Word: labouring
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...this week to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament, kicking off the campaign for a general election on May 5. This means it's crunch time for Howard, the third Tory leader to inherit the big problem of digging his party out of the rubble of huge losses to Labour in 1997 and 2001. Right now the Tories have 162 seats in the House of Commons to Labour's 408, and an ICM poll two weeks ago showed Labour leading 40% to 32%. Couple these numbers with the vagaries of the British first-past-the-post voting system, and Howard...
...Howard aims to capitalize on Labour's most acute vulnerability: low turnout
...This is campaigning, not governing. Labour hired the hall and plastered its windows with its vapid campaign slogan, forward not back. Blair gets friendly applause as he enters but soon faces tough questions. "On Iraq, I think the whole thing was wrong. I've never been convinced of your motivation," says the first man he meets. Blair deploys his usual answers: "Look at the hope Iraqis now have for their own country. The effect on peace and security throughout the Middle East could be very, very big." But he fails to make a convert. "I hope you're right...
...will he vote? The national mood is grumpy. Crime, immigration and taxes are starting to play for the opposition Conservatives. Polls indicate that 11% of people who voted Labour in 2001 are so turned off by Blair they might stay home, possibly driving turnout down to a historic low of 50%. Few think Labour could really lose; a huge swing, more than 10%, would be needed to boot Blair out. But with a low turnout, surprises on the margins could trim Labour's current 161-seat majority and undermine Blair's authority in what he has declared will...
...Highnam, it seems to do the job. People focus mostly on concrete problems like disabled access and lousy school lunches. He's a good listener, and an aide takes down addresses to send follow-up letters. Blair gets a chance to repeat ad nauseam the themes of Labour's campaign: the Tories will cut spending, our economy is stable, Labour has done a lot to help pensioners. After 90 minutes, people are asking for his autograph and posing for photos. He does some quick local interviews - the disbelieving national press has not been invited: "They're a total waste," says...