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08/03/2004
Welsh Tories warned: it's 'do or die'
Western Mail

by Aled Blake

THE Tories were yesterday challenged to prove they are ready for government with victories in this year's European elections, or risk another "Welsh wipeout" in Westminster.

Tory leader in Europe Jonathan Evans said the polls would be a crucial test of the party's revival under Michael Howard's leadership.

If they do not capitalise on Mr Howard's good start at the helm it could make a General Election victory even harder to achieve.

Mr Evans's Plaid Cymru rival in Europe, Jill Evans, warned that the Tories faced "obliteration" in Wales and said losing the European elections would mean another "wipe-out" at the general election.

Mr Evans, the Conservative's only Welsh Euro MP said Mr Howard had put the party "back in business" and ready to take on the "tired and tawdry" Labour Government.

Speaking at the Tory spring conference in Harrogate, Mr Evans said the June 10 elections were central to giving the party a platform for victory at the general election.

"It is the key test of national public opinion," he said.

"It will be a major test of our party's political revival. Victory will show that the Conservatives are ready for government and that in Michael Howard we have a great Prime Minister for Britain."

Mr Evans said Mr Howard had transformed the party and the political scene in Britain. He had united Tory MPs, revitalised the party organisation and renewed the enthusiasm of members.

"We are proud to be Conservatives again," he said.

At the conference Mr Howard branded Chancellor Gordon Brown a "tax and regulation junkie" and said only his party stood in the way of a third term of Labour tax hikes. He set out the moral and practical case for low taxes.

Mr Howard continued to carefully avoid any specific pledge to cut taxes from their current levels. But he said bills would be lower under a Tory government because it would not bring in further rises planned by Labour.

He said:"Voters will have to choose between two visions. Big government that knows best or smaller government where people are trusted to take control. It is a historic choice. It will determine our future for generations.

"So these are the battle lines, that is the task, there is the challenge. We will give power to the powerless, control to the controlled. We will give everyone the choice which today only money can buy."

Mr Evans said voters faced a choice between Tories, who were Britain's representatives in Europe, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats whom he dubbed Europe's representatives in Britain.

Labour Euro MPs would sell out the interests of Britain and the Lib-Dems were the "say yes to everything in Europe" party which would sell the country down the river in pursuit of federalist ambitions.
He underlined Tory opposition to the euro in any referendum. The Conservatives were duty-bound to alert the public to its dangers.

He said, "It is not do or die for the Conservatives, we have made significant progress. We have got a huge mountain to climb come the next general election."

But Plaid's Ms Evans said, "The values of the Conservative Party are not the values of the people of Wales. I think it is certainly a possibility that the Tories could be completely obliterated in Wales."
Welsh Secretary Peter Hain added, "Jonathan Evans is whistling in the wind. William Hague 'won' the 1999 European Elections but on a very low turnout.

"In the end, the big picture is what sort of country do we want? I think we now face a much tougher, bareknuckle fight with the Tories and everybody must understand that. I think there is a fundamental choice between economic stability and investment under Labour and tax cuts, boom and bust, unemployment and spending cuts under the Tories."

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