I resigned from the Labour Party in February 2000 - after 22 years membership - in protest at the rigging of the Labour mayoral selection contest. Ken Livingstone was robbed.

I know how Ken feels. I was also rejected by Labour. Although democratically selected as the Labour candidate for Bermondsey in 1981, party bosses banned me for over a year. When I eventually fought the by-election in 1983, Labour headquarters gave me minimal support.

Now I want another chance. My pledge is this: I will fight for a fair deal for all Londoners. Better transport, health-care, education and housing. Action against unemployment, crime, pollution and discrimination.

Standing as an Independent means I don't have to toe a party line. I can put the interests of Londoners first. Everyone knows that I'm no pushover. When something needs to done, I refuse to take "no" for an answer. That's what we need to get London back on track: someone who will fight London's corner and stand up to the government when they get it wrong.

The London Assembly has huge potential to promote social justice, democratic participation and human rights for all Londoners. I want to help make that happen. I am asking for your support this coming 4th May.

Keep Public Transport Public

* Four year fares freeze on tubes and buses

* No tube privatisation

* Rail safety to be enforced by a watchdog independent of Railtrack and Transport for London

* Conductors on the buses to cut journey times and improve passenger security

* Extend tube and bus services to 3am

* Fund improved public transport through bonds, congestion charges for cars in central London, and a tax on company car-parking spaces

* Make the River Thames the 14th "tube" line - with high-speed, four-stop hovercraft/hydrofoil commuter river buses between Embankment and Richmond in the west and Greenwich in the east

* A river bus terminal adjacent to Embankment tube, with airport-style lounges, shops and cafes

* Two new tram links - from Dulwich to Waterloo, and Streatham to Victoria - to cover those parts of south London without tube stations

Reclaim the Streets

* Close local high streets to traffic to create a network of urban villages all over London

* Make Sunday a no-car day in the West End

* Grass-over Victoria Embankment between Westminster and Waterloo Bridges to create the London Sculpture Garden - an open-air exhibition of 150 sculptures, rotating annually

* Link up parks, squares, canal banks and river walks to establish pedestrian and cycle routes criss-crossing London

* Sylvia Pankhurst Parkway - a three mile ribbon of parkland connecting St James's Park with Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to create a continuous car-free walking and cycling route from Whitehall to Kensington High Street and Notting Hill Gate (achieved by excluding cars from Horse Guards Road, The Mall and South Carriage and West Carriage Drives, and by sinking the roads at Hyde Park Corner into a cutting and building a land causeway over them)

Green the City

* Transform the capital into a Garden City by planting a million new trees to cut pollution and visually-enhance the environment

* Tough new controls to upgrade air and water quality, and curb noise emissions

* Convert Greater London Authority (GLA) vehicles and Transport for London buses to hydrogen, gas and electric power to cut fumes and toxic waste

* Promote renewable energy with an avenue of power-generating windmills on the forecourt of the GLA headquarters, and by cladding the building with solar power photo-voltaic panels

* An Environment Commissioner to coordinate the Green the City programme

Save Our NHS

* Press the government for more NHS hospital beds, doctors, nurses and specialists

* Reopen local Accident & Emergency departments

* Switch the emphasis to preventive health-care to stop people getting sick in the first place

* A London-wide agency to integrate and coordinate HIV prevention campaigns and support services

* Campaign for the legalised medical use of marijuana, and for a Royal Commission to consider the pros and cons of decriminalising recreational drugs

* As a condition of licensing, require all bars and clubs to provide condom vending machines and display safer sex information

* A Health Commissioner to promote a programme of Health for London, with a focus on sickness prevention

Affordable Housing for All

* Support a four year rents freeze

* Register all empty property and establish a fast-track allocations system to get unlet homes occupied

* Set up an internet-based, London-wide scheme to enable council tenants to organise their own flat swaps with other council tenants in any part of London

* Promote the mass build of low-cost, high-quality, environment-friendly, crime-resistant housing to stop Londoners being priced out of living here

