Boris backs himself

Boris's re-election campaign is really rolling now. The soundbite repetition is as relentless as its facts are selective. His A-list of half-truths has been paraded several times this week. On Monday his Daily Telegraph column - ker-ching ! - boasted of the "affordable" homes he's delivering but not that most Londoners can't afford them; the increased police numbers that will decrease after the election ; and the fall in public transport crime that is slower than under his predecessor . On Tuesday evening came a mayoral press release which began by saying that "Londoners feel safer and believe more police on the streets has helped to reduce crime according to the Mayor's 2011 Annual London Survey ," but didn't mention that the survey found that half of them hadn't actually noticed any more police on the streets or that as many thought they'd seen fewer as thought they'd seen more. It didn't mention either that the two transport improvements Londoners most crave are cheaper bus and Tube fares (Boris keeps putting them up) and less traffic congestion (Boris has halved the congestion charging zone and his traffic smoothing measures have had little or no effect ). Then, On Wednesday, the Mayor's annual report was published which, among other things, proclaimed that "youth violence" was down by six percent last year and that gun crime was down too, yet didn't inform Londoners that the most serious kinds of youth violence and all knife crime have gone up. Loveable scamp or shameless scoundrel? Either way, on balance Londoners don't seem to mind. The survey found that while 15 percent of them think he's doing a bad job, 32 percent of them think he's doing a good one - up 6 percent on last year. The Guardian on London Bromley 'police numbers' twitter crunch Electric car capital race hots up as London adds charging points Boris, Obama and the congestion charge The tough future awaiting London's poorest Three years of Boris: his record on social justice and inequality The Obamas in London Britain's youngest 'hitman' jailed for life Young contract killers recruited to do drug syndicates' dirty work Ken Livingstone and the London middle-class Boris's balderdash London's fire engines may be sold off Inside Westfield Stratford City It's grim in Kensington and Chelsea Boris Johnson and the Blackfriars flashride Plainclothes police officer stabbed in Croydon Olympics: more than 1m ticket requests for 100 metres final London blogosphere TfL have downplayed the story and we're not talking fortunes here, but it remains the case that a bunch of train fares were increased last week without it being announced beforehand and were it not for Steve Chambers and Adam Bienkov at The Scoop , this delinquency might not have found its way on to BBC London News. Independent bloggers are making their mark. Read lots of the best ones here . Coming up Londoners have the chance to challenge Boris's claims about his achievements at Thursday's annual State of London debate, which this year is headlined " Talk London ." Apply for tickets here , or else stay home and listen to it on LBC . As Boris continues stepping up his defence of City Hall, is Ken Livingstone managing to weaken it? I'll be trying to find out. Keep in touch .