How win for Boris reveals emotional needs of the voter

IN HIS strangely modest victory speech, London's new mayor seemed to offer his arch rival the prospect of a job, saying Ken Livingstone "shaped the office of the mayor and gave it national prominence. I hope we can discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London".

Mr Livingstone, a force in London politics for nearly 40 years, shook his rival's outstretched hand and, in a voice cracking with emotion, told the new mayor: "Boris, the next few years will be the best years of your life."

So should Ken be taken ...