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WHILE the struggle to elect the next American president enters the final stages, after a campaign that seems to have lasted longer than forever but less than an eternity, London will have its very own Battle Royal next month.

The debate over bendy buses, the Chelsea tractor-hating congestion charge and who should pay for the 2012 Olympic Games has raged for months as the Conservatives asked everyone except Boris Johnson to be their candidate.

Then they announced Boris Johnson as their candidate.

City Hall incumbent Ken Livingstone claimed he would easily dispatch of his gaffe-prone opponent and others bidding to run London in his place.

But his outwardly-confident appearance seems only skin deep, if last week's Watford Observer is any evidence to go by.

For lo and behold, sitting pretty on page 12, there was an advert urging readers to "Vote for London. Vote for Ken" at the ballot box on May 1.

Nothing unusual there you might think, but ask yourself this question: How many readers of the Watford Observer actually have a vote in the London Mayoral elections?

It is probably not enough to save Ken from clearing his desk as Boris remains the bookies' favourite.

SPIES within Watford Borough Council tell me the town hall is home to the new number one fan of the world's fastest growing sport.

Watford Colosseum will host Cage Rage Contender, a mixed martial arts tournament, later this month.

The event, however, spawned unease among the town's top brass when it was first showcased in Watford last August, and the council ordered every promotional poster to be taken down after taking exception to the unauthorised use of its logo.

When the police were satisfied the tournament would be properly and safely organised, the council reluctantly gave the event the thumbs up and granted the venue an indoor sports licence.

One disapproving councillor even turned up at the event to see what all the fuss was about, and to their great surprise, came away enjoying the evening's ten-fight extravaganza.

It is unknown how far the effects of this turn-around have reached in the corridors of power, but it might be too much to hope that the next council meeting's main event is a tag team challenge between Liberal Democrats and their Tory, Labour and Green counterparts.

On second thoughts, elections are just around the corner.

And finally, fed up with your other half? Tired of their constant nagging, moaning and telling you to stop watching the football/Coronation Street*? (*Delete as appropriate.) Then why not take companionship to the next level by investing in a robot as your one-stop shop for chat, comfort and, other things.

Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire are taking part in an international project to advance the relationship between robots and humans. But rather than testing their washing and ironing skills, boffins are more concerned about the emotional aspects of bonding with robots.

Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn, from the University of Hertfordshire's School of Computer Science, said: "We want to avoid a situation where a person deeply bonds with a robot, but the robot simply doesn't care."

It's one thing to be dumped by another human being, but to be given the cold shoulder by a hulking piece of machinery that refuses your affectionate advances? Psychologists would have a field day.

10:23am Friday 25th April 2008

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