A second shot at an old story I did, with a different format.

...

1.

November 7, 1980

“BBC News, at six o’clock. Good evening.

It’s been a day of counting losses and gains following yesterday’s dramatic election result. Though the calculations of final results are still underway in some constituencies, it seems clear that the Liberals have achieved a remarkable first-place finish, their first since 1910 and a thunderous demonstration of the effects of Britain’s new electoral system. Speaking before reporters at her home in Croydon, the Liberal leader Beatrice Seear has hailed the result as ‘an endorsement for change,’ citing also the catastrophic results for both Labour and especially the Conservatives. It appears certain that Labour’s share of the popular vote will dip below a quarter while the Conservatives may fall below ten-percent with their number of seats in the low double digits, representing a fundamental realignment of British politics with the Liberals seizing more than forty-percent of the vote. With more from Westminster, our political affairs correspondent David Coughlan.”

“If one thing is clear from what may be Britain’s most dramatic ever election result, it’s that the country has repudiated, possibly forever, the Conservative party. Mr Howe’s effort to rebrand the party in just eight months following six years of repression and near-dictatorship appear to have failed catastrophically. We already know that Mr Howe has lost his East Surrey seat, and possibly even his deposit, to a young and unknown liberal named Emily Fleck. The same is true for numerous Conservative MPs as the much-feared backlash against the legacy of Enoch Powell was finally expressed. Yet the results have been disappointing, at the very least, for Labour which fell to a quarter of the vote which is likely to see it fall to what some estimates put at just 160 seats. Mr Benn has already rejected claims that his hard-left leadership failed to resonate with voters, as have many of his supporters – there were scenes of violence last night when Aberdare in south Wales, normally a bedrock of Labour support, was narrowly lost to the Liberals. But Mr Benn has claimed that ‘all is not lost,’ pointing out that the new proportional electoral system will force the Liberals to seek a coalition partner, and that only Labour can mathematically fill such a role. Mr Powell, currently awaiting trial at the Old Bailey for high treason, offered a statement through his lawyer that he hoped the election marked the beginning of a more peaceful period for Britain, though criticising ‘historic levels of constitutional vandalism’ which the reform of the electoral system represented.”

“There has been a lull in the unrest across Ireland as people await the final results of the election. When it became clear that the Liberals had come first there were widespread reports of celebrations, Miss Seear having promised a speedy withdrawal of British troops from the country after last year’s invasion. It remains unclear what the final tally of seats will be, but multiple Liberal and Labour MPs have confirmed that talks were underway between the Liberals and Labour with the view of forming a coalition before polling had even begun. In Washington, President Reagan welcomed the “return of democracy to our noble friend Britain,” while hinting that it could represent the end of sanctions, a sentiment echoed by President-elect Kennedy and the leadership of the European Community. In Moscow, a spokesman for the Soviet government expressed hope that Britain’s return to democracy would mean a new period of much-needed stability for Europe.

But far darker events have also taken place amid this hopeful period. Investigators in Northumberland have uncovered twelve bodies in a shallow grave outside Alnwick, with a detective from Northumberland Constabulary having stated that there is a “high probability” that these may be victims of a Powellite killing squad, a handful among the estimated 4,500 people who disappeared during the Powell period. The victims found at Alnwick have not yet been identified but campaigners are already speculating that it may be the twelve trade unionists who vanished in September of 1978. The investigation is ongoing.”

Comments Please
 
Top