It was an outrageous and well-criticised decision as controversy had followed Archer's political career for over 30 years. It was not surprising that within two months of his victory, a skeleton leapt out of his cupboard. An old friend of his told the British Press that Archer had asked him to lie to a Court in the 1980's about his visiting a prostitute. Archer resigned immediately and was unceremoniously booted out of the Conservative Party. He recently revealed that in his isolation he wrote a play called "The Accused" which he intends to star in later this year.

Therefore Steve Norris, who came second to Archer in the campaign, became the obvious choice as the Conservative candidate. Yet he was told by his Party that he would have to withdraw from re-running because the five mistresses that he had had throughout his political career were deemed too many and would reap further embarrassment on a Party that could now really do without it.

No other credible Conservative candidate offered their services for nomination, the Party therefore changed its mind within a week, and Steve Norris shortly became the new Conservative candidate. At last their humiliation was over, or so they thought.

Within days of his selection, Norris attacked his Party for being too homophobic and anti-European, and for generally being too right wing.

Mayoral Candidate "Red Ken" Livingstone.

Worst of all, for Prime Minister Tony Blair, Livingstone represented the weak "Old Labour" whose beliefs interfered with Blair's pragmatic approach to economic issues. Blair therefore asked Frank Dobson, a pleasant New Labour centrist, who--- although harboring similar political views to Ken --- vowed not to intervene with London's economy anything like as much as Red Ken proposes to.

Mayoral Candidate Frank Dobson.

Blair responded to this by saying that Ken Livingstone as London Mayor would be "a financial disaster ... but I'm glad he is no longer my responsibility".

The Conservatives reacted by dodging all questions that asked if they would now support Ken Livingstone in a bid to prevent Frank Dobson becoming Mayor. Dobson himself retaliated by reverting to dirty tactics by saying he will reveal unappealing aspects of Red Ken's ultra-left wing past.

Despite having hardly any money, Livingstone has the support of media celebrities including pop stars, actors and fittingly, comedians. To make matters worse for Frank Dobson, another independent candidate called "Frank S. Dobson", who opposes the idea of having a London Mayor as according to him, "it is just another layer of bureaucracy for failed politicians" and will resign if elected, is running. He is doing this purely to confuse voters when they see the ballot-paper in order to take votes from the other Frank Dobson. In fact confusion is quite an apt word, because, believe it or not, there is another major Party that has its own problems.

In London, the centrist Liberal Democrats have been powerful when there is disillusionment with Labour or the Conservatives --- which is quite often.

Given the adverse publicity surrounding her opponents, you would think the Liberal Democrat candidate Susan Kramer would now be favourite to win. Yet she has kept an extraordinary low profile, and with less than two months to go to polling day, very few Londoners even know who she is, and one London bookie is offering astonishing odds of 100-1 of her winning the election.

Is there another independent candidate who could capitalise on the other's faults? The only other powerful independent after Ken Livingstone is Malcolm McClaren, a former punk music band manager. His policies, which include legalising soft drugs, turning a section of the Houses of Parliament into a brothel and combining libraries and bars, are unlikely to be vote winners, but with this election you don't really know.

Ken Livingstone is currently the favourite, but the rest of the world must know that the activities of Bush, Gore and Co. do not make the only show in town.