UK News 03-10-2000 Major Brands Blair Liar At Tory Conference who: John Major what: Says Labour government are "masters of nods and winks" where: Conservative Party Conference, BOURNEMOUTH when: Yesterday snippet: "John Major launched an astonishing attack yesterday on the man who beat him at the last election," reports Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun. "The ex-Prime Minister, speaking at the Tory Party conference in Bournemouth, branded Tony Blair a `self-deluded` cheat who told fib after fib." "They have proved the master of nods and winks, of innuendo, of phoney figures, of hidden tax rises, of announcing the same expenditure again and again," he told a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party conference, which began in Bournemouth yesterday. The Conservatives "hope to sell a traditional One Nation message of governing for all the people" says The Express. And William Hague`s first target is to irradicate the "monstrous mistakes" of the 1960s inner-city planners by demolishing Britain`s worst tower blocks. "The worst of these tower-block estates stand as a monument to the monstrous insensitivity of urban planners who dreamed of creating an urban utopia but instead created rabbit warrens of crime," he said yesterday. But, says The Mirror, Mr Hague`s spending plans have been "exposed as a sham" and his party has been "dragged into a damaging civil war". "Compared to Labour`s plans the Tories will have to take billions out of vital public services," says Maurice Fitzpatrick, head of economics at accountants Chantrey Vellacott, commenting on an independent study. "This will mean cuts to education, transport, housing, the police and social security benefits like pensions." In his speech to the conference today, shadow chancellor Michael Portillo is expected to warn the party that "they may have to accept Labour`s public spending plans for the first year if the Conservatives win a general election next May," reports Brian Groom in the Financial Times. [... more]

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