Election Notes 2024: E-Day -30

In just under two hours from now, there’ll be live head to head debate between Prada and NotHardie on ITV. Unfortunately it won’t be the sort of head to head one tends to find online, but the much more boring and less interesting spectacle of two men both desperately wondering exactly how Farrago’s announcement yesterday that he will be standing for election will affect them.

It’s a pity he hadn’t waited until today to make the announcement, because that would really have scuppered their carefully rehearsed strategies for the debate. Like him or not, no-one can seriously deny that Farrago has done again what he’s always done, which is to shake things up. 

By entering the fray, he’s perfectly illustrated how both Prada and NotHardies dullness is matched only by their lack of ambition. Farrago pretty much single-handedly brought about the Brexit referendum, while all the other two have given us are similar versions of uninspiring.

So the spectre of Farrago will be at their shoulders, the question is whether they’ll rise up to the challenge and show some gumption or will they retreat into easy soundbites. Thankfully their spin doctors will be on hand to tell the assembled media whores that what was said we actually misheard and that was meant was actually quite different.

Spare a thought for ITV though. A commercial broadcaster having to give up an hours prime-time slot and for what? Low viewing figures and being forced to fill the breaks with plugs for its own shows because no advertiser wants their brand to be tainted by such a visual cure for insomnia.