My dad didn’t give me much love or care. But he was gripped by British politics and avidly read newspapers – passions I inherited. For that, and only that, I thank him.

So why do I so dread the coming weeks of high drama and anticipation before the election, an election millions of us have been waiting for? Because that lead time to E Day, which should be taken seriously and treated with respect, has, over the decades, become farcical and ignominious.

The public space is already so fogged up with whipped-up rage and hysteria that it’s hard to think clearly or cut through the fumes. Most of our media outlets seek to incite excitement through barney. No one listens; noisiness disrupts understanding. Politicians trade playground insults, contrive “facts”, or slyly evade questions asked by political hacks, who often don’t push them for fear of losing access.

Vast fortunes are spent on polls, many of them shallow and useless. The majority of our newspapers and much of the broadcast media are openly right-wing and biased.

The recent London mayoral election revealed the rotten state we are in. Radio phone-ins were dominated by those with........

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