Why Cameron’s conference speech is vital

Taylor

Surely the main thing is that for weeks now (months?) we've not heard a peep out of Mr Cameron. This may feel disturbing and diminishing to you chaps who read the entrails for a living, but I suspect that for most of the rest of us, not having a Prime Minister or a government in our faces all the time is rather a nice change. Such an abstemious demand upon our attention is welcome, and will be more so when we get to around the 7-8yr mark.

JohnPage

Vital? A nation yawns.

Tim W

I don't view Cameron's speech as vital at all. Conservatives have got to be comfortable with the fact that they are going to be very unpopular in the coming years. There's no point making a great speech now for the sake of a few poll points when they will disappear in a few weeks. Surely its better to worry about sounding great in the year before the next election - when it really matters.

As for Cameron not having the Tory philosophy of empowering individuals, his conference speech last year attacking 'Big Government' was almost entirely philosophical whilst the 'Big Society' idea was similar.

I agree on the last year of "presentational incoherence". However, it mattered far more before the election than it does now. The next election will be decided almost entirely on the economy in five years time. Labour desperately need there to be a double-dip recession and higher unemployment - they will win a landslide if this happens. If there is no double-dip and Osborne is right then all of what Labour's been saying will be proved wrong and they'll get hammered leading to another Con-Lib Coalition or, more likely, a Tory majority. People really aren't making up their minds yet on how to vote. Cameron should just be content with determination and competency during next week and make sure the cuts don't mess up the economy.

DavidDP

Maybe there is some other bit in the Collins article, but that extract reads like a compliment to me. He paints Cameron as pragmatic and direct about running the country, and not bothered with grand ideological theories.

That used to be considered a positive in conservative circles.

Fiona

I don't agree with Collins. I'm sure that for now, Cameron and Osborne are more than happy for us to imagine they are doing nothing more than good housekeeping, but it seems a little far-fetched to me.

Cuts and outsourcing in the public sector will certainly reduce the size of the state, and diminish the strength and influence of trade unions. Unintended consequences? I doubt it.

Perry

Difficult isn't it? - for a politican obsessed with stage management and PR - to speak plain, simple, undeniable truths, in plain, simple, uncomplicated English.

alexsandr

Tim W
Mebbe. but what about the other elections next may?
and the referendum?
And any by-elections that may come up?

Vulture

The reason why David Cameron finds it difficult to articulate a Conservative philosophy is simple. He's not a Conservative.
Doh!

Verity

David Blackburn, you are far and away the most beguiling wordsmith employed in these parts, but please do not refer to whisky as Scotch. That is an American usage to distinguish Scotch whiskey from Bourbon. As Bourbon is seldom, if ever, drunk in Britain, such distinctions do not concern us.

Michael St George

It's all very well wanting to "free teachers from the rapacity and megalomania of local authorities", and it's very necessary too.

However, 40 years of Gramscian cultural marxist indocrination in the teacher training colleges means that large swathes of the profession have a worldview pretty much indistinguishable from their current local authority overseers: so that merely altering the structures without giving equal market clout to parents in the shape of alternatives and choice won't generate much improvement.

ollie

Surely a government's priority should be about balancing the books? Look what happens when that doesn't occur - huge debt. All this crap about big society is window dressing.

Craig Strachan

"The value he brings to this task is the insight that it is better to be dry than wet."

That was Maggie's insight too.

CityBoozer

Verity,

If it comes from Scotland , it needn't be spelled with an "e".

Cb.

Marcus Cotswell

I would settle for a fixed roof.

normanc

Here's a dirty secret. This government is going to be taxing you more and spending more of your money. Spending up 15% over the course of this Parliament. That's money we don't have and are going to have to borrow.

Let's hear it for David Cameron, conservative champion!

He really needs a coherent message, up until now it's all been waffle.

Holly ......

'Presentational incoherence'?
More of a Labour induced,YOU DO NOT HAVE TO THINK FOR YOURSELVES ANYMORE,WE'LL DO IT FOR YOU coma.
I got it,I even explained things on here.
I STILL get it.
I've never bloody shut up about it,because it is what all sane,able bodied folk are SCREAMING out for!
Give us the chance and we will do it.
Give us our wages back and we'll do it even quicker,cheaper,longer lasting and better.
Then demand will rise,then growth will start
Sit back wailing,"We've been 'abandoned' by our government,we NEED our government to wipe our arses" nothing will improve.
Some REALLY do NEED the government,but the
healthy/undeserving are STEALING that help.
Let the Conservative led Coalition fix the country and Ed is quite welcome to call off strikes.
Was the BBC strike an 'irresponsible' strike
Ed mentioned at conference?
Or did he see the backfire coming?

Mark Cannon

Sorry, but despite two links I am not going to the Times on line. Please don't bother with links to this doomed attempt to turn the internet into a subscription (btw the Spectator is not worth the subscription or buying any more either, and I write as a loyal buyer (not subscriber, so paying more) between 1980 and 2004 or thereabouts).

Major Plonquer 1

Frankly, if David Cameron mounts the podium, drops his drawers and farts the theme from Z Cars he will still come across more seriously than Red Ed could ever hope to.

This 'New Generation' thing is borrowed from an old campaign Pespi used to tackle Coca Cola's dominance. That worked really well, didn't it?

Paddy

Bob Crowe will be calling in his favours soon.

Watch out Red Ed of the 'caring sharing' party.