Euphoria felled by reality and scant ambition

Thatcher’s old heartland is now a microcosm of the nation. Labour ended years of Tory rule there, but it struggles with that legacy and new expectations

Take what follows as a parable, then a warning.

An arm of British government has been in Tory hands for more years than residents care to remember. Having run the place into the ground, the blues do not repent. Rather than contrition, they offer belligerent arrogance. Surely, their opponents and critics think, surely voters will punish them? When the electoral fury doesn’t descend, a mood of political dejection starts to settle. Until one polling night, the Conservatives get the boot. At last! There are celebrations that evening. And when the newly elected Labour administration arrives for its first meeting, activists hand over roses. “Labour are red / Tories are sooo blue …” reads the tag. “We trust our services / Return in-house with you!”