Hecklers remind papers of 'old Labour'

A tough day for Labour leaders at the party conference in Blackpool reminds many of the papers of the days when the unions were the powerbrokers.

The Daily Mail describes how in scenes not witnessed since the early 1980s, there were shouts of "rubbish" and "sit down", while the Sun says that at times the booing, heckling and slow-handclapping was like stepping back in a time machine.

The Daily Mirror cannot contain its disgust for those who slow-handclapped Treasury Minister Paul Boeteng, saying they did their cause no favours by showing the old face of Labour.

Among the broadsheets, the Times rates the defeat over the private finance initiative Prime Minister Tony Blair's biggest setback at a party conference since he became leader.

Finance advice

As Mr Blair prepares for his conference speech on Tuesday afternoon, there is plenty of advice on offer.

The Guardian urges him to address the party's concerns about private sector involvement in public services.

But the Independent backs government policy - arguing that if private money can help save schools and hospitals, we should welcome it.

It calls on Mr Blair to tell his opponents that he has no intention of killing PFI schemes.

The Telegraph believes Mr Blair is right to concentrate his address on the domestic agenda. It is on public services, claims the paper, that he has manifestly failed to deliver so far.

The Daily Express detects a shift in Mr Blair's approach, suggesting that he now realises that setting a bold direction necessitates making enemies.

Screen test

One of the features at the Labour conference has been the instant transcription of delegates' words on to a giant screen for people with hearing problems.

But the Guardian is disappointed that the service - which has made a number of mistakes this week - was switched off for the speech by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott.

The Times says there were widespread suspicions that the transcriber might have rendered what the paper dubs Mr Prescott's ''sometimes tortured discourse'' even less intelligible.

Census doubts

The Guardian, among others, shares a sense of disbelief that last year's census has revealed that the population of the UK is nearly one million lower than previously thought.

One theory is that men in their 20s and 30s have gone abroad to work or are on extended raves in the Mediterranean sun.

The Times questions the accuracy of the census given that officials have admitted inventing about two per cent of the population because not everyone completed their forms.

Lottery anger

The Daily Mail vents its anger over the decision to press ahead with a £340,000 lottery grant to an anti-deportation group.

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, had objected to the money going to National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, but the Community Fund - which distributes lottery cash - has decided to pay out.

The paper condemns the decision as outrageous and calls on its readers to write protest letters to the fund.