Mr William Hague played the nationalist card yesterday, painting voters a nightmare image of Britain as "a foreign land" following a second Labour term. And he warned them that the coming general election could be their last chance to save an independent, sovereign Britain.
But with the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, seemingly determined that the foot-and-mouth crisis should not disrupt his plans for a May 3rd poll, the Conservatives were shaken yesterday by a new survey showing over three-quarters of Tory supporters expecting defeat whenever the election comes.
Conservative Central Office also had to make light of the admission by Mr Michael Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister, that he had faced "a dilemma" before deciding he would after all vote for Mr Hague's Conservative Party.
Having infuriated party chiefs, Mr Heseltine went on to dismiss Mr Hague's portrayal of people no longer feeling at home in a Blairite Britain with sterling scrapped and powers increasingly transferred to Brussels.
Addressing his party's spring conference in Harrogate, Mr Hague said: "I say to everyone who believes in our country: make no mistake, this election is your last chance to save the pound. And it's your last chance to vote for a Britain that still controls its own destiny."
Attacking "political correctness", Mr Hague said the government treated those concerned about Europe as "extreme", about tax as "greedy", about crime as "reactionary", about asylum as "racist" and about the nation as "little Englanders".
Clearly pitching to hard-core Conservatives who deserted the party in 1997, Mr Hague said: "Let me take you on a journey to a foreign land - to Britain after a second term of Tony Blair. The Royal Mint melting down pound coins as the euro notes start to circulate. Our currency gone forever. The Chancellor returning from Brussels carrying instructions to raise taxes still further. Control of our own economy given away. The jail doors opening as thousands more serious criminals walk out early to offend again. Police morale at a new low. The price gauge on the petrol pump spinning ever faster as fuel taxes rise still further. Letters arriving on doorsteps cancelling yet another round of hospital operations and a government that is all spin and no delivery."