Whyelections aren’t what they used to be

Theresa May is copping it in Britain for announcing an early election, after previously ruling it out with such steely certainty.

You can understand why British voters and the media might feel like they’ve been led up the garden path.

But there’s a certain appeal to the snap election scenario. It’s a little like the age-old debate over whether it’s more painful to remove a sticking plaster by ripping it off, or peeling it back slowly. debates in the final week of the campaign used to be a must-watch. But what if everyone has already voted? Is it worth the leaders even turning up? Ditto for hitting the hustings in the final week of the campaign. They could just be whistling into the wind.

We can already see the way politicians have changed their behaviour in response.

Bill English and Andrew Little are already in campaign mode (Winston Peters always was). Wellington is a place where they spend less and less time. It used to be that the leaders spent two days out of three jousting in Parliament’s debating chamber. These days it’s one. The rest of the time they are on the road (arguably a good thing).

John Key did everyone a favour when he did away with the usual dance of the seven veils over the election date, which is largely the prerogative of the prime minister (within certain time limits).

But now election year feels like one long campaign.

Bill English named the date in February, a warning of nearly eight months, and we’ve been in a phony war ever since.

The throat-clearing started with

Everything else is changing so fast these days. Why not election campaigns as well?