‘The good, the bad and the plain weird’

George Ferguson was elected as the first mayor of Bristol in November 2012. Since then, people have been riled by a certain parking scheme, enjoyed the Make Sunday Special events and protested on a commendably regular basis against decisions made by central government.

One thing I think we can all be certain about is that this country is far more politically switched on than a few years ago and that’s why the 2016 Mayoral Election promises to be an interesting turn of events. The candidates, much like last time, embody all that’s good, bad and weird about British politics. Here’s why:

The 2012 election was undoubtedly a two horse race. Ferguson galloped ahead, while Marvin Rees powered along behind him until it came to the count, missing out by 6,000 votes.

There aren’t many cities in the UK that would shun mainstream party politics for an independent like Ferguson. When I asked a councillor why they thought he would be elected in for a second term this year, their explanation was simple, “he has his fingers in so many pies”.

However, a considerable Labour surge in the 2015 parliamentary elections which saw Thangam Debbonaire turn Bristol West from yellow to red will almost certainly work in Rees’ favour.

Unhindered by mayoral responsibilities, Rees’ presence on the streets of Bristol has certainly been noticeable. Although, I have to ask how and if the Bristol Labour party will manage to keep their composure when it seems that Labour are tearing themselves apart from the top down.

Other candidates this year include Charles Lucas for the Conservatives, Kay Barnard for the Lib Dems, Tony Dyer for the Greens and Matt Pitts for Ukip. I can’t help but feel their presence is merely ceremonial. Do they know they’re not going to win? Almost definitely.

Ukip are a new addition to the ranks, though, and having scrolled through Matt Pitts’ Twitter account, I can’t foresee him making any profound political statements or gains. Although, I guess being identified with Ukip is controversial enough in Bristol.

Something that has shocked me is the lack of female representation, with just two out of the 10 candidates who have announced their campaigns so far being women. This does reflect a general trend in Bristol politics, though, as I recently calculated that only around 35 per cent of the council are female and four per cent aren’t white. We have a diversity problem. Can somebody fix it please?

The best part of any election is surely the refreshingly down-to-earth and slightly eccentric independent and small party candidates. In 2012 we had Spud Murphy, who wanted to put some “common sense” back into Bristol, and David Dobbs for the Birthday Party who promised to ensure all mayoral decisions were made by the people of Bristol on social networks.

Let’s not forget Stoney Garnett too in his trademark hats, who proposed a “proper arena for music” and publican Owain George.

This year, we are graced by Laurence Duncan, who was hot off the mark and announced he was standing back in June 2015. Duncan, I’m afraid, seems anything but eccentric and has sensible priorities of fixing transport infrastructure and improving our green credentials.

We are, however, welcoming John Langley, better known as Johnny Rockard, back onto the political scene. After being suspended by Ukip for publicising a porn film featuring him engaging in oral sex in Castle Park, Langley established The Brigstowe Assembly.

Their website bluntly informs you to “forget any idea that we live in a meaningful and inclusive democratic society” and promises a “new dawn for democracy”. Another click in and you can find Langley’s personal blog, where he claims that the News of the World was, before its ungracious demise, “the highlight of every reader for a catch-up on what was being done to who, and generally speaking how much it cost them for the pleasure”. Hmmm.

After I scrolled even further and read his claim that the British are “indigenously racist” it’s needless to say that I closed that tab. Welcome back John, welcome back.

The second female candidate is Christine Townsend, who is standing for Independents for Bristol. She has worked in education, her priority is education and, urm, she tweets about education.

Townsend is a co-founder of Integrate Bristol, the brilliant group who are campaigning to end FGM and who I have been totally in awe of since one of their members said “fanny” in front of a whole Colston Hall worth of people. Girl power.

Last, and by no means least, I would like to introduce you all to Paul Saville. Saville has gained media attention previously as it was him who managed to crack Ferguson’s collected facade and was at the receiving end of a red trousered “eff off”.  What does Saville stand for? Anti-Ferguson and anti-gentriferguson. It will be interesting to see how his campaign develops.

Mayoral contests don’t have the gloss of parliamentary elections but they certainly do have all the quirks that mainstream politics is missing. There are good candidates, bad candidates and plain weird candidates this year, although it’s rather hard to decide who fits into which category.

Bristol, please do enjoy this democratic exercise. Here’s to a few months of debate about parking, bin collection and transport: the joys of local government.

Ella Marshall is one of two elected members of Youth Parliament for Bristol

Read more about all the Bristol mayor candidates here