As the prime minister has the power to declare a general election at any time during his/her term, what sort of plans do the BBC/ITN/Sky have in place should one be spontainously called without any prior warning?
As some correspondents will need to be recalled back to the UK to help cover it, designs for graphics, sets etc. will need to be put in place,. Do they just keep the last set of these in stock until a redesign is done when it is judged the time is least likely to be called?
you cant have a General Election without warning. The Parties all have to have time to campaign.
Last election was hinted and rumoured for months before it was called, so Sky had a new look planned and ready to launch at 4pm the day Tony Blair went into that school and announced the date officially.
News agencies would have people inside No.10 to leak the information to them, or No 10 would issue a press release or statement, which would be embargoed so the press will always be given warning, even if the information is not in the public domain.
you cant have a General Election without warning. The Parties all have to have time to campaign.
Last election was hinted and rumoured for months before it was called, so Sky had a new look planned and ready to launch at 4pm the day Tony Blair went into that school and announced the date officially.
News agencies would have people inside No.10 to leak the information to them, or No 10 would issue a press release or statement, which would be embargoed so the press will always be given warning, even if the information is not in the public domain.
The prime minister can
declare
an election any time, without warning. Their is then usually a gap of about 30 days I think before polling day for the parties and candiates to campaign, so it is a possiblity.
yes, but the press would be in they know, either with leaks from No10 and official embargoes.
It is possible for a PM to just call an election, but they wouldn't and maybe couldn't without discussion with the cabinet, and if they know, the press knows!
yes, but the press would be in they know, either with leaks from No10 and official embargoes.
It is possible for a PM to just call an election, but they wouldn't and maybe couldn't without discussion with the cabinet, and if they know, the press knows!
With Britain not having fixed-term parliaments, it is at the discretion of the Prime Minister to choose the exact time of the next general election. Therefore, he alone could decide to have an election at any time, so I would imagine broadcasters have to be relatively prepared to cover it. Obviously the broadcasters, just like the people, aren't going to find out a day before the election date, so they'll have time to get everything in order.
As I understand it BBC/ITN would start planning a year or more in advance of an expected election date. So if T Blair decided to surprise everyone and call a snap election then I imagine they would fall back on their plans from the last election, and everything would like quite similar.
Of course, if the question is sparked by the PM's recent health scare, then it doesn't really apply. If for any reason Blair stood down, then there'd just be an election for Labour Leader, and a general election would still be some way off.
I'm not for sure about this, but my mam's copy of the Labour magazine says 'Elections 2004' on the front, with a load of info for volunteurs. Nothing else is said about the date. It might be council elections though, but I'm not going to read through Tony Blair's columns to find it.
you didnt say where you were when you got the leaflet, but what I said is still true, London Local elections happen after the rest of the country, and so, Labour would be trying to canvas people.
This southern attitude I fear is in your 'ed sorry head
