Attlee

Labour's victory in this year's general election inevitably brought about comparisons with the similar 'landslide' of 1945. (The present government won an overall majority of 179 seats, while in 1945 the margin of victory stood at 146. A 10 per cent swing to Labour in 1997 was exceeded by a 12 per cent swing, while Labour's total of 44 per cent of all votes cast compares with almost 48 per cent in 1945. The honours are about even, and the parallels endless.) Yet no one bothered to compare the party's leaders, Tony Blair and Clement Attlee. Two more dissimilar characters, it seemed, would be hard to imagine. Whereas the 1997 result is perceived as a personal victory for Blair, many in 1945 believed that Labour had won in spite of Attlee. Blair is said to have a presidential style of rule, whereas Attlee seemed to have no style at all. Some thought him a nonentity. There was even a last-minute move to replace him as leader, before he could be appointed prime minister, by a bigger, more charismatic personality.