The Long Goodbye
The Iraq war ended Britain's love affair with Tony Blair, but that doesn't look like it will stop the Prime Minister winning a historic third term
Looking For A Cure
Labour is pouring billions into the National Health Service. Is it getting better?
the new spain Britain's opposition Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, left, looks across at Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Oliver Letwin, who faces a tough challenge in his Dorset constituency.
The rolling green hills of Dorset West in southern England have been true blue Tory for more than a century. The party's placards sprout in the fields and by the roadsides, yet Conservatives are anxious. A largely rural, tourism-dependent constituency with a sizable retired population, Dorset West has become one of the party's most vulnerable seats. Labour trails a poor third, but the Liberal Democrats are closing in.
In 2001, Dorset West's sitting M.P., Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin, squeaked in with just a 1,400-vote majority. Letwin, a former merchant banker, is now one of six prime targets for the Lib Dems' "decapitation" strategy to oust high-profile Tories. The Lib Dems have always been a strong No. 2 here, and started making deeper inroads as the Tories' popularity waned after Margaret Thatcher's heyday. They dominate the town council running Dorchester, the "Casterbridge" of novelist Thomas Hardy, as they do many local councils in England's southwest. And, though people may quite like Letwin even part-time town crier Alistair Chisholm, a Lib Dem supporter, admits Letwin has "done his stuff" such appreciation may not be strong enough to save his skin. Letwin is so concerned about losing his seat that he commutes between London and West Dorset a six-hour round trip to help front the party's national strategy and be back in time for local campaigning in the afternoon.
Letwin's main opponent, Justine McGuinness, runs an equally energetic campaign. McGuinness, 35, has her own environmental legislation consultancy and has enthused supporters, including the former and current mayors, joining her on walkabouts. She's untried as an M.P., but reckons the Lib Dems' antiwar stance has won new friends among what she describes as the "strongly nonconformist West Dorset voters."
But people worry more about local issues than they do about the Iraq war. "I feel crime and health ought to be given more attention," says Tory supporter Denis Holliday, a retired head brewer from a now-closed local brewery. "Crime is getting worse. I wouldn't walk around [the nearby coastal town] Weymouth on Saturday nights." The Tories have made "more police" one of five key election pledges, accusing Labour of talking tough and acting weak. But McGuinness promises a similar solution. "We would bring in 50 extra police here the bobby on the beat is rarer than the great crested newt," she says.
The Lib Dems are also counting on tactical voting to give them an edge. To oust the Tories, Labour and Lib Dem supporters are urged to use various websites like www.tacticalvoter.net to "swap" votes in areas where their own parties have no chance of winning. The tactic is thought to have helped Labour scrape into neighboring Dorset South in the last election, with a 153 majority over the Tories. "My feeling is that those who voted tactically last time may do so again," Letwin says. "But it won't have much further effect ... as we have moved deeper into this government's term of office, there is a diminishing number who feel a driving enthusiasm to keep the Conservatives out." The other threat facing Letwin is the U.K. Independence Party (UKIP), which is fiercely nationalistic and wants Britain to keep the pound and pull out of the European Union. The UKIP candidate, Linda Guest, a former actress and air stewardess, is criss-crossing the countryside in her old Fiat Uno, painted in her party's purple and emblazoned with pound signs. UKIP's passionate brand of Euro-skepticism is most likely to siphon off votes from the Conservatives. "The Tories are very upset with me for standing," Guest admits, "but someone must tell the truth about what will happen" to U.K. sovereignty if integration goes any further.
Letwin downplays the challenge. "Most people realize that if they're worried about the E.U., they must not let the [pro-European] Lib Dems in," he says. "The best bet is to vote Conservative, which will ensure Britain remains an independent nation state." Whether Letwin, considered a cerebral politician, can win over enough hearts and minds to remain as representative for this bit of Hardy's England has kept the pundits speculating for weeks.
Reality Check
[Nov. 09, 2004]
Europe longed for a Bush defeat. Will his victory deepen the transatlantic divide? A look ahead
The Heart Of Labour [Oct. 05, 2004]
Blair's encounter with the doctors is like the other good news he's been getting lately: mixed at best.
The War at Home [Sep. 28, 2004]
From a hostage crisis to the Labour Party conference, Blair sees Iraq everywhere he looks
Town vs. Country [Sep. 21, 2004]
A move to end hunting with dogs in Britain sparks unexpected outrage
Doctor's Orders [Aug. 16, 2004]
Europe's health-care systems need strong medicine. Germany and Britain show signs of life, but in France, doctors are defecting
What the Butler Saw [Aug. 02, 2004]
An investigation finds that Blair took Britain to war on a false premise — yet shouldn't be held to blame
Final Rounds
[Jun. 07, 2001]
An electoral rout threatens the Conservatives' unity and Hague's leadership on the last day of the campaign
Right Side Down [Jun. 18, 2001]
Europe's conservatives need a radical remedy to reverse their chronic decline
Tony Blair's Next War [May 12, 2003]
It's a battle for the soul of Europe. Can the British leader — celebrating his 50th birthday — stop the alliance from splitting apart?
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
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