It could not be more trivial. Forget completely public policy. Today's British political discussion is not about the result of the next election, personalities of party leaders or even the race to become one when there is a vacancy. It is on the date, repeat date, of the next general election. The media belief is that the main choice is between some time in the next few weeks and next spring.

Labour is still haunted by the decision of Jim Callaghan not to call an election in autumn 1978, when the omens were reasonable, and hang on until spring 1979, which took us past the winter of discontent and inaugurated 11 years of Margaret Thatcher and 18 years of Conservative government. Is Gordon Brown going to wait and risk the fate of the former Labour prime minister? Or will he go to the country soon and risk being remembered as a "few months" prime minister?