"I suddenly asked him, "Why do you think you lost the election in 55?" A long silence ensued. "Not quite sure," he replied tersely several minutes later. Surely he lost because his views were out of sync with Plymouthians, a rather Conservative, even stuffy bunch, in Jill's opinion.1 He did not dwell on defeat--a healthy attitude, no doubt, but I had to wonder if his failure to examine election results indicated a certain wilful blindness to political realities. Did Michael's exuberant rhetoric grate on an electorate confronting postwar shortages, the shrinkage of the empire and housing problems? Labour was out by 1951 and perhaps the only surprise is that Michael lasted until 1955."