Education Policy and Contemporary Politics

Abstract

On 2nd May 1997 Tony Blair, surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, walked triumphantly along Downing Street as Labour Prime Minister with the largest parliamentary majority in modern times — the beneficiary and main architect of a ‘landslide’ election victory. Eighteen years earlier, during election day in 1979, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, alone with his close aide Joe Haines, is said to have swept aside a comforting observation as to the Party’s prospects. Callaghan perceived what he referred to as a ‘sea-change’ in politics, and, indeed, the following day Mrs Margaret Thatcher stood at the front door of 10 Downing Street as Conservative Prime Minister.