Word: kinnock
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...Neil Kinnock burst exuberantly into Darlington's Dolphin Center gymnasium, 1,000 supporters jumped up with a whoop. His right fist pumping air like a boxer who has just knocked out the champ, the Labor Party leader strode to the podium to accuse the Conservative government of creating a "divided kingdom," with islands of affluence surrounded by poverty. Campaigning in Edinburgh, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded that economic prosperity would "vanish like a dream" if Labor were elected. "Personal abuse," she added disdainfully, "signals panic...
...Labor Party was anything but panicky, though, as the campaign moved toward Thursday's election. Unlike its effort under Michael Foot four years ago, Labor under Kinnock has waged a slick campaign that had its leaders exuding confidence. "We are closing fast," claimed Kinnock. Indeed, some polls did show the Tory lead sagging. A Gallup survey last week revealed support for the Conservatives dropping by four points, to 40.5%, compared with Labor's 36.5% and the Social Democratic-Liberal Party Alliance's 21.5%. Thatcher nonetheless seemed destined to become the first Prime Minister in this century to win three consecutive...
...senior Conservatives accused Party Chairman Norman Tebbit of poor organization, arguing that the government failed to control the issues and too often campaigned defensively. Other Tories fretted that Labor's advertising, notably the ten-minute television broadcasts allotted free to each party, was superior. One program, a profile of Kinnock by Hugh Hudson, director of the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire, portrayed the Labor leader as compassionate toward the young, old and disabled while tough on militants in his own party. Shortly after it was shown, Kinnock's rating as an "impressive campaigner" shot up 19 points...
...17th century Composer Henry Purcell. All in all, many Britons agreed with Independent Television News' Jon Snow, who declared, "The campaign has become Americanized." Labor put on a strong show by adopting staged events, photo opportunities and other techniques refined by Thatcher four years ago. Last week, for example, Kinnock swung a cricket bat, signed a shovel at a muddy construction site and carried a six-year-old girl on his shoulders. For her part, Thatcher viewed an antique-doll collection, climbed aboard an amusement-park ride and sipped a beer at a Scottish brewery...
...final days, the campaign also grew ugly. Kinnock called Thatcher a "would-be empress" surrounded by "spineless sycophants and doormats." Thatcher responded, "They are accusing us of having the guts and spine to put our policies forward." Both candidates traded charges about who would run the country's economy, schools, housing and National Health Service better. Thatcher, for example, defended private health coverage as "absolutely vital," so that she could go to the hospital "at the time I want and with the doctor I want." Michael Meacher, Labor's chief health spokesman, called that a "callous, inhumane and selfish" stance...