UK News 05-10-1999 Hague Sets Out Five Guarantees who: William Hague what: Setting out five guarantees where: Conservative Party Conference, BLACKPOOL when: Yesterday snippet: William Hague`s speech to open the Conservative Party conference dominates the UK news today. Hague set out five guarantees on tax, education, the health service, the pound and employment and claimed that these policies are in keeping with the mood of the people. "I see so much to be proud of," he said, "but so much to make us all angry; women frightened to walk the streets, parents helpless with failing schools; the people of Britain know the answers, they`re our answers - the Common Sense revolution". This expession, reports The Scotsman, is borrowed from "radical right-wing Canadian politician... Mike Harris, leader of Ontario`s Progressive Conservative Party and the province`s premier". The two men met in Toronto during Hague`s North American visit in February. Hague`s five guarantees include letting schools run themselves, giving tax breaks to married couples, putting prisoners to work, cutting back on government and lowering taxes. Teachers have slammed Hague`s education policy as "recipe for chaos and conflict", reports The Guardian. The plan to introduce parental ballots to dismiss head teachers was described by David Hart, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, as "outrageous". A Labour party spokesman claimed that, "by advocating privatisation of schools and hospitals, Mr Hague was pursuing an agenda even Mrs Thatcher did not dare touch". The Mirror`s forthright comment today claims that "on message" Hague has the ability to modernise the party, but "off-message" he`s "an utterly ghastly, awful, embarrassing and pointless little nerd who repels the British public in such a spectacular way that he could make us unelectable forever". [... more]

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