Anyone who suffered the indignities forced on the unemployed during the Thatcher era will understand the horror felt by many people when confronted with the thought of another Conservative government.

I was a Young Conservative (I actually patted Thatcher on the back at a rally in Wembley) in the early eighties and saw the workings of the Senior Association from the inside, and the attitude of the grass roots Conservative Party shocked me so much I left on political grounds (possibly the only Young Conservative to - I originally went for social reasons and the whole Conservative philosophy didn't sit well with me).

At the same time I was on a YOP scheme, which was basically slave labour for the under eighteens, and the lack of understanding amongst Conservative supporters for people who were unemployed or on these government schemes was astounding. As for what happened with the Miners etc - let's not go there.

Just remember that as a Home Secretary Michael Howard was evasive, ineffective, obsfucating and unable to take any resposibility for his mistakes.