The election will not be won or lost on issues relating to industry

So here in the UK the General Election has finally been announced, and (Royal Weddings apart) we're all set for four weeks of politics dominating the news. Overseas readers will find it amazing that in this country, which usually tends to have 'snap' general elections called at a month's notice, most of the public still finds the whole process a bit tedious! I think a dose of the six-month (or longer) run-ups to an election commonly found elsewhere in the world would prove an interesting experience for most British voters.
The election will not be won or lost on issues relating to industry. The BBC's website offers a nice comparison of the parties' policies, but among the many subject areas you can compare, "manufacturing" is not one of them. However, despite the loss of a large number of manufacturing jobs under the present government, a poll at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' website asking "Which party do you think provides the best policies to protect and develop engineering in the UK?" shows a substantial lead for Mr Blair's party. This is a sign, perhaps, of the electorate's wider acceptance that Labour can (and has) run the economy successfully.