Like the cuckoo heralding spring

There are many signs that a General Election is coming - well-informed speculation by well-briefed columnists on dates, a suitably campaigning speech by the Prime Minister at their Party Conference, MPs not booking holidays for certain dates and one of the more recent traditions - the Leader of the Opposition calling for a debate of the party leaders. If I recall correctly, the next stage is a Downing Street spokesman saying that they'll certainly consider it, but one has to consider the practicalities followed by the leader of the third party demanding that they take part in any debate that occurs. Then, both the BBC and ITV announce that they'd be happy to broadcast it (at this point, the Dimbleby brothers both start dreaming about what their first question will be, while Jeremy Paxman and Jon Snow allow themselves a faint glimmer of hope that they'll get the call) and the leaders of several other parties insist that they should be allowed to participate - at this point, there may also be calls for separate debates in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As the election gets closer, off-the-record briefings begin to appear in the newspapers where 'senior figures' worry that a leaders' debate will damage parliamentary democracy with lots of concern about 'Presidential government' and 'sidelining Parliament' while Downing Street publically hems and haws over details and practicalities - often the needs of other parties will be raised here, depending on the Leader of the Opposition's position on including them. Finally, the election will be called, the Leader of the Opposition will make one last call for a debate, Downing Street will say there is no time to organise one, and the whole thing will be forgotten about for four more years.