Letter from London

Harold Wilson: Poll-axed

If it hadn’t been for the public opinion polls, nobody would have been in the least surprised by the result of the British election; on the contrary, after all the disasters of the past six years, a massive swing to the Conservatives would have been expected. Indeed, as recently as last summer, the polls showed a Conservative lead of no less than 27 per cent. But then, during the past three months, they swung right back until the Labor Party had an apparent lead of 12 per cent.

AL

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Anthony Lejeune

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U.K. Elections

British Conservative Party

Harold Wilson: Poll-axed

If it hadn’t been for the public opinion polls, nobody would have been in the least surprised by the result of the British election; on the contrary, after all the disasters of the past six years, a massive swing to the Conservatives would have been expected. Indeed, as recently as last summer, the polls showed a Conservative lead of no less than 27 per cent. But then, during the past three months, they swung right back until the Labor Party had an apparent lead of 12 per cent.