Whatever Happened to the Silly Season?

August used to be the month when British politics shut down and newspapers had to run silly-season stories. Of course, the MPs and MEPs have all broken up as usual (the former for almost three months!), but these days, political life just carries on. There are no fewer than three local council by-election campaigns running in London at the moment: Shadwell in Tower Hamlets (polling on August 9), Stonebridge in Brent and Crystal Palace in Bromley (a LibDem-held seat). Earlier today, I went to the splendid new offices that have opened up for the highly winnable parliamentary constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, where I addressed blue envelopes for Stonebridge and did a couple of rounds of delivery in the West End Lane area. Then back home to answer all the emails and write an article or two. Tomorrow looks like being even busier.

I suppose one reason why August is no longer the ‘dead’ month that it used to be is that people take their holidays at all sorts of times during the year these days, not just in mid-summer; indeed, the best bargains are available out of school holiday periods. I’ve always tended to stay in London during August, anyway — even if the centre of the city is swamped with foreign tourists! And being out on the streets so much now that good weather has at last arrived means I will once again get the LibDem activist’s tan!