BATTERED! That's the state of the Tory government after last week's disasterous local elections.
50 councils in England—one in nine-are now "Tory free" zones, with not a single Conservative councillor after the thumbs down Bue Major still clings to office. determined as ever to push through the packape of racist and reactionary legislation.
And at the back of the minds of Labour supporters and activists the nagging question remains unanswered-could Tony's team blow it again for Labour, and lose Ten ray coun The anti-Tory mood is strong. Labour did its best where it was the front-line challenger to the Tories. Sitting Tories fared worse than Tory challengers.
But is the anti-Tory mood enough to win the next election? Labour's share of the vote has actually declined since last year by three to our bor come There is little evidence of support for the vacuous policies of Blair Indeed while so many are showing their rejection of Tory policies, Blair's team has been busy adopting Get the Tories outthem.
Labour has allowed its policies to be Shaped by the market values which people are rejecting in droves.
In the very week of polling Gordon Brown boasted that a Labour government would mount Its own new squeeze on public spending, keeping to kenned Clarke's targets for at least the first two years of office.
This is a kick in the teeth for public sector workers and those Campaigning against tie tory cuc in schools, the NHS, pension and It deals a death-blow to hopes of job creating schemes to tackle the housing crisis.
It would cause a new outcry in local government. It sets the scene for a rapid repeat of the to the winter of discontent.
Coupled with Labour's obsessive opposition to taxing the rich, it means the Party can offer no real change for those who need it most—the poor, the unemployed and How long can a party maintain its electoral support on the strengths of anti-Tory sentiment alone?
Conservative policies on education and the NHS are hugely unpopular. But Blair's party is in disarray on all these There is some good news however.
At the base of the public sector unions there are signs of impatience and distrust of Labour's leaders. UNISON'S health conference last week marked out a set of radical government to improve the NHS.
Postal workers have given a rude response to Royal Mail's attempt to turn them into managument controlled government. But not if it behaves the leic in the unions, building political resistance to Blair's modernisers, offers the best hope of turning gut anti-Toryism into a fight for genuine socialist policies. OUT OUT " Tory government in crisis