THE LOCAL elections on May 4 confirmed what most of us already knew. The Tory government, hated and discredited even in the eyes of many of its own Party candidates and former supporters, has lost any popular mandate to govern.
The Scottish elections and now council polls in Wales have seen the Tories ousted from the leadership of any local authorities at all. In the whole of England they now control just eight of over 300.
As they writhe awkwardly under media torment, groping for explanations of the latest of a succession of electoral debacle, Major's cabinet have so far managed to blame the electorate, their own rebel back-benchers, the world economy - anything but the policies which millions of voters have so emphatically rejected.
Sleaze
More and more Tory voters have realised that they too are suffering at the hands of a government which now seems incapable of listening to anyone, and embroiled in a permanent succession of embarrassing examples of sleaze and incompetence. hardened Tory voter.
Winston Churchill's rip-off of £12.5 million in Lottery funds on the eve of VE Day must have left a sour taste in the mouth of even the most All eyes are again on Tony Blair, after Labour's record share of the vote. But there are fears that instead of putting the boot into the Tories and stepping up the fight for an early general election, the Labour leadership will continue its internal war against the left and the unions, letting the Tories off the hook.
There are issues a-plenty which Labour could support to stoke up a mass anti-Tory movement. A million health workers could shortly be balloting for strikes over their insulting one percent pay offer. Angry campaigns are growing against NHS cuts. Thousands of teachers' jobs are at risk, with the NUT balloting soon for a one-day protest strike.
The problem is that 'New Labour" has so far studiously avoided any involvement with these struggles.
The growing numbers now fighting the Tory offensive will not readily forgive the Labour leadership if it pulls back now.
Major's gang are battered, bothered and confused. Let's finish off the Tories!
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 83, May 13 1995, Page 2