Game On
April 6th, 2010 | Posted by in Politics - UK
Are you ready for the next thirty days? The options have never been poorer but in a month we’re going to have live with one or the other of ‘em.
What a dreadful thought.
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Isn’t it time we changed this ridiculous system in which we all knew for months when the election was going to be, but it has to be properly announced a month before? While we’re at it, we could get rid of the seemingly arbitrary period of time governments are in power for, and just make it a four year term.
Isn’t it time we changed this ridiculous system in which we all knew for months when the election was going to be, but it has to be properly announced a month before?
The problem with that is that government has to be disolved during the campaign – obviously, it would be grossly unfair to have one party campaigning while still in office, still utilising the resources of the Civil Service, and still capable of passing legislation and so forth. Minimising the disruption caused by the actual election is important; for the next month the country will be run by the Civil Service, which itself will be effectively gimped thanks to “purdah” rules (which radically limit the range of things that the Departments can actually do until after the election). Plus it avoids the problem that afflicts the US and others, in which a sitting President is effectively a lame duck for the last year of their term as the next election gets underway, earlier and earlier each time.
A hard cap I can agree with, though, although it would probably have some odd effects if a government collapsed early, or if an early election became desirable for another reason.
I am feeling fairly apathetic on this at the moment actually. There isn’t anything I can actually do. There isn’t much to watch (election fatigue is setting in already) so… meh.
Still. Interesting things may happen.