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THE MORNING AFTER

Mixed signals everywhere. The Tories were never totally credible, but they made the beginnings of the comeback that should have started, but didn’t, four years ago. The Lib Dems’ much-trumpeted "decapitation" strategy didn’t work, but they picked up votes all the same. I think Tony Blair deserved to win, judged solely on Iraq (which is, it goes without saying, the reason so many voters turned against him). Will he be dumped by Labour MPs after a few months? I honestly can’t see it happening - he’s steelier than he sometimes appears. (How astute will Gordon Brown look when the economy dips, as the Economist says it will?) But if Blair is forced out, Iain Murray foresees a silver lining:

I have a suspicion that this election restores business as usual. If Brown moves Labour to the Left, centrists will return to the Tories.

Worst news of the night? George Galloway’s win. (Although it’s hard to shed too many tears for Oona King, the woman who described the US as a f***ing f***ed-up power.") Good news? Jack Straw held out against anti-war sentiment in Blackburn. And the Tories now have a black MP.

I hope Stephen Pollard entered his national results prediction in Norm’s book. He stands a good chance of winning. I’ll draw a veil over mine.

|||Clive|||http://clivedavis.blogspot.com/2005/05/morning-after-mixed-signals-everywhere.html|||5/06/2005 11:53:00 am||||||

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