The Rediff Special/Amberish K Diwanji

So many rules and regulations gives the impression of about a dozen Seshans giving orders

Many thousands of miles away from the heart and dust of the political tamasha in Delhi, another political drama is taking place. British Prime Minister John Major is fighting for his political life against all odds -- a deeply divided Conservative party, popular disenchantment with the Tories, and, of course, the glistening glamour of Labour Party leader Tony Blair. Assistant Editor Amberish K Diwanji, who is in the United Kingdom as a British Chevening fellow, filed this impression on the poll campaign in Blighty.

I came, I saw, and I was quite bored. This is the first impression one gets of the election war between the Conservatives and Labour. No earth shaking battles, no poles-apart ideologies, sleaze is nothing compared to India's ex-PM walking into the dock. But if things are warming up, it is probably because Labour's incredible 20 point lead in the various opinion polls is shortening, and if the trend continues, come Election Day, May 1, and it just could be neck and neck.

And there is the memory of the last election in 1992, when Labour was leading all along in the opinion polls, but come election day, and there was a Major upset with the Tories remaining in power, despite the absence of the Iron Lady, aka, Margaret Thatcher.

"Things are not the same," says Don Berry, associate editor on the Evening Standard, London. "Labour's lead this time is fantastic; last time it was by just a few points. So unless there is an absolute fall in opinion rating which will be noticed, Labour should make it."

John Major is fighting back gamely. Tragically, every time he seems to gain a point up, some blighter from his party goes out of his way to upset him. So recently, just after his opinion rating went up, one of his ministers, Angela Brown, blew the whistle on declaring that Britain should not join Europe! Hell broke lose, the Opposition asked for her resignation. Major demurred, and did not take action.

Then there is the issue of sleaze, or corruption in other words. Almost like a Congress politician, a particular MP, Neil Hamilton, who is under investigation for accepting bribes, has insisted on contesting the election even if his action will hurt the Tories at the poll. Many Tory members and other people were dismayed when Major refused to intervene and force Hamilton out.

No wonder John Major stands accused of being a weak, indecisive leader. Sounds extremely similar to former Indian prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, and the Tories look amazingly like the Congress -- corrupt and unable to act on important policy issues.

The Labour in now the new Labour. And in its newness, it is almost another Tory. Tony Blair, its leader, has curbed the influence of the leftist trade unions within the party and adopted economic policies embracing privatisation and a market economy. He has gone out of his way to woo big business; television ads showing top businessmen backing Labour have become common. He has promised not to increase taxes, the theme that Conservative used in the previous round. Strange, because most economists agree that with a strong sterling and booming economy, taxes should be increased to curb inflation.

But then taxes are anathema, and everyone promises tax cuts. Everyone? Well, no. The Liberal Democrat party says it will increase taxes. Its India-born leader Paddy Ashdown, whom bookies give a 750 to 1 chance of becoming PM, has said he will levy a tax of one pence per person for a variety of purposes, especially education. But since everyone does not pay taxes, those who do will definitely pay much more than just a pence per head. Anyway, since no one expects him to be PM, few are bothered by his pronouncements. However, the broadcast media, bound by rules to cover all fairly and 'equally' do devote much of their time to him.

Paddy Ashdown also played spoilsport in the much looked forward to television debate between Major and Blair. He insisted on being present, and threatened to move court on the issue; the Scottish National Party too demanded their presence. Blair refused, Major called him a coward, and there's no television debate.

At present, electioneering appears pretty dull. So many rules and regulations gives the impression of about a dozen Seshans giving orders; one Seshan in India curbed much of the hoopla and noise. At present, the bookies are giving the Labour 4 to 1 odds, and the Tories 7 to 1.

And what about the man who may well be the next PM? Young and smart, he has been accused of being everything to everyone. A rather typical word to describe him is swarmy: forever grinning and reassuring, he actually appears suspect. Major, for all his flaws, appears more straightforward.

While television is bound to give equal and fair time to all, the print media is not bound by any such rules. The newspapers are well-known for their leanings: but the surprise is the switch by Rupert Murdoch's The Sun, the largest-selling daily in the English-speaking world at over 4 million copies. In the last election, The Sun vociferously backed Major despite the opinion polls, and when he won, carried a full page headline declaring: 'It was The Sun wot won it.'

The day after elections were declared, The Sun front page read: The Sun backs Labour. Journalists say that Murdoch is playing safe to ensure that his media empire remains untouched. However, the other daily in Murdoch's stable, the venerable Times, remains undecided.

As E-day draws close, the fighting is expected to be more bitter, especially in the marginal constituencies. Unfortunately, with both parties unclear on Europe, certainly the most important issue facing the future of Britain, the polls seem based more on personalities and banalities.

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