BRITAIN: Mrs. Thatcher's Bold Gamble

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Meanwhile, the Conservatives have made another move toward winning votes from Labor: they have backed away from bipartisan support of the concept of power sharing between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. The Tories have also raised the possibility of changing laws that give instant voting rights to Irish immigrants. Labor M.P.s from industrialized areas admitted that the anti-Irish swipes would go down well in the British Midlands. "Margaret is desperate," protested a Labor Cabinet Minister. "She wants to be Prime Minister —by any means."

But Callaghan has plenty to fight back with. Last week the Prime Minister reaped a substantial political bonanza with some favorable economic news. Britain's mine workers agreed to go along with the government's 10% limit on wage increases; the pound, already surging, rose another half a cent; and key Labor economists projected a drop in the inflation rate (13% in November) to 7% by July. One pollster believes that the party may also pick up a large block of new votes in the next election from the traditionally apolitical Asian immigrants. His prediction: "They are going to crawl over broken glass to vote against Mrs. Thatcher." ∙