I’m calling the date of the next General Election

[Lettucelet]

Thursday 24 October 2024.

My logic is thus:

1. Tory MPs with kids in private school will want the election after the next academic year starts so that they will get an extra year VAT free while Labour gets its house in order. This is why Jeremy Hunt said the election wouldn’t happen until the Autumn.

2. Tory MPs will want to take full advantage of the summer holidays/recess so they won’t want to campaign in July/August when they could be on a yacht instead.

3. Term will start Week Commencing Monday 9 October at the latest. They will want to have a week to sort things out.

4. So, 6 weeks after the Thursday of the week after 9 September is Thursday 24 October which fits in nicely with half term and they can go on holiday again.

Place your bets.

This is going to be a filthy campaign by the Tories akin to a barrel of cobras writhing around together dripping venom and then eating themselves.

Good. I will look forward to that.it should be no holds barred. Call out the bad behaviour on either side, call out the bullshit. No one should get in on a bare faced lie. So for my money, bring it on.

I’d love boring and functional government. I’m exhausted by this instability, incompetence and unpredictability which we have now plus scandals, so many scandals. I want to wake up and see boring news.

@AnnieSnap you were the first to call July!

Really? You're happy with the filthy campaign? Like Sunak posting that Starmer has refused to debate with him when the opposite is true?

At least we have community noting on twitter to try and show up the lies a little bit.

We have not necessarily done worse than other countries. Our big issue is expecting too much from too few people who are economically active. Growth in the economy is slow and we have the hugely expensive NHS that other countries don't have. I'm interested to see what Wes Streeting can do to improve it but it needs a huge amount of reform.

We have any new government starting in office with not enough money for what we want to spend it on. We need more on just about every service. Ticking at the edges of vat and shouting about the very rich will not cut it. Labour has tried this before and lost elections. There's no prospect of anything changing unless there's growth and profitability in business. The engine that provides everything!

Interesting. You might like this link. Several of the countries above us also have a NHS.

https://www.covidrecoveryindex.org/ranking

That’s not right. A lot of European countries including those listed have insurance-based social healthcare systems, which many people top up with private cover if they can afford it. None has an NHS on the model if ours.
there might be good reasons for that.

And those governments largely pay more per capita than the UK does.
We can change model (and probably receive an improved service) but it won't mean it's cheaper for the government.

Not something I want handled by any government to be honest - any change would need to be introduced after a lengthy, detailed & impartial discussion with voters. Not something rushed through at the behest of donors or media owners.