Im not condoning it, but corruption will exist where certain conditions are met! I believe Boris has also had to sack all of his team in his first 6 months because of similar concerns. But I guess its the nature of the beast. Different political leanings just means who gets to put the snout in the trough. Politics is 'who gets what'.
In the Ken part of that article I mentioned he says he prefers Steve Norris as an opponent, much harder working etc. Also called Paul Dacre a fudgewit, which is surprising from a tory! Although not surprising Dacre was the target.
Im not sure I agree with people choosing Ken because things were rosy during his tenure. His 2000 battle was won as an independant candidate more as a protest vote against the main parties - and currently the tory top brass are seriously in danger of collapse. Lansley is wrecking havoc in the NHS, Warsi is a looney, Gove is utterly detached from human emotion, Osbourne cant see the wood for the trees and Cameron employed one of the biggest crooks in the biggest corruption enquiry there has ever been in this country - so Boris has only one option, and that is to distance himself. Which politically is a bit tricky! I think people will punish the tories nationally, by voting locally. London is basically all Labour has left now that Scotland has gone ( which they will regret, poor scots ).
I also dont expect any recovery for the far right. that annihilation of the BNP at the last GE must still hurt.