And who could argue with that?!

Thanks for the encouragement.

Best wishes,

Ken Livingstone

Ken,

If you are not chosen as the candidate or elected to the position of London mayor, who would you most like to see as your alternative?

From Leon Reilly, Ealing, London.

Dear Leon,

You will appreciate that no sensible candidate gets into speculation about who they would want to win in the unlikely circumstances that they lose!

Sorry to not be more illuminating,

Ken Livingstone

Mr Livingstone,

I've lived in London for the best part of 20 years. I firmly believe that we do need our own assembly to take care of issues affecting us as Londoners and London as a city. I am a born Labour supporter, but having listened to debates I believe that Lord Archer has better policies at present, and feel he would be more suited to the post. if you are not elected as mayor, and you do seem to be the people's choice at present, would you be willing to work alongside whoever it maybe as mayor?

Secondly, what three things in your opinion, should/will London be famous for in the new millennium?

From Kiran Mistry.

Dear Kiran,

I am sure that Londoners will seriously consider all the candidates carefully, especially if Jeffrey promises to give up writing novels if he is elected . . .

If I am not elected, then as a Londoner I would wish any successful candidate all the best - they will have their work cut out, especially as it now seems unlikely that the Greater London Authority will be assuming control of the Underground for some time after the election.

I would be happy for London to be famous in the new millennium for one thing: having the best public transport system in the world.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Ken,

I met you several years ago at a party at County Hall. I wish to ask you a very important question: do you believe your prowess at dancing and carousing will help you in your new endeavour of becoming Mayor of London?

From Robert Myles.

Dear Robert,

Anyone who has seen me dance will know how bizarre your question is! I give the solemn undertaking that if I am elected, I will keep my dance-floor activity to a minimum.

Yours,

Ken Livingstone

I'm a Labour member from Greenock. Two questions really, would you consider standing as an independent candidate in the London mayor elections if the Labour Party does not select you, and do you feel that if you were not selected Labour Party would be committing electoral suicide?

From Kevin Mulholland.

Dear Kevin,

On the first question, I think the Millbank Tendency would love the chance to kick me out of the Labour Party, but I am not going to be obliging them. On the second, I am not sure whether Labour would win or lose after going through such a damaging and transparently undemocratic process, but it can't be likely to help.

ITV's London Tonight programme, asked Londoners "Should Ken Livingstone be allowed to stand for mayor of London?" following the decision of Labour's London regional board to propose a selection board system. The result: 23,051 people said "Yes" - 91% of those polled.

This position was reflected in April, when the Evening Standard polled over 1,000 Londoners, 74% of whom said it would be wrong for the Labour Party to stop me from standing for mayor. This figure increased to 78% amongst Labour voters.

The BBC polled over half of the constituency Labour party secretaries in London on the day after the regional board meeting. Of those who responded to the question "Should Ken Livingstone be on the short-list?" 29 said "Yes" and 3 said "No".

When you consider this polling, and the fact that Greater London is by no means a safe area for Labour, then it becomes clear that the Millbank Tendency are playing a very dangerous game.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Mr Livingstone,

Do you feel that as an elected representative of London your position on certain foreign and domestic issues may be compromised? Will your independence as a non-cabinet member be challenged in your new and more media-sensitive position?

In so many recent cases, Labour politicians have miraculously watered down previously heartfelt views. I realise that power compromises, but is it worth attaining if the compromise is too great? Indeed, in modern Britain, can power be attained by a politician who has not compromised his views to the greater "average"?

From Steve Gwynne, Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London.

Dear Steve,

I don't think anyone would expect me to change my views about foreign or domestic affairs if I were elected, although of course I would be under much greater scrutiny than I am now as a backbencher.

I think it would be wrong to use the GLA as a platform to attack the government, because I would be Labour mayor under a Labour government, which is quite different to having Margaret Thatcher in Number 10.

On your last point, I think the dynamic of the Third Way debate is to try to realign the Labour Party permanently into an alliance with the Lib Dems. But this process also unleashes contrary views, as the Labour Party National Executive Committee elections showed this year, when four out of six constituency places went to candidates opposed by the party establishment. So, yes, power can be attained by people outside the soggy centre!