* Repopulate the West End and City of London through new housing schemes to create safer, integrated living and working communities

Action on Poverty and Low Pay

* A minimum wage of £4.50 an hour payable by all Greater London Authority (GLA) controlled bodies and by all companies that do business with the GLA (which would put an extra £30 a week into the pockets of the lowest paid)

* An Urban Regeneration Commissioner to tackle inner-city poverty

* Oblige all GLA suppliers and service providers to guarantee high standards of health and safety and environmental protection

Policing Without Prejudice

* Action to root out police corruption, racism, homophobia and all forms of prejudice, in order to restore public confidence and respect

* Crack down on hate crimes to protect the black and gay communities

* Make prejudice and discrimination by officers an explicit offence under the police disciplinary code

Crime Busting - Safer Homes, Safer Streets

* Protect the public by ensuring that every neighbourhood has its own designated police officer with responsibility for community liaison, crime prevention and victim support

* Enable the police to concentrate on fighting serious crime through the creation of a new London Patrol Service, which would take over routine police duties - such as traffic management, the notification of highway repairs, home security advice, and street patrols to deter and report crime

Equality and Respect

* Strong representation for women and black people in the Greater London Authority (GLA) administration

* Free nursery education places for all 2 to 5 year olds, and free after-school clubs for pupils of all ages

* Disabled access to public transport and buildings

* Recognition and rights for unwed couples - gay and straight - through a GLA Domestic Partnership Register

* An action programme to stamp out racist and homophobic bullying in schools

* Comprehensive equal opportunities and non-discrimination by the GLA and GLA-controlled bodies

* Contract compliance to require firms doing business with the GLA to guarantee equal opportunities to all their employees and customers - including spousal benefits for couples on the GLA Domestic Partnership Register

Jobs for London

* Restructure business rates to raise the tax paid by big companies and lower the tax burden on smaller ones, in order to encourage enterprise and the growth of small businesses - thereby enabling them to take on more employees

* The transformation of London's education and economic systems to create new knowledge-based, socially-enhancing, ecologically-sustainable jobs of the future

Capital of Culture and Sport

* Free summer art exhibitions and music concerts in Hyde Park

* London on Ice - close The Mall to traffic and transform the former roadway into a long lake which would, in winter, be frozen artificially to create the world's biggest, free open-air ice rink

* London Games - every two years - to promote sporting achievement

* Expand and develop London's community-based festivals, such as the Notting Hill Carnival and Pride/Mardi Gras, into major international cultural events

* Sponsor an annual St Patrick's Day Parade in London

London Lottery

* A London lottery to fund new lost-cost housing, free nursery education and after-school clubs, improved public transport, and the greening of the environment

* Alternative or additional funding for these Greater London Authority (GLA) projects could be derived from:

+ Tourist tax - £2 a night on occupied hotel beds

+ Congestion charges - £5 a day for cars to enter central London

+ Company car-parking space levy of £1,500 a year

Participation and Democracy

* Live internet coverage of all Greater London Authority (GLA) proceedings

* Community Forums on issues of concern to Londoners, where the public can quiz the Mayor and Assembly members and propose new policy ideas

* Direct input for community groups into the GLA's decision-making process

How You Can Help the Campaign

The "Tatchell for London Assembly" campaign has no party machine, and hardly any resources. Peter is dependent on people like you. These are ways you can help:

· Join our "chain campaign". Persuade five friends to vote for Peter. Get them to persuade five of their friends, and so on.

· Make a personal donation. Send your cheque, payable to "Tatchell for London", to: Tatchell for London, Swiss Centre,10 Wardour Street, London W1V 3HG. Then organise a whip around among your friends and work colleagues.

· Write letters of support to local and national newspapers, and call up radio phone-in programmes - tell them why you're backing Tatchell for London.

· Get Peter invited to speak at local election meetings in your area.

More information

info@tatchellforlondon.freeserve.co.uk
http://www.tatchellforlondon.freeserve.co.uk