The Course of the Campaign

Abstract

At 4 p.m. on September 15th, after the Prime Minister had paid a flying visit to the Queen at Balmoral, it was announced from 10 Downing Street that Parliament would be dissolved on September 25th and that polling day would be Thursday, October 15th. In giving 30 days notice, Sir Alec was following exactly the timetable set by Mr. Macmillan in 1959. But this time the announcement had been even more fully anticipated. The last legally available Thursday for polling day was November 5th and it had long been assumed that it would be a few weeks earlier. October 1st was not considered because 330,000 ‘Y’ voters would only come on the register on October 2nd. October 8th (the date in 1959) was unsuitable because the Queen would be away on her long promised visit to Quebec. October 15th had, therefore, been confidently tipped ever since the spring. Indeed, in early September there was almost more speculation on when the announcement would be made than on what it would be.