GRIMETHORPE. England. May 4: Despite high hopes in middle England for a fresh start under Prime Minister Tony Blair, weary indifference greeted the change of government in the poorest corner of Britain, reports Reuter.

The scene is one of desolation: Rows of blackened terraced houses, boarded-up shops, mounds of wasteland from old coalmines, and people who have never known what it is to work.

The voices are those of utter despair.

Once at the heart of the industrial revolution, and world famous for its colliery brass band. Grimethorpe carries little optimism about the overwhelming victory chalked up by Labour in Britain's general election on Thursday.

Blair's landslide ended 18 years of Conservative rule and delivered him a strong 179-seat majority that should ensure he can push through new initiatives without impediment.

Labour has traditionally acted as the champion of the

poor. Whereas the Conservatives were seen as the friends of the rich. Yet the new Labour that Blair has forged is far more centrist than the party of old and few expect overnight miracles.

For while Grimethorpe was always grimy, tt was once booming, surrounded by working coalmines, and that has all gone now.

Economic change in recent decades ended nearly two centuries of coalmining and blasted away a proud industrial tradition.

In the region, stretching for about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of the steel-making city of Sheffield, many locals blame it all on the Conservatives who ruled Britain after Margaret Thatcher swept to power in 1979.

Thatcher held out pugnaciously in the 1980s against a coalminers’ strike that left many mines closed, pitted family against family and all but destroyed a once lucrative Industry.

But expectations were low when locals were asked about the future under Blair for south Yorkshire, designated by the European Union as this nation's poorest area.

The Tories (Conservatives) devastated this mining community." said 63-year-old exminer Eric Woollands. "He (Blair) has got to unwing 18 years of Tory rule and he's not going to do that in five years (his term of office)."

Jobs for the young-un (young ones) — that's what the area wants, because they've got not (nothing) to do in this town." said Eric's brother Albert, a 53-year-old suffering from arthritis from once working in the pits.

Jobs have grown so rare that people help up little hope for any quick improvement. "We are talking 75 per cent unemployment in this area," said another ex-miner. Neil Darbyshire.

Maggie Loy. a local employment officer involved in training schemes, said the offi-

cial figure stood at 34 per cent but the real total was nearer 80 per cent. Once people went on a training scheme they were taken off the unemployment records.