Bomb makes Tories more popular

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 6

Bomb makes Tories more popular

NZPA-Reuter London Margaret Thatcher’s Government has grown in popularity since the Irish Republican Army bomb attack against the Cabinet on October 12, according to opinioh polls published yesterday. f A poll in the “Mail on Sunday” newspaper conducted by National Opinion Polls showed 45 per cent of voters supporting the governing Conservatives, 33 per cent favouring the Labour Opposition. A poll in “The Observer” newspaper, conducted by Harris, gave the Conservatives 43 per cent and Labour 36 per cent. : In the N.O.P. poll the Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Norman Tebbit,

emerged as the most popular choice to succeed Mrs Thatcher as Conservative leader. Mr Tebbit is recovering in hospital from injuries suffered in the Brighton bombing. In common with all polls conducted in recent years in Britain, the Harris survey found a large majority in favour of reintroducing the death penalty for I.R.A. guerrillas. Meanwhile “The Sunday Times” reports the Attor-ney-General as saying that it would have been business as usual within a day or two if the guerrillas had assassinated most of the Cabinet. Sir Michael Havers was quoted as saying that the British political system could have coped with the

crisis. “The LR.A. are very wrong if they think that we would have panicked,” he said. “It would essentially have been business as usual within a day or two.” Within 24 hours the Queen would probably have asked the Deputy Prime Minister, Viscount Whitelaw, to take over as provisional Prime Minister. Lord Whitelaw would have assured other world leaders that Britain was not plunging into chaos.

“There would be no need for a state of emergency,” Sir Michael was quoted as saying. “You only need that to handle a continuing threat. In this case the worst would already have happened.”