The General Election in Pictures

'When a government party is reduced to putting up posters of Mrs Thatcher's hair on the leader of the opposition's face this is a political message, but a political message which says 'to hell with the lot of you'.' Tam Dalyell, Labour MP for Linlithgow and Father of the House of Commons, 8 th June 2001.

General Election 2001 in Pictures

7 th June 2001 - The Day Democracy Died?

'To Hell with the lot of you!'

Apathy or antipathy? Labour won a second landslide victory and for the first time in its history looked assured of two full terms of office. However the real voter winner in the election was apathy - for the first time, more voters stayed at home than had voted for any political party. The turnout was down 13 % on 1997 to just 59 %; the lowest since the special circumstances of 1918 when the elecoral role more than doubled and many servicemen were effectively disenfranchised. With politicians like Labour MP Stephen Pound quite candidly informing voters what he thought of them, many believe that electors stayed at home, not because of apathy, but because of antipathy.

Vote Tescos The Tories had planned to launch their campaign on the Mound in Edinburgh with an advertising trailer poster attacking Prime Minister Tony Blair. Instead, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and David McLetchie presented a poster urging voters to shop at Tescos. In the Scottish Parliament Henry McLeish answered every question put to him in First Minister's question time by repeating the same joke about Tescos, while SNP MSP Dorothy Grace Elder asked 'What is the difference between a Tescos trolly and a Labour Minister under Blair? The Tescos trolly has a mind of its own.' The Tory campaign never recovered.

Putting an end to violence on the streets Labour Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott proved that Labour could punch well above their weight when he thumped a demonstator who had hit him with an egg. Despite calls for his resignation he received the unreserved support of Tony Blair - until after the general election when Prescott's super Ministry of Environment, Transport, and the Regions was dismantled and he was demoted to Cabinet Office Minister.

Comeback kid? In the biggest blow to the Tories in Scotland, former Scottish Secretary, Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind failed to win back Edinburgh Pentlands from Labour. Although he reduced Labour's majority by two thirds, Advocate General, Lynda Clark was re-elected with a majority of 1,742. Rifkind said he would not seek a safe seat in England or retire to the House of Lords but did not rule out the possibility of standing for the Scottish Parliament.

Free speech Labour's campaign in Scotland was spearheaded by First Minister Henry McLeish and Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell. The tensions existing between top Labour politicians were spectacularily revealed to the public when Henry McLeish, in conversation with Helen Liddell, revealed what he thought about his Labour colleagues.

Reid a 'patronising bastard' First Minister, Henry McLeish described Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid as 'a patronising bastard'.

Wilson a liability Foreign Office Minister of State Brian Wilson was described by the First Minister as 'a liability'.

And it's good night from him! Tory leader William Hague resigned after failing to take his target of 200 seats. The Tories won 166 seats, just one more than in 1997. William Hague is the first Conservative leader not to become Prime Minister since Austen Chamberlain who resigned in 1922.