Howard pitches for law and order vote
Launching the first stage of the Conservative Party’s election manifesto, Michael Howard has attacked what he referred to as the “proliferation of so-called ‘human rights'”.
In a speech in Bedford, Northamptonshire, the Conservative Leader signalled that law and order and immigration would be central campaign issue for the party at the next general election.
Mr Howard blamed the Government for “the proliferation of so-called ‘human rights'”, which he claimed “have left us in a moral quagmire, unable to get a grip on rising crime and disorder”.
And, he claimed that the Government has lost control of the UK’s borders, and has “no idea who is coming into or leaving our country”. On immigration, he said the Conservatives would emulate Australia, and bring in a limit on the number of immigrants allowed into the country in a given year.
Mr Howard directed most of his attention to what he called the “forgotten majority” of voters, “who get on with life, work hard, take responsibility for your family, and respect others and their property”.
He made an appeal to the “men and women who wear their self reliance as a badge of honour” and aspired to the “British dream”. Adding: “Trusting free enterprise; promoting individual responsibility; cherishing a sense of nationhood; rewarding hard work; admiring excellence; encouraging ambition – these are the right values. They are Conservative values.”
Without promising to cut taxes himself, Mr Howard accused the Government of wasting taxpayers money and over-centralising public services such as the NHS. He said that the Conservatives would cut bureaucracy and give more responsibility to doctors and nurses to make decisions.
He also made a play for the votes of those who may have been drawn towards the Liberal Democrats. He said: “Mr Kennedy offers the same false solutions as Mr Blair – more government, more power to Brussels, higher taxes, a relaxed approach to rising crime and immigration.”
He also appealed to Liberal Democrat voters who may have been disenfranchised by the party’s pro-European stance
But, the Liberal Democrat president Simon Hughes, said that it was his party that was best able to “deliver freedom and fairness and to restore trust. We stand for personal responsibility and a guarantee of basic human rights. We stand for fair taxation and fully costed policies. We stand for effective law and order solutions not tough sounding but meaningless sound bites.”
He added: “Unfortunately for Mr Howard and his party the continuing advance by the Liberal Democrats and the continuing failure of the Conservatives means that the coming election will be far from a straight Labour/Conservative choice. There will be at least a real three-way contest across all of Britain. Indeed in many places in England, Scotland and Wales the one party who will struggle to gain support will be the Tories not the Liberal Democrats.”
