MR TONY Blair yesterday attempted to proclaim a political philosophy and vision for Britain in marked contrast to Lady Thatcher's assertion as prime minister that there was no such thing as society.
In one of just four keynote speeches during the election campaign, Mr Blair set out what he called his "seven pillars of a decent society" to promote prosperity and security for all and attacked the Conservatives for displaying "all the leadership qualities of lemmings".
Accusing the Tories of putting self interest first, Mr Blair spelt out his alternative vision of a more equal society, offering the chance of success to everyone, not just "a charmed circle". It was time to give back "a heritage of hope" to Britain's children, he said in a speech in Southampton.
Mr Blair's seven pillars of a decent society are:
. A world class education system.
. A modern comprehensive national health service, which would be there whenever needed.
. Security and dignity in retirement.
. Freedom from the fear of crime and security in the community.
Quality housing.
. A welfare state that promotes independence.
. Strong social institutions, from the family upwards, promoting mutual responsibility and a spirit of public and voluntary service.
Claiming that yesterday's contortions over Europe were a defining moment in the collapse of Tory rule, Mr Blair said that if the Conservatives were re elected, an American style underclass would develop in Britain.
The Tories saw inequality as a sign of success and denigrated the health service, the basic pension and public education, he said. "Britain is more divided today - than at any time since the war. A few at the top are secure and well off.
"But there is an insecure majority with a large anxious class in the middle worried about the future and a growing number of people who will, if the Conservatives are re elected, become an American-style underclass. The Conservatives say - choose between self interest and the good of society.
"I say any sensible view of self interest recognises that the stronger, more unified a society is, the better for the individuals in it. I passionately believe that a divided society is wrong for both moral and economic reasons.
"There is such a thing as society, and if it begins to disintegrate we feel the effects as powerfully as we feel the results of global warming or the pollution of the air we breathe. No society can prosper without the hard work and ingenuity of talented individuals.
"But a society in which relatively few prosper is no society at all, and what is more, the prosperity cannot last. For too long, whether in economics or society, we have thought of `I' instead of `we', `me' instead of `us'."
"For too long we have thought of what I can get and not what I can give. We have had for 18 years a politics of self instead of a politics of society. But we have lost, not gained."