UK: Conservatives focus on new foe

UK: Conservatives focus on new foe

Gordon Brown, who will take over as prime minister when Blair leaves Downing Street on June 27, was squarely in the sights of Tory leader David Cameron during a party event in south London.

Cameron attacked the taciturn treasury chief, saying he is the architect of topdown politics, imposed big government on Britain, and has a "he-knows-best" ethos.

"Very soon, the real battle in British politics will begin. Tony's going, and the phony war will be over," Cameron said. "The British people will have a clear choice, a choice between two different visions of society, a choice between two different ways of running the country, and a choice between the old and the new politics.

"A choice between us and Gordon Brown."

The traditionally right-wing Conservatives—the party of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill—have been working to push their image as a center-right party since the last general election in 2005. Cameron, who was named leader later that year, is key to that plan: He has replaced their traditional logo of a red, white and blue torch with an environmentally friendly green tree, espoused family friendly flexible work, and pushes for parental involvement in education.

The audience at Monday's event reflected the party's aspirations: Young, well-dressed professionals took up many of the seats. Cameron spoke against a backdrop of leaves, and the music playing before he entered the south London hall included The Killers hit "Mr. Brightside".

The youthful Conservative leader—Cameron is 40 to Brown's 56—painted himself and his party as modernizers, willing to empower the electorate.

"That's the big difference between us and Gordon Brown," Cameron said. "We get this modern world and he just doesn't. We trust people—he's suspicious of them. We believe in social responsibility. He believes in state control."

But one of the criticisms of Cameron is that while he is strong on image, he is light on policy. While Monday's speech touched on a number of different areas — including national security, parenting and even global poverty—it was more about philosophy than policy.