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Ken,

As a lifelong Tory, but born in London, I would vote for you as mayor rather than a dubious millionaire author or a Labour placeman. But realistically, what chance do you have of even appearing on the ballot with Tony Blair's policy in Wales being repeated in the capital?

From Andrew Baynes.

Dear Andrew,

That's the sixty four thousand dollar question! I really don't know - I think that the amount of support I have been receiving must be a factor in this, but in the end the decision will be taken by others. All I can do is make the case for a democratic selection system, and continue to argue for policies for London.

Yours sincerely, Ken Livingstone

The Labour Party

Dear Mr Livingstone,

Do you really think that the Labour Party still offers a natural path for political involvement for socialists or, as your experience would seem to show, has the leadership taken the party so far to the right as to make any socialists distinctly unwelcome and marginalised?

From Graham Baxendale

Dear Graham,

Actually, the situation is far better than it was even two years ago for the left in the Labour Party. Two major tests for the Millbank Tendency at this year's Labour conference indicated yet again that they do not command a majority. First, the election of four out of six candidates from the Grassroots Alliance to the NEC was a remarkable result.

The seeds of this victory can be found in the alliances forged in the defeat of Peter Mandelson in 1997, when the left was joined by many from the centre and old Labour right. That year, candidates opposed by the party establishment increased their share from around 31% (which we were stuck on from 1994-1996) to 39%.

Subsequently, a strengthened coalition of the left, the radical democrats and Hattersleyites of Labour Reform and the soft left readers of Tribune came together in the Grassroots Alliance. That was even more spectacularly demonstrated this year, with the Alliance candidates polling 46.4% of the votes, as opposed to the 42.5% for Members First.

On the other major test for the party managers - the debate on the economy - the majority of trade unions clearly rejected Gordon Brown's policies, and support a coherent alternative of lowering interest rates, devaluing the pound and opting for progressive taxation.

A succession of trade union delegates, led by Unison and the GMB, went to the rostrum and made it absolutely clear that if there had been a vote, the leadership's central policy would have been defeated at only our second conference in government.

Thus the central problem in the Labour Party now is that in the centre and left of both the constituencies and the unions there is a majority on a number of decisive issues, in particular the economy, that is critical of government policies. Simultaneously, the leadership has managed to obscure that fact in alliance with some sections of the trade unions.

I am firmly of the opinion that this cannot be maintained over the long term, which is why the right wing of the party wants to close down the party's democratic structures, a process given impetus by the prospect of ever closer links with the Lib Dems.

The short answer to your question is that it's never been very easy to be a socialist in the Labour Party, but the immediate issue now is not whether or not we get socialism but whether or not the Millbank Tendency can transform the Labour Party into a different kind of party, which would not be in the interests of the people we seek to represent.

Yours,

Ken Livingstone

Dear Mr Livingstone,

I would be interested in hearing your reaction to one of the commonly held views amongst my friends, that on the most important policy areas, such as health, education and taxation, the Liberal Democrats are actually to the left of the Labour Party leadership on the majority of issues.

From Dave McCobb, Keble College, Oxford

Dear Dave,

Of course, it is easy for one party to pose as being to the left of another, especially when the political territory has moved so far to the right. Indeed at any one time it is even possible to find Tory MPs who are more "left" than some Labour MPs over some issues.

The Liberal Democrats were quite correct to propose raising taxes to fund health and education, although I don't believe that their proposals would have actually raised enough money to meet some of their rhetoric.

The problem with their proposals is that they would mainly have hit middle income earners, rather than those who did best out of the Tories' redistribution from poor to rich. It is not possible for Labour to win by increasing taxes on these people, which is why I favour higher taxes on those earning over �50,000, combined with raising corporation tax to the European level, and measures to tackle the distorted levels of dividend payments in the UK economy.

On the broader issue, the Liberal Democrats are more akin to the US democrats than a left-wing party. Our new-found relationship with the Lib Dems actually pushes Labour to the right rather than the left.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

At what point would Ken Livingstone leave the (New) Labour Party - what policy or decision would be too much for him to take? We know that he (very occasionally) votes against the government, but for how long can he continue to sit with the government when he has frequent, fundamental disagreements with it? What would be the straw to break his camel's back?

