Defence of the Tories
Cast yourself back in time, to the heady days of May 1997. A Government has just been brought down in the most devastating way possible. A massive coup by the opposition of the Country, that has seen the Government's ranks decimated and its power snatched from its grasp.
My apologies for the dramatic beginning. I speak, of course, not of some military coup in a small South American country, but of the election that took place in the UK on 1 May 1997. The Conservative party, in office for 18 years since 1979, fell to its knees, giving the Labour party a majority of 179 in the House of Commons.
Throughout the land, people rejoiced. Here, they said, was a new beginning. Here, they said, was a chance to get away from the poll tax, from the sleaze, from the corruption. Labour stood tall, a shining moral light to guide us all through our daily lives.
Labour, over the past two years, has consistently stayed at over 50% in the opinion polls. Tony Blair's approval ratings are past 60%. Labour, it seems, has been good for this country. It has helped the rich, the poor, and the ever-present middle classes.
Why, then, do I say NO!!?
Let us examine a little more precisely the details.