Fair play

Despite the increased election gossip, I would say that it is becoming relatively clear that a snap election in October is less and less likely the more the talking heads chew it over. Aside from "election mastermind" Douglas Alexander being on holiday 2.5 months before the supposed day of reckoning and Labour being well and truly skint, Brian Taylor sets out a superb explanation for why Brown is probably going to wait till 2008 or later.

But to change the topic slightly, why should Brown have the right to have us all on tenterhooks like this anyway? Is it fair that he can wait until the Tories are at their weakest and Labour at their strongest before going to the electorate to seek a mandate?

What if such an approach was taken in another vitally important area of modern life, football. Let's imagine Italy, current World Champions, could announce when the next World Cup could be...

Del Piero, Inzaghi, Nesta, Cannavaro etc could all mosey into the Piazza Navona on their Vespas bedecked in designer sunglasses and Armani suits for a meeting every month. Over pizza and Peroni they could establish how everyone is feeling, make sure there are no niggling injuries and ensure the rival Brazilians, Argentinians and Scottish** superstars are wrong-footed or injured as much as possible before deciding to kick off the next festival of football a month hence.

It's just not cricket. Or football in this case. And it doesn't seem impartial enough for the Prime Minister to choose when the general election should take place given its importance.

No, I'd like to see someone irrelevant to modern-day Politics make the call, someone whose views on the way we should live has no direct impact on public policy.


Perhaps Menzies Campbell could be the man.......?








** It's the optimism that keeps you going.