General Election Countdown

We've added a countdown timer to the front page of the website, currently showing 351 days to the General Election. With Brown having been saved by the Parliamentary Labour Party last Monday, there is now more certainty about the likely election date. For candidates like me who have been in place for two and a half years it has been often difficult trying to make sure both personal arrangements and a campaign plan are ready at any time. Its often been impossible to make a long term arrangement. Having sold my business over a year ago if I had known that there wouldn't be an election during that year, there are many things I would have done & in particular more travelling. So at a selfish & personal level there's a lot to be said for fixed term Parliaments, although the constitutional change and abilty to deal with a "lame duck" Government make me a little uneasy about the idea. We've included a question about views on this and other aspects of how Britain is governed in our current survey; let me know what you think!