Siobhan Benita

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I am extremely puzzled by this nonentity. Independents can win mayoral contests (such the monkey in Hartlepool) but her candidacy seems extremely weird - just a bit too polished for an independent candidate if you know what I mean?

I am wondering who is backing her and who is running her media operation. She seems to be attracting media attention from the left leaning press for no reason whatsoever. Is she just a Blairite stalking horse?

Isn't that the whole point of mayoral contests? Polished unknowns have as much a chance of winning as the party nominees? I don't see why, just because she is an intelligent woman that presents well and has a lot of high-level experience in the Civil Service, it should make her a target for suspicion. And if the left-leaning press are finding her interesting, maybe it's simply because she's a good story?

If today's poll is anything to go by I don't see Siobhan troubling the mayoralty

Boris has 45% of first preference, Ken 40%, Lib Dem Brian Paddick 7% with UKIP?s Webb at 3 per cent. The Green Jenny is tying with independent candidate Siobhan Benita on 2%

After taking into account second preferences Boris leads Ken by 6%.
www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2012/04/16/boris-has-a-6-percent-yougov-lead/

She appears to be a left leaning candidate with some celebrity backers. I expect that if Ken loses as the polls predict then in 2016 she will be challenging to be the Labour candidate having raised her profile this time round. However her policies are uncosted, she doesn't say how she intends to raise the money to fulfil her pledges and her youth commission to hold hold politicians to account seems from her website will be appointed by her, so very independent.

I would like to know more about her.

Well I think she raises some interesting points about democracy. I like the fact that she not aligned to any party and given how disillusionsed lots of are with the major parties - Why Not?

I don't know much about her politics, but I stumbled across her professionally back when she was in the Civil Service and found her to be pretty impressive.

I don't know if this translates into being a good mayor, but at least she's demonstrated a capability to deliver, outside of the 'interrn -> researcher -> Councillor ->MP' sausage machine so many of our politicians now seem to spring from.

Chair, I am nosey, how did you run into one another?

I was working a project for the Cabinet Office, when she was Gus O'Connell's PS. Nothing state secrets related or particularly exciting, but it meant we had to meet with the her and the Cabinet Secretary a few times.

I was also pretty impressed she managed to have the role she did with young children - gave me hope for a career post-DC.

Her husband is in IT, I am sure they can afford decent childcare on his salary alone.

True, but it was more that she was able to make flexible working work and not just in a low profile role, but as PS to the big boss. I know the civil service is perhaps better than most employers in terms of flexible working and things, so it reflects on the service as much as her, but it still takes some doing, even to persuade some organisations to let you try, much less to make it work in a high profile job where the expectation can be that you're available to work at all hours.