Early elections?

[ewx]

[Poll #1042148]

For the avoidance of doubt by "always" I mean "always", i.e. no early elections as well as no late elections. So don't tick both that and any of the early-election options unless you really do think that fundamental constitutional laws should be self-contradictory!

Comments

[ewx.livejournal.com]

If Parliament don't like the current government then presumably they form another one made up of a different set of people. As for "no one party", you could have a coalition, or even a minority government. It might not get much done, granted...

[gareth-rees.livejournal.com]

The state of not being able to get much done might be rather unsatisfactory. Are you sure that you would have preferred Harold Wilson struggling on with a minority administration (until 1979?!!!) to his calling a second election in 1974?

[ewx.livejournal.com]

A coalition of some sort would have been completely unthinkable at any point in that five years?

[gareth-rees.livejournal.com]

At any point... well, who can say? In 1974, yes, it apparently was unthinkable. (Northern Ireland was predominant among the reasons why.) In the circumstances I think it was quite right to go back to the electorate and try for a clearer result.

1910 is another example (with Ireland again a major stumbling block). And 1951 shows how risky it can be for the party calling the election.