From Ashley Lumsden, Liberal Democrat Councillor, Streatham Hill, London Borough of Lambeth

Dear Ashley,

One might ask you the same question about your party, given its fawning relationship to the Labour government. When I joined the Labour Party, the Labour leadership was backing US bombing of Vietnam, so I'm used to disagreeing with my party from time to time.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Ken,

If you were starting your political career today, would you join New Labour?

From Ed Brown, Brasenose College, Oxford

Dear Ed,

Yes, because the Labour Party is the only vehicle available to working class people to transform society for the better. The left cannot pretend the Labour Party is not there!

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

How much of the media image of you as a "member of Labour's awkward squad" (as you were billed in the announcement for this discussion) is a true reflection of your views and actions, and how much is it an invention of the media?

From Dr Josh King, School of Chemical Engineering, Edinburgh University

Dear Josh,

As a left-wing member of the party, and as a member of the Campaign Group of Labour MPs, I am clearly in a (sizeable) socialist minority. Obviously therefore my actions will lend themselves to comments about being in the "awkward squad" or worse.

If you think I'm awkward, you should meet some of the disgruntled mainstream Labour Party members who write to me fuming about cutting lone parent benefits or abolishing student grants!

I think there is a serious point about how the media construct images of politicians or other people whose views they regard as outside the "mainstream", which tends to reinforce an impression of "looniness". For example, the press tends to report trade unionists as "demanding" a pay rise, rather than employers "demanding" that they not have one.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Transport

Dear Ken,

Remember me? I used to be your landlady at Randolph Avenue and I am now active in Tottenham Labour Party, to whom you gave the speech at our annual dinner three years ago, when Labour was still in the wilderness.

If you became mayor - or rather, when you become mayor - of London what you will do to improve the public transport situation? Will you renationalise as much as possible of our dreadful public transport system? Will you try and reduce fares from where they are today, the most expensive in the entire world?

From Josephine Bacon

Dear Josephine,

I hope its going well in Tottenham! Unfortunately the mayor and assembly will not have the legal power to renationalise any services, although I think most people believe in a public sector transport system. Undoubtedly the biggest immediate problem on the new mayor's desk will be the abysmal state of transport in London.

It is important to remember the lesson of the last Labour GLC, that it is easier to make public transport more attractive rather than simply make car usage more difficult. A policy that improves public transport and attracts people back onto the system is one that would have a huge consensus behind it.

When the GLC reduced fares in the early 1980s it was against a background of spare capacity on the tube. This is no longer the case. Although fares should over time be reduced in real terms, an immediate fares cut now would simply mean the tubes becoming more congested in the suburbs and impossible to board at inner-city stations. Whilst there must be an extension of the tube system, recent experience with the Jubilee Line extension shows that it would take ten years for such policies to bear fruit and Londoners need immediate improvements.

Part of the problem of congestion on the tube has been that the introduction of driver-only buses has led to increasing delays. Under these conditions more and more people have switched to the tube. The mayor must therefore ensure the rapid completion of a London-wide system of bus lanes and have the powers to overrule any borough such as Westminster which might wish to stop the bus lanes at its borders.

But the bus lanes on their own will not be enough. Unless we can speed up the rate of boarding at bus stops, the bus system will still be slow and a major contributor to transport congestion. I think that the reintroduction of conductors is therefore a priority. We should also retain the existing Routemaster fleet until a modern Routemaster can be designed.

The new mayor will also want to investigate whether the bus operators' constant attempts to reduce the number of long-distance bus routes has not been a factor in driving people off the buses and onto an already crowded tube system.

Best wishes,

Ken Livingstone

If you become mayor , what will you do to reduce the number of black taxi cabs on the streets of central London? They are a largely unnecessary form of transport in my view, and cause a considerable amount of congestion hindering the buses.

From Peter Relf

Dear Peter,

Actually, I do not regard black cabs as a menace. The major problem with hindering of buses is caused by those mindless people who park their cars in bus lanes. Black cabs, because they are licensed, can be part of an integrated system much more easily than the thousands of unlicensed mini cabs which in my view are a serious problem.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

The IRA

Dear Mr Livingstone,

Please would you clarify your view of the IRA: sympathetic or against? I refer to your hospitality of Gerry Adams during your tenure of the GLC in the 1980s.

