At times the chasm between Britain’s political parties is as great as the San Andreas Fault. Sometimes the difference is more like a small rift, a matter of tone not policy. In this year’s election, the difference between the parties is somewhere in between, like the lesser-known Tunnel Ridge Fault in Eastern California. In part, the appearance of only minor differences may explain why the polls are showing such different things; some predict that Labour will hang on to power, others that the Tories will be able to win.
But campaigning will bring out the differences between the parties – and the party leaders – into full view to an electorate that rarely tunes in to Prime Minister Questions and who have not yet seen Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg side by side.
That, I am sure, is a contest that will benefit the youthful Tory and Lib Dem leaders over the tired-looking Labour incumbent. It will also show that while the debate is no longer conducted over the San Andreas Fault of politics, there are plenty of Tunnel Ridge Fault issues that separate the parties. Like how much central power the state should have, how to energise Britain’s economy, how make the public sector effective and how to clean-up British politics.
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