The World

I was kicking myself earlier today about the fact that I will be abroad for much of the British general election. Later this afternoon, I’m off to the Middle East for a few days; and then I’m away again for the last week of April. British election campaigns don’t happen that often, and they only last a few weeks, so it seems a shame to miss so much of it.

Then again, the campaign so far seems quite exceptionally dull. The economy is in deep doo-doo and we will probably get a change of governing party for the first time since 1997, so it should be exciting – but I can barely stay awake through the evening news. I thought it was just me being jaded, but I was interested to hear Anthony Howard, the veteran political commentator, say on the radio this morning that so far this was the most boring election campaign he can remember of the seventeen that he has covered as a journalist.

Why is this? I think it is partly because the politicians have so far contrived to do almost anything they can to avoid having a real debate. Whoever is elected, Britain will face some really nasty choices over the next couple of years. We cannot keep running a budget deficit of 12 per cent of GDP – so that means even higher taxes or massive spending cuts. Probably both. Yet is in neither party’s interests to be the first to admit this obvious truth. And so, during the first week, they have focussed attention on a very narrow debate about the virtues or otherwise of one relatively small tax-rise – a one per-cent hike in National Insurance (payroll taxes).

I think the personalities of the party leaders don’t help either. David Cameron, the Tory leader, is incredibly bland. Gordon Brown, apparently has a volcanic temper in private, but has so far kept it under control in public and confined himself to robotic statements about his core values. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader (who is a sort of friend, from Brussels days), can be charming and waspishly funny in private, but so far has come across as callow and inexperienced in public. This election would be so much more interesting if Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, was leading the Tories. At least he is a real person, with a feel for language and a willingness to depart from the script.

Still, this is only the first week, so things might perk up. I will be back in Britain for the first ever televised leaders debate on Thursday night, which might conceivably provide a moment of drama or two – if somebody forgets their lines or loses their cool.

And perhaps I shouldn’t be too upset about missing so much of this election. The current opinion polls point to a hung parliament with no overall majority, so that would probably mean there would another election along, within a few months.