From James Fletcher, London

Dear James,

My view has never been to support IRA violence. However, I have always been of the opinion that there was no military solution to the problem in Ireland and that therefore a political solution would have to be found. The GLC's decision to invite Gerry Adams over to London was based on that assessment, which has now become a mainstream view. In the long term there is clearly no future for a continued British partition of Ireland.

Yours sincerely, Ken Livingstone

European monetary union

Dear Mr Livingstone,

With the advent of the euro next year and the creation of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, do you believe this offers a serious long-term threat to jobs in the City of London? With this in mind, if you became mayor of London what polices would you adopt to prevent London losing financial trade and influence to the rest of Europe?

Secondly, would you, as part of this policy, advocate early entry of the UK into EMU?

From David Brett, Berlin (but until this year a long-term London resident)

Dear David,

I don't think that the euro is anywhere near as much of a threat to jobs in the City than the unfolding world financial crisis! However, in the long term the City would clearly suffer from not being in EMU. I have always favoured a single European currency because I do not believe that single-state economies have the scale necessary to compete.The British economy must be ready to enter EMU, which means raising our level investment and reducing interest rates.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

House of Lords reform

How do you see the role of the House of Lords or any upper chamber in the future? And is it good for any House to be dominated by one party, particularly over periods such as the 18 years of Tory government?

From Ken Rohde, Hinckley, Leicestershire

Dear Ken,

I think the House of Lords is a dreadful prehistoric monstrosity, and replacing it with a mega-quango of appointed Lords is no answer. I would favour a scrutinising chamber comprised of members from the English and Welsh assemblies and the Scottish Parliament. This would have an electoral mandate, but by not being directly elected would not challenge the legitimacy of the House of Commons.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Overseas voting

Dear Ken,

I am a big supporter of yours and as a native of London I hope you become mayor next year.

I am a Labour Party member and voter who lives in the United States. As a British citizen, I have had the right to vote in general and European elections. In fact, last year I voted for a winning candidate (in Harrow) for the first time in my life!

I am told that there is a 20-year limit on this voting right and I will no longer be able to vote in general and European elections. What do you think of this arbitrary curtailment of my rights as a British citizen?

Keep up the good fight!

From Michael Gorman, Fresno, California

Dear Michael,

I will write to the powers that be and get back to you - if the BBC give me your address!

Ken Livingstone

Housing

What can the Greater London Authority and London's mayor do to tackle the huge backlog of council house repairs, and shortage of sufficient social housing in London, without any extra money from central government?

From Bridget Fox, London N1

Dear Bridget,

The new authority is will not have any direct housing responsibilities. However, I think the GLA would serve a useful purpose in bringing together the London boroughs to hammer out a London-wide housing strategy.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

The GLC

Ken,

Why did the GLC get scrapped only for people to reform it in a different way?

From Dominic Maher, NMTV

Dear Dominic,

A good question! Actually the new authority is different in a number of ways to the GLC. It is more streamlined, takes powers from the government and the quangoes rather than the London boroughs, and - unfortunately - does not have anything like the revenue raising powers of the GLC.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Livingstone

Political realignment

Ken,

Do you think there will ever be a realignment on the left of British Politics? I don't know about you but I am sick of pandering to the middle classes who want to have their cake and eat all the time. By this I mean they wanted the tax-breaks of the Thatcher years but they also want a state that supports them.

Someone needs to regroup to tell these people that they can't have it all ways. I think the left have all the ideas which are hi-jacked by the control-freaky New Labour lot.

From Andrew Birchall, left-wing socialist ,ex-miner, and looking for a real alternative

Dear Andrew,

I can understand your frustration, but I firmly believe that having a Labour government has already made the left's arguments more central to the political landscape. You only have to see how we were able to articulate popular opposition to cutting lone parent benefits to see how the situation has changed.

I take your point about the middle classes, but in fact on a lot of issues middle-income earners have a common cause with lower-income earners. Comprehensive education, free health care, decent pensions - none of these things are possible if middle-income earners opt out.

The problem we have at the moment is a tendency within the Labour Party to counterpose middle-income earners to low-income earners, which leads to the danger that the slightly better off will no longer want to have a stake in the welfare state.

I'm optimistic at the moment, although as Dennis Skinner once said, you can't be a socialist and a pessimist (especially a socialist in the Labour Party!).

Best wishes, Ken Livingstone