr Paddick has also vowed to stand for only one term should he fail to meet his crime reduction target. He said: “If we’re to make this city what it really could be that’s going to take commitment.

“And as your Mayor, my commitment to you is if I don’t reduce crime by 20 per cent in the first four years I won’t run again. Pure and simple.”

You can watch the broadcast here:

Brian Paddick has released his first TV broadcast of the London Mayor election campaign exclusively on the internet ahead of its appearance on TV channels.

It is a hard-hitting account of why tackling crime is so important to Brian Paddick, who has spent thirty years policing London and working with local communities:

You can help Brian and the team of Liberal Democrat Assembly candidates get elected by making a donation now.

Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick today launched his new campaign website, one of the first major projects by web consultant Jerome Armstrong and his firm, WebStrong Group.

The website builds on Brian’s established presence on social networking and web 2.0 services such as Facebook, Myspace and Eventful. The site also features microblogging and text messaging services such as Twitter, allowing Londoners to keep track of Brian’s campaign via the internet.

Additional features will also include a live video webchat with Brian from the website next week.

Brian Paddick said:

“Jerome’s team have injected a new momentum to our web campaigning, building on the huge support I’ve already been getting from Londoners on the web.

“The new interactive website is a great way to spread our message of change and serious solutions for London and I am looking forward to using it as a means to engage with Londoners over the next three weeks.”

Campaign manager Andrew Reeves said:

“We’re delighted with the new website. It’s modern, interactive and reaches out to Londoners, exactly in tune with Brian’s campaign themes.

“Jerome Armstrong and the WebStrong Group’s extensive new media expertise has helped us get Brian’s message out to people who rely on other sources of media to keep in touch with London.”

London Liberal Democrats launched their 2008 Manifesto, “Contract with London” today at The Commonwealth Club. The Contract for London was launched by Vincent Cable MP, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London and Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen Lawrence on the night he was murdered.

A vote for Brian Paddick and for the Liberal Democrat Assembly Team on May 1st will deliver the serious solutions below in a new type of administration where Londoners, not the politicians, are put first.

Brian Paddick signed a contract with London promising:

Every Londoner will be safer
I will deliver a 5% cut in crime every year or I will not seek re-election. I will personally chair the Police Authority to lead the drive to get knives and guns off the streets in London. I will act to stop the closure of small police stations in the capital - we need a strong police presence in our communities. I will lead a major drive to rebuild community spirit across the capital - bringing Londoners and the police together to make our streets safer.

Every Londoner will have better transport
I will bring forward a comprehensive plan to get London moving within three months. A top priority will be to improve bus services across the capital especially in those areas outside the tube network to ease congestion and overcrowding. I will also introduce new measures to make transport safer for all. A new cross-river tram project will transform central London’s transport. New bike and car hire schemes will be introduced in every locality. Students of all ages will get free travel on public transport.

Every Londoner will benefit from better housing
I will take urgent action to turn London’s 83,580 empty properties into sustainable homes at affordable rents. I will negotiate the release of surplus public sector land to form new community Land trusts, providing long-term low-rent housing. I will conduct a war on the problem of homelessness - this has no place in a modern London. I will make sure that communities across London have a real say on housing developments in their area.

Every Londoner will have a cleaner environment
I will make London the greenest capital in Europe. I will protect London’s green and open spaces from greedy developers. I will launch a new scheme with London Councils to plant thousands of new trees in a drive to develop and restore the character of High Streets, markets, squares and open spaces across the capital. I will work with councils across London so that every London resident has access to the best recycling services. By cutting congestion on our roads, we will cut carbon emissions and improve air quality for all.

Every Londoner will see a new London Government
I will be the listening Mayor of London and will hold regular public meetings where people can come and ask me questions. As Mayor I will end the cronyism under the current mayor by making the Mayor’s cabinet directly elected by London Assembly members. I will work closely with councils, community leaders and ordinary Londoners to deliver the changes our city needs.

Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London said: “Our Contract with Londoners differs from the other two party’s manifestos.

“Ken Livingstone has failed to deliver on his promises, Boris Johnson has failed to deliver anything while I have a proven track record of delivery.

“I will listen to Londoners and address their priorities. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”

Vince Cable added: “London needs a new kind of Mayor, a Mayor who understands our great city. A competent Mayor who we can all trust to guide the Police, run our buses, run the tube.

