I’ve noted before the strong similarities between politics and football.

You’ve got a team you support, with its own colours and sometimes its own songs. You will have your views on the line-up and the manager. After a bad defeat there’ll be calls for his sacking.

An election of any sort, whether for councils or European parliament, is like an important match. And a general election is like a cup final.

So as a dedicated follower of politics – my favourite spectator sport – I’m already excited by the cup final in five weeks’ time. The early hours of December 13 should be good TV. Unlike some elections the conclusion isn’t foregone. Anything could happen.

But is it going to be an entirely fair fight? Most recent elections have taken place in May or June, when it’s normally warm and dry enough to venture to the polling station. If it’s cold or wet or icy, older people may prefer to stay indoors and others could be unwilling to make the effort.

Turnout may well be low and that generally helps the Conservatives. Some of those most likely to vote Labour, such as the least well-off, are also those most likely not to vote at all. I’m sure that was in Boris Johnson’s mind when he chose to go in December.

Historians have pointed out that the last time we had an election so late in the year was on December 6 1923. Sure enough, the Tories won most seats, albeit in a hung parliament.

But there hasn’t been one this close to Christmas since the election before that, on December 14 1918. It perhaps offers another parallel.

It was the last time the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” voted as one. Four years later most of Ireland had left the union, and we became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Could this be the last election when the UK still contains Scotland?

A new term has joined the collective dictionary this time. Coined by a right-wing think tank called Onward, “Workington Man” is a white, non-university graduate, over 45, who lives in the north of England and likes rugby league. He usually votes Labour but voted leave in the EU referendum, and could be persuaded to opt for the Tories this time.

He joins his companions from previous elections such as Worcester Woman, Mondeo Man and Essex Man and their older associate who first emerged in Victorian times, the Man on the Clapham Omnibus.

I live in Carlisle so I can’t swear to it. But I’d put money on the probability that there are white men over 45 in Workington who aren’t anti-EU, are university graduates and aren’t rugby league fans.

When Nigel Farage visited Workington on Wednesday to have his photo taken, some people stood and clapped and others shouted “fascist”. Doesn’t that suggest that its residents aren’t all on exactly the same political wavelength?

And to tar the entire male population of a town with the same brush is deeply patronising, as well as simplistic. People are more complicated than that.

The fact is that religion, genes, class and upbringing all shape our opinions, political or otherwise.

I’ve been subject to some of these stupid generalisations. Years ago I was talking to a Tory activist who, on hearing my accent, confidently declared: “If you’re an Ulsterman you must be a Conservative.”

More recently I expressed a certain scepticism about the monarchy, and wondered aloud why we were expected to get excited about their weddings – and pay for them. To which someone replied: “You would say that, being Irish.”

I was surprised anybody was ready to make these assumptions based on accent alone, and they made me quite angry. But I would make my own generalisation: most Ulster people are too polite to say anything about it. Instead I’d respectfully point out that there are all shades of opinion among Ulstermen and women: right versus left, nationalist versus unionist, monarchist versus anti-monarchist. All most of them agree on is that Brexit is a potential disaster.

It’s the same everywhere, and these lazy assumptions are at best rude and at worst racist. There are Germans with a wonderful sense of humour, black people who don’t have a great sense of rhythm, reserved Italians, generous Scots and ignoble savages.

I’m sure most would take exception to the idea that all Englishmen are overweight, drunken football hooligans – which is what coastal Spaniards must assume.