The future of the Tories | Socialist Action 1983

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Led them gradually support. By autumn economic situation will be worse and unemployment will be up again.

Thatcher decided strike - to hit the labour movement hard and before Conservative port declined.

The Tories have two objectives. First, of course, to ensure that they are re-elected. But second, to smash the leit in the Labour Party, and to ensure that the alternative to the Tories is not government, Labour/Alliance coalition.

To put it another way, the aim of the Tories and the ruling class is to make sure that Margaret Thatcher is prime minister and that Denis Healey leads the labour Partv.

The two are related right wing would much rather have another Tory government than a left Labour government which took Britain out of the EEC or was committed to a nuclear-free Britain. The way the right sabotaged campaign in Bermondsey Brent re-selection confirms this.

But are the Tories really as strong as they appear? Despite riding high in the opinion polls all the evidence points to the fact that the Tories are undergoing an historical decline. Contrarv created by the media, in 1979 Thatcher did not halt the trend towards a lessening of the Tories' share of the Thatcher won because of the YUIC. decline of both parties simultaneously.

The figures below downward trend of support for the Tories since their highest ever vote in 1931. The fifty year downward trend of support is massive.

Tory Victories Year Tory % of the vote 1931 1935 1951 1955 1959 1970 1979 X'A aptly losing the therefore fast supbut — the Labour Tatchell's Thatcher show the photo 1945 1950 55.0 1964 53.3 1966 48.8 1974 (February) 49.7 49.4 46.4 43.9 Name .

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Age.. •If you want more information about Socialist Action or to be put in touch with local supporters send this form to Socialist Action, Street, London N1.

ALO UC Tory Defeats 39.6 43.4 43.4 41.9 ly. 37.2 35.8 The trend here is obvious. With the exception of the 1945-51 period trend.

sions.

the ruling Duffy would be happy to cast a vote for coalition. Healey Jenkins

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RUN' 'CUT describes why the Tories called the election. The local "government elections show-

on a pre-emptive