History Repeats Itself

Surprise! Tony Blair and his Labour Party won the British general election. As the polls predicted, it was another landslide. All the strain and noise of the campaign changed the balance of power in the 659-seat House of Commons by a thimbleful. Labour lost six seats, the Liberal Democrats gained six and the Conservatives picked up one, leaving Labour with an impregnable 167-seat majority. The big shift from 1997 was a startling 12% drop in turnout to 59% of eligible voters, the lowest since 1918. Voters didn't feel strongly motivated to back a Labour Party that was clearly going to win...