The new governance of London

Do elected mayors represent a wider shift from "government to governance" whereby they are equipped with new powers to tackle some of the realities of the changing world around them, or can they be identified with an emerging "post-democratic politics" in which the mass of the population are disengaged from formal democratic institutions that are increasingly business-led? These possibilities act as a backdrop for a detailed discussion of the historic problems associated with governing London over the last 20 years, New Labour's subsequent proposals for both an elected mayor and the Greater London Authority and its various functions, and the sensationalised and controversial mayoral election campaign. Tomaney stresses the weak and restricted nature of the incumbent Livingstone administration. His conclusion is that Livingstone's left wing origins make him less susceptible to the corporate world of "post democratic politics". Yet, the ability of Livingstone to balance the daily needs of Londoners with those of global business interests, or to acknowledge the voices of the marginal and radical groups, still remains to be seen.