BLACKPOOL, England (AFP) - Britain's main opposition Conservatives were to start spelling out their plans for government on Monday in preparation for a possible snap general election.
The centre-right Tories insist they are keen for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call a vote and are in fighting mood at their annual conference on the seaside in Blackpool, north-west England.
The Conservatives led by the modernising David Cameron, 40, are presenting an upbeat front despite opinion polls showing Brown's governing centre-left Labour Party a thumping 11 percentage points ahead.
Brown has refused to dampen speculation about an early election -- he does not have to call one before May 2010 -- with Labour back on top in the popularity stakes since he took over from Tony Blair in June.
The Conservatives, seeking to shake off the legacy of three general election defeats in a row since 1997 and presenting themselves as a totally overhauled party, have recently produced a series of policy reports stuffed with fresh proposals.
Under the theme of family and opportunity, they were to thrash out on the second day of the four-day gathering some key planks of their agenda for government, honing down their new ideas.
The centrepiece Monday was set to be finance spokesman George Osborne's speech on economic competitiveness, with proposals to slash the likes of inheritance taxes while hiking "green" taxes expected.
The Conservatives were also to debate public services, particularly health and education, and "fixing our broken society" -- discussions focusing on communities, employment, innovation and skills.
They were to outline proposals to improve childhood by cracking down on the compensation culture, building new schools and spreading private school best practice to state schools.
"Children need play, adventure and excitement," the party's "Childhood Inquiry" chief David Willetts was to say.
"But today, fear of litigation means school trips and adventure holidays are now abandoned. Instead, children get their excitement by retreating to their bedrooms to play video games or the artificial stimulus of drink and drugs.
"These proposals are about giving our children back their childhood."
Cameron has insisted the Tories will set out clear policies for an alternative government at the conference.
"This week we are going to mount the great Conservative fightback," he told delegates Sunday.
"It is going to be a fightback based on clear policies, based on a clear direction and based on the clear choice that we will give people at the next general election."
William Hague, the Tory foreign affairs spokesman and former leader, said: "The Conservative Party is ready, it is hungry for victory.
"If Prime Minister Gordon Brown ever summons up the courage to call an election, we are going to beat him."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier told the Conservatives they needed tight fiscal discipline and plans to hammer crime if they wanted to win public confidence.
Hinting at an election, he told delegates Sunday: "In the months ahead, I believe that in both of our countries, voters will be looking to see which candidates will offer an approach that is sensible, responsible, practical, ethical and achievable -- and who they trust will deliver results."
In an address via satellite link, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger paid tribute to the "dynamic" Cameron and congratulated his efforts on tackling climate change.
The former Hollywood hardman said Cameron had "the kind of leadership people are hungry for. They want action and results, not ideology and stalemate."
Meanwhile British finance minister Alistair Darling stuck to Labour's "the sums don't add up" line of attack.
"At the start of their conference, the Tories have recklessly made billions of pounds of unfunded tax and spending promises, with no credible explanations of where the money would come from," he said.
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