“Londoners need a Mayor who can deliver on his promises and an Assembly that speaks up for all Londoners. Ken Livingstone cannot be trusted anymore and Boris Johnson has never run anything.

“London needs Brian Paddick and the Liberal Democrats.”

Click here to download and read the full “Contract for London.”

Friction.TV interview

After launching the Contract for London, Brian Paddick gave an interview with Friction.TV which you can watch here:

Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate Brian Paddick is taking part in an exclusive interview on Twitter, the popular text messaging service - the first time this has been done by a UK politician.

You can also read the questions and answers here:

Q. wadds: how long before I can get on a tube on the central line at oxford circus at 6.15pm at night without being crushed?
A. A long time till the tube crush ends - only 10-15% improvement likely with the existing plans. We need supplements like trams.

Q. domw: Do you think the regimental aspect of Police training will ensure you dress better than Ken or Boris….the scruffs!
A. Dad was in the Army, I think I got my dress sense from him.

Q. guidofawkes: When was the last time that you smoked cannabis?
A. Never.

Q. wadds: what is your strategy for transport during the Olympics when existing services and infrastructure can’t hack it
A. TfL have looked at the estimated daily attendance at the Olympics & planned improvements they believe will cope with the numbers.

Q. ciaranj: what, realistically can you do about transport? & any thoughts on banning free papers because of the litter they generate?
A. Make buses more reliable and tell everyone when the next one is due. More recycling bins at stations to recycle free newspapers.

Q. GavinWhenman: How long have you been a member of the Liberal Democrats?
A. I joined the Lib Dems 10 years ago, let it lapse when the press got too close to my private life and re-joined 28 months ago.

Q. IanWhickham: One of Boris’s pledges is to a ‘no-strike deal’ with the RMT. What ideas do you have as to achieving a reduction in strikes?
A. Better leadership/management by bosses at London Underground/TfL. The RMT can be managed but they won’t go for a no strike deal.

Q. 7_70: with olympics coming, hv u ever considered how much time u hv to spend dealing with related issues & how much left for others?
A. At the moment, very little time dealing with Olympics issues, plenty of time to deal with others.

Q. poleydee: forget recycling bins for free papers, why not just get rid of the papers? But if bins it is, make the publishers pay …
A. We can’t ban free papers but if they have to pay ALL costs associated with rubbish they cause this may put them out of business!

Q. ciaranj: what, realistically can you do about transport? & any thoughts on banning free papers because of the litter they generate?
A. See previous answer re free papers. See http://tinyurl.com/5vhfws re transport ideas

Brian Paddick has continued to answer questions on Twitter since the conclusion of this event. You can read them, along with his other Twitter updates, at http://twitter.com/brianpaddick

Brian Paddick’s campaign for London Mayor has released two new internet adverts - one highlighting Labour’s failure to deliver on Crossrail and the other on Boris Johnson’s record in previous jobs.

You can see the ads below, and then choose which one you’d like to see running by making a donation to help pay for its appearance on websites. All the donations you make through this page will be spent on the advert you select.

Crossrail: eight years on, it’s still ten years away

Like this advert? Donate here to pay for more appearances of this advert on the internet

Boris Johnson: is this the track record of someone fit to be Mayor?

Like this advert? Donate here to pay for more appearances of this advert on the internet

Commenting on reports that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will not be seeking to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug, Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, said:

“If Gordon Brown were serious about preventing young people from smoking cannabis, he would turn his attention to educating and informing people of its harmful effects instead of messing around with reclassification.

“We need to see people with real credibility, like former drug addicts, going into schools in a supervised environment and telling young people how drugs wrecked their lives.

“No young person I know decides if they will smoke cannabis based on whether it’s a class B or class C drug. It’s time the government stopped playing politics with cannabis and started preventing people from using it in the first place.”

Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate, Brian Paddick has today pledged to give access to free transport to every person in full time higher education or skills training in London.

Commenting on this decision, Brian Paddick said:

“London has one of the biggest gaps in the UK between the haves and the have nots.

“The way up the social ladder is education. The one thing the Mayor has absolute power over is free travel and as Mayor, I will use it absolutely.

“We live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I am determined to alleviate that cost of living and to help people better their lives by allowing every person in full time higher education or skills training to have access to free travel.”

Brian Paddick filmed a short video yesterday for YouTube to discuss the importance of voting in the London elections on May 1st. To watch the video click here or click the play button below: