Chapter 62 Section 5 The third week of the election - 7 days before the election to the election day

Thursday morning's press conference in Glasgow was flat and featureless, the reporters didn't seem to have much to say, and I was still in a bad mood.Later in the morning, I was interviewed by a Scottish TV reporter.The interview was a tough one, as he was supposed to be a Conservative supporter but wished to prove the opposite and was particularly unkind.It's not surprising that this happens from time to time.But after that, things got better again.We visited a dairy in Aberdeen where I tasted some of the best butter I've ever had - but I was surprised to learn that the butter wasn't produced for domestic consumption but shipped to the EEC for storage Get up and prepare for price intervention.This is the first time I have seen so much butter piled up.

We then headed to Bucky's port and visited a fish processing factory, where the irrepressible enthusiasm and good spirits of the people worked wonderfully on me.In the evening I spoke at a rally at Elgin Town Hall, then drove to Lossiemouth to catch a flight back to London.On the way to Lossiemouth Airport we were greeted by crowds everywhere and we stopped every now and then to receive flowers and gifts.This proves once again that we are among friends. When I arrived at headquarters for a briefing before the Friday morning press conference, it was not hard to imagine that there was still some unseasonable chill in the April air.I was also grim when I discussed the impact of technology on employment with a reporter at a press conference.Then there was an interview with a TV reporter.I was told beforehand that he was a Conservative sympathizer, and it turned out he was just the opposite.By this time in the campaign, fatigue had set everyone on edge, and the stress continued unabated.I know I still have a couple of important press interviews, the last Conservative general election telecast to be taped, and two important speeches, one in Bolton and the other at the Conservative Union Congress.At the same time, new polls seem to suggest that our lead is eroding.Headquarters believes that the Conservative Party's advantage has dropped from around 10 percentage points to around 6 percentage points.Polls within the Conservative Party are slightly higher than the median figure, but unfortunately there is no reason to believe it is necessarily more credible than other polls.I had to cancel plans to visit the Fulham constituency that afternoon in order to concentrate on drafting the Conservative General Election telecast and Conservative Trade Union Members Conference speeches.But someone told the press that the real reason for my cancellation was my voice.The press took advantage of this exaggeration by portraying me as "Maggie's battle-wrecked" trying to stop the vote slide.In fact, my voice is at its best—now I have to take the risk of getting too nervous and try to make it loud enough to convince interviewers and audiences that I have a good voice.

The Saturday morning Daily Express carried the IMAR poll, and our lead had dropped to just three points.There were signs of mild jitters at Conservative Party headquarters.Peter Thornycroft wrote to the Conservative Party candidate: "No matter what happens, please don't be complacent and don't despair." This letter is not very encouraging, but it may be an accurate reflection of the letter's author And the mood of his advisers, who believe that the way to win the election is not doing what you shouldn't do, not doing what you should do.For me, I openly dismiss the polls, pointing out, "The closer you get to Election Day, the narrower the margins, it always has." In fact, I've decided that the best thing to do right now is in my head Forget about the polls at all and devote all your remaining energy to the decisive final days of the campaign.I had a good campaign in London this morning, including a visit to my own constituency of Finchley, and was back in the afternoon at the Fulard Street flats to discuss general election telecasting.

Sunday, April 29 was a critical day.Polls are flying everywhere.I ignore them.I had my hair done in the morning, and after lunch I drove to the Wembley Conference Center to attend the Conservative Unionists' mass meeting, which Harvey Thomas, drawing on his experience at Billy Graham's Gospel Church mass meeting, tried his best to make it a success. Very enthusiastic.A cast of actors and comedians enlivened the rally.Harvey disregarded the overly serious party officials' instructions about maintaining the dignity of the "next Prime Minister". When I entered the venue, I played the music "Hello, Maggie", and everyone sang loudly. Was thrown out of the sky.I've never seen anything this intense - although compared with Harvey's whimsical approach in later years, this one seems pretty tame.

The speech itself was short and sharp, and the response from the audience was exceptionally enthusiastic.Then I went to the Saatchi-Satchi advertising agency to record the last general election telecast.From 4 p.m. onwards, Gordon, Ronnie, Tim, and I iterated on the script, then shot the same shot over and over again, each time someone among us decided it wasn't good enough.Finally, well past midnight, we were finally satisfied. My main campaign on Monday was Granada TV's "Granada 500", where viewers from Bolton East, which produces the seat considered the most representative in the UK, posed questions to the leaders of the three parties seat (for many years the seat of Bolton East went to the party that formed the next government, but in 1979 voters made the wrong choice, perhaps because voters here were dizzy with the national attention).I love that it's a lot more relaxed than a one-on-one interview.The thought that these people are "real" voters who really care about the future of the UK puts my nerves at ease and, judging by the "applause meter", I have won this contest.

But the next day (Tuesday) morning, another national poll showed Labor ahead by 0.7 percentage points.At the press conference this morning, the reporter actually asked only one question, and that was my reaction to the poll.I won't answer, just say: I hope this situation will push Conservative Party supporters to come out and vote that day.Not only did this answer save me in difficult times, it was, I guess, the right call.Because if there's anything that really threatens us to win, it's complacency, and there's no complacency at that point.I went on to campaign in the North West End and, of course, ended up speaking at a rally in Bolton.Comedian Ken Dodd appeared on stage, welcoming me with a blue feather duster.After Ken Dodd delivered Nottie Ash's message - he made Bolton a genuine Conservative constituency - any speech would have seemed too serious.But at this stage of the campaign there is only one real message, and that is that those who want to throw Labor out of government must not waste their vote by voting it for a minor party, but must vote for the Conservatives.

And, this message must be repeated until the day of the poll.This was the subject of my last press conference on Wednesday (May 2).I preached the message again and again in the various constituencies of London, and at last came to Woodhouse School in Finchley.A group of feminists were there chanting protest slogans: "We want women's rights, not women on the right," and I had to fight my way through them.I was really tired when I drove back to the Fllard Street apartment.I've found an opportunity and I've seized it.Oddly enough, I feel happy when I realize that no matter what happens now, I have no control over it.For the first time in many nights, Dennis and I got six full hours of sleep.

The next day was Election Day, and I woke up to the radio reporting that all the polls that morning showed the Conservatives leading by anywhere from 2 to 8 points. At nine o'clock Dennis and I cast our votes at the Chelsea polling station and then drove to Finchley.As usual, I walked around the committee rooms, followed by a group of photographers.We went back to Fllard Street and had a quick supper and a little rest, knowing I was going to be up a long night that night.Shortly after midnight, I arrived at the counting center for the Finchley constituency inside Barnet Town Hall.They put me in a secluded room with a TV, coffee and sandwiches, where I could hear the election results quickly.Roger Borden was with me, watching the TV report, and updating me on the information that had come over the phone from headquarters earlier.I carry a counter with the details Keith Brito has prepared for me.The initial election results showed we had won, but there was also depressing news: Teddy Taylor lost his seat in Glasgow Cathcart.The numbers are starting to creep up as to how many seats we can get.The local council member, my constituency chairperson and wife, my election officer, and a few others came and went with increasingly palpable joy on their faces.But I deliberately restrained my premature excitement: out of caution, or out of superstition, and above all because I knew that it was easier to deal with bad news as long as expectations were not too high.However, in the end I couldn't control my emotions either.As soon as I walked out of the room and heard the results of the count in my own constituency, it was clear to everyone that we were going to form the next government.

The events of early Friday morning are now only vague memories — the warm welcome from supporters at the counting center, the visit to headquarters, the warmth and comfort of a brief reunion with family.I have elsewhere recounted the visit that afternoon to the Buckingham Sheriff to receive the Queen's mandate to organize a government, and the subsequent appointment to Downing Street. A victory of this magnitude surprised everyone -- or almost everyone -- by surprise.It shows not only that we won an election, but that we have a new mandate to reform.As electoral scientists and commentators have said after poring over the results, the Conservative winning formula bears that out.We won a majority of 43 seats in Parliament than all other parties combined.In this general election, the proportion of votes received by the Labor Party in all votes fell by 5.6% compared with the previous general election, and all of them turned to the Conservative Party. Both figures represent the biggest change since 1945 for any party.

Equally significant, the class that has converted the most to the Conservative Party is skilled labor, a third of whom apparently converted during the election process.These are precisely the people whom we must win over from their lifelong commitment to the socialist faith.They faced a particularly acute fundamental contradiction, and one that confronts Britain as a whole: whether to agree to a growing role for the government in national life, or to decide to change course and change direction.For these people in particular, it is a very practical question of whether to depend on the comfort and security provided by the state, or to make sacrifices in order to earn a better life for themselves and their families.Now they've decided to take a risk (and it was a risk) to vote for what I suggested -- and I know, in a sense, to vote for what is now embodied in me.I will always keep my faith with them.