Hague tries to square the circle

William Hague starts his election campaign

By BBC News Online's political correspondent Nick Assinder.

William Hague has launched the second phase of his bid to re-cast the Tories as the only truly inclusive party in Britain.

In the first of a series of campaigning visits around the country, he has attempted to hammer home the party's conference message that it once again speaks for the whole nation.

In a speech which closely echoed that made by Michael Portillo at the party's annual conference in Bournemouth earlier in the month, he insisted the Tories were reaching out to all sectors of society.

He spoke of the need to accept the fact that Britain was a "nation of immigrants"

And he insisted the party needed to "respect people of different sexual orientation."

This is a tricky road for any Conservative leader to tread and Mr Hague was painfully aware of apparent contradictions in his new stance.

On the one hand he wants to maximise his vote at the next election by appealing to disaffected Labour voters who previously would never have backed a party they often viewed as right-wing and intolerant.

But he also has to keep on board those old Tories who are fundamentally opposed to things like homosexuality and, in many cases, even immigration.

Mainstream values

In the key sections of his speech in Cardiff, he recognised the contradictions and attempted to square the circle.

"I do not accept the false distinction that is sometimes made between respecting the lifestyle decisions of individuals and championing mainstream values," said Mr Hague.

"Conservatives should do both for we are neither libertarians nor authoritarians.

"I see no contradiction, and nor do most people, in saying that we celebrate the different ethnic communities that make up Britain but that we won't be a prisoner to political correctness."

This is the New Conservative Party which is being presented to Britain in a series of visits which add up to the start of the party's election campaign.

It all started in Bournemouth earlier in the month but was overshadowed by Ann Widdecombe's disastrous "zero tolerance to cannabis" speech.

To liberal minded voters who were fed up with the last, apparently sleaze-ridden and divided Tory party it may go down well.

The old "blue rinse" brigade, as they used to be called, may have more trouble swallowing it.

And it is an open question whether Mr Hague has actually managed to reconcile the apparent contradictions in his hard man/soft man stance.

What is certain is that, with the opposition now firmly in election mode, there will be plenty more to come.