UK News 04-10-2004 Howard `Is Killing The Tories` who: Michael Howard what: Has taken Conservatives backwards in his first year, say polls where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Dictionaries define the word `stasis` as meaning a state of static balance or stagnation," muses The Telegraph`s Anthony King this morning. "The Conservative Party is evidently suffering from chronic stasis at the moment. If there is a cure for such a debilitating disease, no one knows what it is. Everything is tried. Nothing seems to work." A year ago, just before Iain Duncan Smith`s ousting, the Tories had the support of 32 per cent of voters and enjoyed a single-point lead over Labour. "Now they have the support of 34 per cent of voters but are two points adrift of Labour. Nothing has changed." As the Conservative Party conference begins today, the Scotsman says the party is split over tax cuts. "At least four senior members of the shadow cabinet believe Oliver Letwin is making a major mistake in not proposing tax cuts," but the shadow chancellor insists that all parties have lost the public`s trust over tax cut commitments. "It`s very tempting for Oliver to give a pledge on cutting taxes, but even if he did, no one would believe him anyway," said his spokesman. The YouGov poll, however, says tax is still a huge vote-swinger. Asked which policy would be most likely to make floaters vote Tory, curbing immigration came first with 47 per cent; 37 per cent said they wanted a "firm and unambiguous" promise to cut taxes. The Guardian has a good laugh at the new Tory logo ("old-school Soviet kitsch... with a high-kick of Springtime for Hitler camp added for good measure") and reckons Bournemouth is filled with "gloomy" party members still reeling from being beaten into fourth place in last week`s Hartlepool by-election. "People have fallen out of love with Tony Blair but have not yet fallen in love with the Conservatives," shadow health minister Liam Fox admitted. "When people are disillusioned with Tony Blair their conclusion is not let`s jump to an alternative but why should we vote?" [... more]

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