Thatcher was Opposition leader and prime minister at a time of increased racial tension in Britain. On the local elections of 1977, "The Economist" commented: "The Tory tide swamped the smaller parties—specifically the National Front , which suffered a clear decline from last year." Her standing in the polls had risen by 11% after a 1978 interview for "World in Action" in which she said "the British character has done so much for democracy, for law and done so much throughout the world that if there is any fear that it might be swamped people are going to react and be rather hostile to those coming in", as well as "in many ways add to the richness and variety of this country. The moment the minority threatens to become a big one, people get frightened". In the 1979 general election, the Conservatives had attracted votes from the NF, whose support almost collapsed. In a July 1979 meeting with Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington and Home Secretary William Whitelaw, Thatcher objected to the number of Asian immigrants, in the context of limiting the total of Vietnamese boat people allowed to settle in the UK to fewer than 10,000 over two years.