Not yet airborne

DISASTER plays well at the box office. That is why so much recent political commentary has focused on the exciting attempts of Britain's battered Conservatives to choose a new leader. But here is a sobering thought for Conservatives as they make their exciting choice. They did so badly in the general election last month that, assuming no change in Britain's idiosyncratic electoral system, it would require a wholly unprecedented swing of more than 10% to give them a one-seat majority in the next general election. In other words, they can be fairly confident of being out of power for most of the rest of this decade. This makes their antics fascinating enough as anthropology, but of limited immediate relevance to most Britons.