[The press seems strangely muted. The orgy of…]

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The press seems strangely muted. The orgy of trumpet blowing and red baiting is seem to have little enthusiasm for celebrating.

It is as if the Frankensteins of Fleet Street were so intently concentrating on breathing life into their Thatcherite monster that they scarcely seem to know what to do with her now that she has sat up and opened her eyes.

Despite the ringing war-like tones that filled their pages before last Thursday, it is clear that the Tory press does not believe that the weapons of social democracy are outdated.

Having urged Thatcher for three weeks to smash this and bash that, the press now advises her to try first recruiting wholesale the army of fifth columnists inside the working class who worked so hard for Callaghan.

The Daily Telegraph in leader devoid of any specific immediate demands Urged Thatcher to have courage and confidence.

But it also recognised that the world has not been changed:

"Disaffected schoolteachers, inordinate wage claims, inflation, terrorism in Ulster and mugging in the streets of urban Britain cannot simply be voted out of existence"

It also went out of its way to stress the similarities between the Labour right wing and the Tories.

Sister paper, the Sunday Telegraph, was still more cautious. On trade union power' it said:

"Precipitate action in this field would be imprudent, since Tory economic policies will be challenging enough without the extra provocation of legal reform. That gun should be handled with care ... Mr Len Murray is not being unreasonable in asking for consultation first."

The Observer warned that union explosions over pay claims was the number one danger, and that Thatcher had much to learn from Callaghan, "a man of public spirit who put country before party ideology".

The Financial Times called for "tact and patience" and saio

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Scarcely has the dust settled on Labour's election defeat and the hastilyprepared political coffin of Shirley Williams, than the fake 'lefts' have rushed forward with cheap militant demagogy.

Party chairman Frank Allaun who had lifted not a finger to fight Callaghan prior to the

"Governments come

governments go, but the L Party goes on. Our job defend resolutely those work by hand and brain"

Less waffle

If Allaun and his fellow 'lefts' had done a bit more actual defending of workers and a bit less waffle and covering up for Callaghan perhaps the and abour is to who offered a belated attack on Callaghan who, as "undisputed leader of the Labour Party" had held onto his policy of:

"a rigid and dogmatic five percent long after his position on this had been overrun."

This, claimed Flannery, was "the fundamental cause of Labour's defeat"

What, then, did _ Flannery do to oppose this policy? Of course nothing. Nor do he or his PHOTO: John Sturrock, Keport Pa

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over. The editorial columns, done with campaigning,