Meet the candidates: lightweight contenders
Matt O'Connor, English Democrats
Out of his trademark superhero suit, Matt O’Connor – founder of the campaign group Fathers 4 Justice – is the rather dapper candidate for the English Democrats. Often seen scaling public buildings dressed as a comic book hero to highlight the case for fathers’ rights in family law, Matt, a marketing and design consultant by day, champions liberty and democracy and, in 2005, was named GQ Magazine’s 7th Top Communicator in the UK. A departure from his rivals’ manifestos, Matt’s focuses on the flow of taxes from London to other parts of the UK, the breakdown of families and communities and justice for England. The party, which wants the formation of a devolved English Parliament, describes itself as putting “the interests of England first,” but vehemently denies having any links to the far-right.
Alan Craig, Christian Peoples Alliance/The Christian Party
The only candidate on an overtly religious ticket, Alan Craig is running for the Christian Peoples Alliance and the Christian Party. Before converting to Christianity in his late 20s, Alan was CEO of a group of international manufacturing firms. Turning his back on business management, he moved to the East End and took control of a care home for recently released young offenders. Pivotal to his campaign are commitments to promoting families and marriage, ending youth violence, providing affordable homes, generating jobs and rejecting the proposed West Ham ‘mega-mosque’, which he says “stands for separateness and secrecy and against social cohesion.” The party’s protests against same-sex couples being allowed to adopt has prompted accusations of homophobia, but the Alliance insists its stance is based on biblical values.
Winston McKenzie, independent
One of the election’s more colourful candidates, Winston McKenzie is a former hairdresser/amateur boxer-turned-mayoral hopeful, who promoted his policies in a rap video on YouTube, tongue firmly in cheek (we hope). Running independently following an infamous fall-out with Robert Kilroy-Silk’s Veritas party, where he was the spokesman on sport, and his failure to clinch the Conservative nomination, Winston insists he will “knock out the opposition.” The light-welterweight believes that, as a black man of Jamaican descent, he is best-placed to tackle the city’s growing gang culture, along with spiralling knife and gun crime. One thing’s for certain: when not prancing around in the ring, he does a very nice line in trilbies.
Winston McKenzie: official campaign website
by Laura Snook, MSN UK News Editor
March 7, 2008
