Anna1013

I heard that the next election in the UK is during next year some time, but does anyone know when it is? I'm planning to travel to Europe next year sometime, and I was couldn't find the answer on the internet.

WillTravel

The British elections (nor most parliamentary country elections) do not happen on a fixed schedule.

rkkwan

Term length has a maximum of 5 years for the MP. But the Prime Minister can call for an election any time. Tony Blair became PM after election on May 2, 1997, won again June 7, 2001. So, the next election could happen as late as 2006.

And they don't have lengthy campaign seasons. For the election in 2001, he called it just about a month prior, in May 2001.

keith_l

Informed speculation is that Blair is likely to go in May or June 2005, but as WillTravel says there's no fixed schedule. That said, most happen before the end of the maximum term as Prime Ministers like to have the maximum flexibility in making the decision - both Jim Callaghan in 1979 and John Major in 1992 were forced into a corner on election dates.

As for the campaign term, the formal campaign usually lasts about 3.5 weeks (election days are always Thursdays, for some reason!) There is a timetable in that nomination papers for candidates must be completed and returned to the local returning officers - I think this has to be done about 14 days before the election is due (I should know this - I was a candidate twice!!!) so even a "snap" election is likely to have about a month run-in.

WillTravel - I assume by "parliamentary country elections" you mean elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. These do have a fixed schedule, and occur every four years. If you're meaning the actual elections of MPs, then remember that we don't vote directly for the Prime Minister but instead elect an MP - the Prime Minister is (usually) the leader of the party with over 50% of the MPs or of the largest party (though, like everything in British politics, there's no hard and fast rule on this!)

PatrickLondon

Increasingly it has come to be the custom for general elections to be held every four years, as in most other countries, although the law allows for five years - so the temperature of political speculation will increase during this year and towards Easter next year. If you don't read those pages in the newspapers, you're unlikely to notice it.

For the sake of completeness, there are elections this June to the European Parliament, and the usual raft of elections to local government in various parts of the country. These tend to have very low turnouts and low-key campaigns, to put it mildly.

The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections are not due until 2007. In any event, elections at any level in the UK are unlikely to impinge in any way on most travellers' plans.

Oh, and my understanding of the custom of Thursday elections is to allow (just) enough time for the civil servants and politicians to gear up for 'business as usual' on the following Monday morning, even if that means a whole new government.

Anna1013

Thanks for the answers everyone. I know it's an irrational fear, but after the bombings in Madrid near their elections, I was worried about traveling during May-June 2005 in London.

My guess is that there will be tons of security around London during this time, but it still concerns me about traveling in the summer of 2005 - any thoughts?

flanneruk

The bombers can choose to hit London any time. Practically no date in the calendar is devoid of some significance to some disaffected group somewhere, and we've spent several hundred years giving just about every one of them something that, in their perverted logic, is justification for mass murder.

National elections in Britain, however, are unlikely to be particularly interesting to such groups.

Spain's socialist party was committed to withdrawing its troops, so the Iraq war and its consequences was a live election issue. That's simply not the case in Britain, where there's next to no interest in troop withdrawal, and where both main political parties have been in broad agreement on the whole Iraq thing. Last Saturday's anti-wat demo in Traf Square, for instance, drew a smaller audience than Leicester City got for its match against Everton (and few things can inspire less passion than a Leicester v Everton football match).

For what it's worth, no election since the end of WW1 has had foreign, colonial or anti-terrorist policy as an issue.

If you're remotely nervous about the risk of terrorism, London has been a rotten place to choose for a holiday for the past 65 years.

But trying to predict when they hit next really is a fool's game. Especially as, if you're American, you're far more likely to be the victim of a muderer at home at any time.

Staying away from London altogether, for ever, might make some sense if you're of a very nervous disposition. But try predicting the behaviour of deeply irrational people and you'll get it wrong. Sod's law says you'll walk straight into a Sikh vs Hindu, or Greek vs Turk punch-up.

sheila

The only bit of the above that I disagree with is teh bit about the UK not beinga natural target for Al Quaeda.

There is a pretty strong view that they changed the outcome of the Spanish elections. How much bigger a scalp is Tony Blair's? Personally, I think such an action would be counter productive, since I think they national character would say- sod you, terrorists, we're not going to be pushed around like that. But I know there are many who would disagree with me.

jor

Those that lie will be voted out. I guess Bush is next, then Blair. In the end, the People have the final say. Its always been that way.

WillTravel

Keith, I actually didn't think about Scotland and Wales, but that's interesting nonetheless. I was thinking of Canada in particular, and various EU governments that have a parliamentary system and no fixed term in office. I'm sure there are other examples too.

Val

Whenever the next election is it cannot come soon enough!!

Mucky

I heard a rumble that October 2004 could be a possibility...but who knows!

Muck

alice13

And why would that be, Val? Do you like Michael Howard? I think we should be told ...

flanneruk

jor:

The chances of Blair being voted out of office in the next 5 years are even lower than the chances of his telling the truth.

It's perfectly possible he might resign, or get voted out around 2009. But anything else is in the same league as Elvis being found alive on Mars.