WOULD WINNING THE WORLD CUP RESTORE LABOURS FORTUNES?
By Peter Kellner There’s a story doing the rounds that Tony Blair’s fortunes could be revived if England won this year’s World Cup. Look what happened in 1966, say those who are optimistic both about Labour and Sven’s squad: Bobby Moore led Alf Ramsay’s team to triumph over the Germans at Wembley, and Harold Wilson retained power with a landslide victory over the Tories at Westminster. There is only one problem with that account. Wilson’s victory came in March. Kenneth Wolstenholme did not declare “They think it’s all over” until July. Unless Wilson benefited from a massive swing to Labour among at least one million clairvoyants, the story does not stack up. A more pertinent trip down memory lane concerns what happened four years later. Once again, England played West Germany in the World Cup; this time in the quarter-finals in Mexico. England squandered a two-goal lead and lost 3-2. That match took place on Sunday 14 June. Four days later was election day in Britain. The weekend opini
