Opposition: Illusions and Realities
SIR,-1 read with considerable interest Mr Anthony King's article entitled 'Opposition: Illusions and Realities' (October 14) and was somewhat surprised that he failed to mention the effect of two important by-elections in 1948 in his review of the golden age in Conservative history, i.e., the post-1945 period.
In the spring of 1948 Mr F. W. Harris at North Croydon carried the miserable 609 Conservative majority of 1945 to the excellent total of 11.664. In November 1948 at Edmonton (a predominantly working-class district) I, the Conservative candidate. pulled down a Socialist majority of 19,069 to 3,327.
There was a moral to these results, for both Conservatives fought their campaigns on a policy of sturdy Tory faith and neither offered watered- down compromise Socialism or, indeed, wasted any time in saying that the Socialists are decent fellows. At Edmonton I fought the Socialists for what I believe they are—the degraders and despoilers of this mighty country. Both at North Croydon and at Edmonton the people rallied to the authentic voice of two self-made men who proudly proclaimed that opportunity is the right of every British citizen.
EDWIN HUBBARD
20121 Tooks Court, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane, London, EC4
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