THE Monklands East campaign rumbled on yesterday, with the main

parties accusing each other of having an identity problem.

The Labour Party, according to the SNP, were really Tories with their

socialist policies watered down to win voters in the south of England.

Labour countered by accusing the SNP of being ''alternative

Conservatives'' and blamed them for felling the 1979 Labour government.

Conservative Susan Bell claimed that many Tory voters were actually

previously Labour supporters who had backed John Smith.

The issues of health, youth benefit entitlements, the quality of life,

and Monklandsgate were again on the agenda.

Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind yesterday joined the hustings and

attacked Labour leadership contender Tony Blair for failing to condemn

Wednesday's rail strike.

He dubbed Mr Blair as ''the strikers' friend'' and argued that the

public were entitled to a ''clear and unambiguous'' response from the

Labour hopeful.

Earlier, Labour came under fire from the SNP candidate, Mrs Kay

Ullrich, over its failure to make a commitment to restore benefits for

16 and 17-year-olds.

Mrs Ullrich said: ''They criticise Major for his appalling immoral

crusade against those worst off in society but, when it comes to the

bit, they will do nothing to help young people off the streets.''

In answer, Labour's Mrs Helen Liddell said the matter was with the

Commission for Social Justice. Until a decision was taken, she added:

''I am simply not going to do a Santa Claus act.''

Mrs Liddell criticised the application for trust status by the

Scottish Ambulance Service. She argued that it would be ''yet another

example of the Tories bargain- basement approach to health care.''

She said the opting out ambulance services had been a failure in

England and Wales and warned that the people of Monklands were already

feeling the effects of the Tories break-up the National Health Service.

Mrs Bell dismissed this claim, stating that Monklands General Hospital

had improved its service since trust status. However she was unable to

give exact figures to support her case.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Gallagher called for ''A

Freedom of Information Act'' to help dispel the cloud presently

surrounding the local district council.

Bookmaker William Hill has made the SNP surprise favourite to take the

seat despite Labour's majority of nearly 16,000. The SNP is 8-11, with

Labour evens and the Tories and Liberal Democrats 100-1 outsiders.