ABSTRACT
The pattern of government in Britain over the previous quarter of a century seemed to confirm that it was essentially a two-party affair(251). Power shifted between competing elites at election time. Ex-ministers had a reasonable chance of returning to office after a modest spell in Opposition. While power did not invariably alternate between the two major parties after each election, a ‘swing of the pendulum’ was to be expected. It was indeed the case that Labour administrations after 1964 had replaced the Conservative governments that had dominated the 1950s. Then, after 1970, the Conservatives regained power, only to be followed by Labour in 1974. In 1979, however, a period of as yet unbroken Conservative ascendancy began.
