December election blues? I’m dreaming of a post-Brexit Christmas

There is something feeble about the notion that the British won’t be able to cope with a general election in December. It is true that the season is not ideal. Better, indeed, for the matter to have already been resolved.

But it was not for want of trying. Boris Johnson twice sought approval from MPs for the country to go the polls in October. He argued that if we had chosen a change in Government, it could then have sought to delay or to cancel Brexit before the October 31 deadline. The objections that he could have cunningly taken us out of the EU early, once Parliament had stopped sitting, or changed the election date to November, were always pretty far-fetched.

Then, once the Brexit date had been delayed to January 31 and we had “no deal taken off the table”, other objections to an election were offered. Rather suspiciously, they tended to come from the same people. Having thwarted an election in October or November, they then said that December was no use because of the weather and the dark evenings. Absolutely exasperating. Rather like managing to endlessly delay Brexit and then say: “The decision was made in 2016. That was a long time ago. Circumstances have changed since then…”

Some might feel that it is patriotic to grumble about the weather. The British have always done so. But we should also reflect that we are the people who built an empire that covered a quarter of the globe. We liberated Europe and abolished slavery. We led the world in global trade and the industrial revolution. Our inventiveness and our contributions to sport, literature and much else besides are unsurpassed. Is the nation of Drake and Raleigh, of Shakespeare and Newton become so enfeebled? Are we incapable of shuffling off for a five-minute walk to the polling station, just because we need to put on an overcoat first?

Then there is the supposed concern about an election “during Christmas”. Some political commentators seem unaware of the difference between Advent (which starts on December 1st and finishes on December 24) and Christmas (which starts on December 25 and finishes on January 5).

I can’t see any religious objection to an Advent election. Certainly, Christians (and others) will be preparing for Christmas, perhaps “getting into the Christmas spirit”. But the claim that nativity performances or carol concerts will be disrupted, because schools and churches are used as polling stations, is overdone. The scheduling can be juggled. In any case, the local council does not force the vicar or head teacher to hand over these premises. A handsome fee is offered. If the offer is declined, then an alternative venue must and will be found.

On a less mundane level, might there not be a case for political debate being conducted as the mood turns towards the season of goodwill? Might it not encourage our politicians to raise the tone? If we want a “kinder, gentler politics”, where different opinions are respected and motives not impugned, then a December election could prove to be an inspired piece of scheduling.

Apart from the Christians, we are also expected to feel sorry for the students. But they won’t be denied a vote — indeed, most will have a choice. If they have returned home but wish to vote at their term-time address, they can do so by postal ballot. Or they can vote at home.

If anybody might find December less than congenial, it is the politicians themselves. For the voters, the time that must be spent outside in the cold will be negligible. For the candidates out on the stump, it will be many hours every day. It is those seeking to be returned as Members of Parliament who will be expected to shiver on doorsteps, slide around in the ice and wonder about getting lost in the dark. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.

Or perhaps spare a thought for those campaigning on behalf of their favoured candidate. Those volunteers who are assisting their political party by handing out leaflets at the entrances to train stations, knocking on doors, telling at polling stations and so on. For them there is no selfish motive. Neither fame nor fortune will accrue to them from their efforts. They do it because they believe in it. They will have weeks of peering through the window at others, perhaps gathered round a blazing fire under a mantelpiece covered with Christmas cards. Only a small minority choose to join a political party and the number willing to campaign is smaller still. But such people are an essential part of the democratic process.

The reward may be that when Christmas Day comes we may, at last, have resolved matters. It might just be possible that the decision over Brexit will be clear and accepted. Then, instead of the family rows between Leavers and Remainers that have strained festivities over the last three years, we can go back to arguing about cooking, washing up and which film to watch on the TV.