New seam in coal struggle
FOR years, the Conservatives have identified Yorkshire as a key battleground if they are to form the next government.
Even with the opinion polls narrowing, the party remains confident they will win a string of key marginal seats in the region, thanks largely to David Cameron's ability to decontaminate the Tory brand.
But, nearly 30 years after Margaret Thatcher began overseeing the closure of most of the country's mines, the Tories still have no expectation of making a breakthrough in South Yorkshire's former pit communities.