All the Way with Thatcher?

This is probably an election year in Britain. It doesn’t have to be; Mrs. Thatcher could wait until spring 1984. The timing of an election—and the Prime Minister can choose virtually any time up to five years from the previous polling day—is a matter of the most delicate political judgment. Many elections have been lost through being called too soon or delayed too long. Coming very close to the five-year deadline is always dangerous, though; it leaves no room for maneuver if circumstances should suddenly become adverse.

The likeliest dates for this election, therefore, are in the early summer or, more probably, October.