Things Can Only Get

In 2011 the Coalition Government brought in the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. It worked once, in 2015. Meant to limit elections to every five years apart from those circumstances in which a government had lost a vote of confidence or a two-thirds majority wanted one, we then had elections in 2017 and 2019 and then the Act was repealed in 2022.

Now the sitting government again have control over the time to go to the country. They must go every five years. They can announce early, leading to a long campaign, or within three weeks of an election date.

And so it was, holding the gift of date-choosing and time of announcement, yesterday Rishi Sunak chose to announce a General Election will be held on July 4th (a six week campaign). The gossip is that this came as a surprise to all but a few of his inner circle but the press rumbled him, especially as Lord Cameron flew back from a foreign trip almost as soon as he had landed.

Given the command and control Sunak still had he decided to announce outdoors in a downpour, without wearing a coat or holding an umbrella. The inimitable Stop Brexit Steve had time to mobilise and the strains of Things Can Only Get Better, the 1997 New Labour anthem, drowned the speech whilst the rainfall drowned the Prime Minister. As Sunak turned to go back indoors looking like he'd recently been swimming fully-clothed a pundit was heard to remark 'There's the Shot'.

Photo-journalists spend campaigns looking for the image that can be said to define the election. Remember 1992 John Major on a soapbox and Neil Kinnock air-punching? Then William Hague on a water-slide? The Ed Miliband bacon sandwich moment? (Now that @richardosman is an answer smash.) They don't expect to get it in the first hour.

Today's papers have the soaked shot, many using Things Can Only Get Wetter as their caption. Meanwhile all Sir Keir Starmer had to do to look prepared and highly organised was to have a speech ready and sit indoors to make it.

You've done me no personal harm but nevertheless I will be bringing at least daily news of things that catch my eyes and ears over the next six weeks. It may make things bearable for some of you. Also, freed from the requirement for a serving clergyman to be largely independent, now I'm retired some axes may be ground. Here we go.