Theresa May obviously made a catastrophic decision April 18 to call an election. Polling at the time suggested that Conservatives would substantially increase their very small majority, and in particular would gain modest income seats in the Midlands and North. That’s because she made a big point of saying that she wanted policies that would help people just “getting by.”
I was in Britain May 14 to 18, spending time in the Midlands around Birmingham and the North East around Newcastle. The Conservative campaign featured Theresa May in capital letters and Conservatives in minuscule type. Her theme was “strong and stable,” repeated almost robotically. In her statement after winning her constituency of Maidenhead, she talked about the importance of keeping the Conservative party—not quite the personal appeal that was being made five weeks ago.
