"It is a very readable document," he said, holding up a copy of the manifesto, which is light on policy details and written in crisp language.
Yesterday's sales pitch was focused almost entirely on the Tories' five top policy areas. Before outlining plans for schools, hospitals, tax, crime and immigration, Mr Howard took a leaf out of another star of the right, with shades of Ronald Reagan's upbeat "Morning in America" message in the foreword to the manifesto.
But then the hand of Lynton Crosby, Mr Howard's Australian campaign director, can be detected as the Tory leader warns that Britain is "heading in the wrong direction" as ordinary people are let down by the government.
"Instead of rewarding families who do the right thing, work hard and pay their taxes, Mr Blair's government takes them for granted."
The five key areas are:
Value for money and lower taxes
The Tories kick off the bulk of their manifesto by explaining their tax and spending plans with the aim of neutralising Labour claims that they will cut spending on key public services and trumpeting their plans to cut taxes by £4bn. There are three pledges:
· Spending will be ring-fenced on the NHS, schools, transport and international development while spending is increased on police, defence and pensions
· No "further Labour stealth taxes" by using £8bn of £12bn planned savings cuts to reduce government borrowing
· Using the remaining £4bn to fund cut taxes.
The manifesto says: "Today, government is spending too much, wasting too much and taxing too much. Britain cannot continue indefinitely to spend more than she is earning without higher taxes or higher interest rates - either of which will harm our economic prospects.
"Lower taxes promote enterprise and growth. But they also promote the right values. Hard-working families have suffered from Labour's tax raids on mortgages and marriage, pensions and petrol, buying a home and having a job."
Flexible childcare and school discipline
In an attempt to end their uncaring image, the Tories' plan to improve childcare and maternity pay is the first policy area to be highlighted. The two main pledges are:
· £50 a week for working families who qualify for the working families tax credit for each child under five
· Introduce more flexible maternity pay, allowing mothers to receive it over nine months or a higher amount over six months.
The education proposals centre on an extra £15bn a year for schools by 2009-10; tightening school discipline by giving headteachers the final say over expulsions and full control over admissions; giving headteachers "freedom to spend money" by ensuring cash follows pupils; and introducing a moratorium on the closure of special schools.
The most eye-catching proposal, first outlined last year, is to allow parents to send their children free to a private school provided the fees are no more than a state school.
"Parents know their children best and are increasingly frus trated at not being able to exercise more choice and control over their children's education. We will give parents the right to choose the school best suited to their child's needs and our school expansion fund will provide an additional 600,000 places in our first term."
Better healthcare and cleaner hospitals
With Labour enjoying a commanding lead on health, the Tories commit themselves to the principle of healthcare "free at the point of use" and pledge to increase the NHS budget by £34bn a year during the first parliament.
Their planned reforms are:
· Abolishing targets on hospitals. "Patients will be treated according to needs, not targets"
· All hospitals will be given the freedom to hire staff, specialise and borrow to invest
· "We will bring back matron who will have the power to close wards for cleaning."
The most controversial proposal echoes the pledge to fund pupils in private schools. "Each year around 220,000 people without health insurance pay for important operations. We believe that providing a contribution, based on the cost of half the NHS operation, when people make these choices recognises the tax they have paid and will further reduce waiting lists."
Safer communities and more police
With the stark claim that crime is "out of control", the Tories offer a series of proposals designed to contrast with Labour's "gimmicks":
· An extra 5,000 new police officers a year
· End Labour's early release scheme and provide an extra 20,000 prison places
· Introduce a tenfold increase of residential drug rehabilitation places to 25,000
· "Stop sending mixed messages on drugs" by reclassifying cannabis as a class B drug.
Secure borders and controlled immigration
The Tories open the most controversial chapter by praising the "cultural richness that immigration brings". But they then outline a series of proposals to "manage" the flow of im migration because the government has "lost effective control of our borders". These include:
· Round-the-clock surveillance at Britain's ports
· Establish a British border control police
· Introduce a points-based system for work permits
· Repatriate asylum policy from Brussels and withdraw from 1951 Geneva Convention.
"The best way to secure continuing support for future migration is by showing that government has control of our borders. Refusing to set a limit on new migrants is irresponsible politics."
The final nine pages focus on accountability - "If you fail, you can lose your job" - transport and foreign affairs.
The Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, Monday, launched its slimline manifesto for the May 5th general election, a twenty-seven page document entitled ''The British Dream''.

The manifesto focuses on five key areas:

'''Lower tax and value for money''': The party plans to make up to £12 billion of savings annually by reducing beurocracy such as quangos.  £8 billion will reduce previous deficit, and £4 billion of tax cuts will be made, especially to what have been called "stealth taxes".  The party promised that funding for education, health, transport and international development would not be cut, and spending on police, defence and pensions would be increased.

'''Flexible childcare and school discipline''': The manifesto promised an increase in maternity pay and more choice of childcare.  Under a conservative government more independence over expulsions and admissions would be given to school heads and governors.  Special schools for disruptive pupils would be created, and more vocational courses would be created for 14-16 year olds.

'''Better healthcare and cleaner hospitals''': A major feature of the coservative campaign has been hospital sourced infections, and in respose the party have promised to introduce ward matrons charged with keeping hospitals clean, with the authority to close wards with MRSA infections.  A Conservative government would contribute funding towards operations in private hospitals.  Econimic migrants with HIV or TB would not be allowed to live or work in Britain.

'''Safer communities and more police''': A Conservative government would increase police recruitment by 5,000 a year.  The manifesto promised to increase prison terms and increase Britain's prison capacity by 20,000 places.  The party would reverse the Labour government's decision to relax laws prohibiting Canabis use.

'''Secure borders and controlled immigration''': The manifesto proposes a new border police at Britain's busiest air and sea ports, with 24 hour surveilance.  The party would set a quota on economic migrants and reject asylym-seekers who are not vetted by the UNHCR.

Party leader Michael Howard summed up the manifesto: "If you long for cleaner hospitals, more police, school discipline, controlled immigration, lower taxes and accountability - you can vote for it, on 5 May", accusing prime-minister Tony Blair, who is campaigning for his third term, of letting the country down.