Fingers crossed

I confess to being a little surprised that Rishi (no longer ‘Dishi’) Sunak has called an election for July 4th. I was anticipating an autumn general election. People who suspect they’re going to lose tend to cling on as long as possible, a la Major and Brown. Perhaps this timing tells us that the Tories had simply run out of steam. Having said that, in the parliamentary session time left between now and say October there’s not much opportunity to introduce exciting new legislation that would transform all our lives. So now millions will decide, and may even learn if there’s a choice. I will vote Labour (it would be odd for a member not to) driven in part by a powerful desire to see the back of the Tories, and partly by a fond hope that in power Starmer faces up to the nation’s problems with a little more vim and vigour than he has so far displayed. ’Fond hope’ is the operative phrase. Being in opposition I think is largely a PR exercise. Being in power is something else. If he gets a landslide majority, will he use it? Will such a majority convince him that people are desperate for real change, or will he see it simply as an endorsement of his magical powers of persuasion? No other party can get rid of the Tories, to coin a phrase it’s a two-horse race. If Labour’s majority guarantees a full-term parliament or even two in unassailable power a lot can happen—not least thanks to a lot of backbenchers who eventually may be tempted to slip the leash and demand more. Fingers crossed.