On the lion's back

摘要

It was less the margin of his victory that impressed than the manner in which he exploited it. Had ten Tory MPS who voted for John Major on July 4th instead backed John Redwood, the prime minister would have slipped, perhaps fatally, below the 200 mark. Even his 218 votes meant that 109 Tory MPS did not cast their votes for him. Yet the prime minister clinched success with a bravura political display.