1537, PH: And Cameron ends on that note, calling on the public to get involved in fixing society: “So come on: let’s pull together. Let’s come together. Let’s work, together,
in the national interest.” Standing ovation. More reaction on Coffee House shortly.
1537, PH: This is good, liberal-conservative stuff from Cameron. He says that the government recognises that it is there to push power to the people. “I know the British people: they
are not passengers, they are drivers.”
1535, PH: Strong line: “Mine is not just a vision of a more powerful country, it is of more powerful people.”
1536, PH: The Big Society returns, with a lenghty section on volunteering and social action. Cameron calls this a “call to arms”.
1532, PH: Now the PM is trying to shield the Tories’ right flank on crime and justice. This is an area where “reform is needed most,” he stresses, and talks about elected police chiefs, reducted paperwork, improved rehabilitation, etc.
1530, PH: I wonder whether the Tories have Ed Balls pencilled in as the next shadow Chancllor. Cameron mentions him by name, and attacks him as as “anti-aspiration, anti-success”.
1529, PH: If Cameron’s achieving anything in this speech, it’s to undermine the “cuts vs investment” attack. He says, “If anyone says that we just need more money for better schools, better hospitals, tell them: we’ve been there – it doesn’t work.”
1529, JF: Great line: “We are the radicals now, breaking apart the old system with a massive transfer of power, from the state to citizens, politicians to people,
government to society.” The redistribution of power should be what this government is about.
1528, PH: Cameron: “We are the radicals now.”
1527, PH: A long passage praising Eric Pickles and his waste-cutting efforts at the DCLG. Cameron says that the government is committed to taking on waste and quangocrats.
1525, PH: Cameron wags his finger at the banks: “taxpayers bailed you out … you need to start lending again.” But the rhetoric masks the fact that the coalition hasn’t
really got the ability to force that.
1524, JF: The section on Cameron’s industrial policy is tepid.
1522, PH: Cameron reassures the crowd that “wealth-creator” is “not a dirty word”. He says that we shouldn’t think of them as dodgy tycoons, but as strivers across the country – “we need to get behind these wealth creators”.
1521, PH: Cameron pays tribute to IDS’s policies. He refers back to his speech last year, when he pointed out the case of a benefit claimant who could lose 95p of every extra pound
they earned. “Iain has found a way to solve that,” he says.
1519, PH: This is good from Cameron: “For too long, we have measured our efforts to tackle poverty by the size of the cheque we have given to the poor.” He goes on to say that
opportunity and social mobility should be the proper measure. A shame that the last Budget defined its own “progressiveness” by how much money was being given and taken at each income
decile.
1518, PH: That was a strong passage on the need to cut spending, but now Cameron’s balancing it out: “when we are done, spending will be the same as it was in 2006.” He also mentions the NHS ringfence.
1516, PH: Cameron does anger, saying that, “Labour must never be allowed [near the economy] again”.
1515, PH: Like Osborne, Cameron suggests that Labour are against international consensus on spending cuts. This argument, and that IMF report from last week, will be waved about
again and again over the next few months.
1513, PH: Warm applause as Cameron pays tribute to George Osborne.
1512, PH: Here’s the debt interest argument that Clegg and Osborne made. Cameron points out that we spend £43 billion a year on interest – what else could that money we spent
on?
1512, PH: Spending cuts now. Cameron says that “there is no other responsible way” to deal with the public finances.
1511, JF: Striking line about the last election result, statism lost society won. Recognition of a shared Tory Liberal intellectual tradition.
1510, PH: Cameron says that he was talking about the Big Society “years before that cuts”. That’s actually quite true: it was a theme in his speech for the party leadership in 2005.
1508, PH: Cameron ties it all to a “spirit of activism” – it’s the Big Society writ large.
1507, JF: Interesting section as Cameron says the public must accept its part of the blame for the state the country is in.
1506, PH: An intriguing spin on Cameron’s “reponsibility” theme. He says that Labour may have relied too heavily on the state, but that “we swallowed it”. Change in the country requires a change in attitudes not just the government.
1504, PH: Confused laughter as Cameron says Labour don’t “deserve all of the blame” for the state of the country. But more enthusiasm as he says that they “deserve a lot of it,” before rattling through the failures of the New Labour years.
1502, PH: Little anecdote about Angela Merkel apologising each time the Germans scored against England in the World Cup. A groan-worthy punch line: “don’t mention the
score.”
1502, PH: Cameron says that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must “stay together”.
1501, PH: Speaking about national security, Cameron barks that the release of al-Megrahi was “wrong”. He adds: “It must never happen again.”
1500, PH: Cameron confirms that the government will replace Trident.
1458, PH: On Afghanistan, Cameron supports his “out by 2015” policy by pointing out that, “by then, we will have been there for 14 years.” Still not sure how that chimes with the “as long as it takes” rhetoric elsewhere.
1456, PH: Massive applause as Cameron lists the coalition’s achievements over five months: “just imagine what we can do in five years”.
1454, PH: A strong message from Cameron on the AV referendum: he says that politicians shouldn’t try to wreck the bill, but should try and win the argument in the country. One aimed at
backbench rebels, methinks.
1453, PH: Obligatory passage on Nick Clegg. Cameron quips that when he expressed his views on the European Parliament to the Lib Dem leader, Clegg responded, “it’s worse than I
thought”. A gag that may well be designed to reassure the Tory faithful.
1452, PH: He adds that a minority government would have “limped through” Parliament.
1451, PH: Cameron recalls the evening of the election – “not knowing where it was heading.” He adds, “I woke up sure of the answer: the party wants leadership not partisanship.”
1451, JF: Party for all generations line a shot at Ed Miliband’s ‘new generation’ slogan.
1450, JF: Huge applause for the news that Thatcher will have her 85th at No 10. Will Clegg be invited?
1448, JF: Flips Blair’s famous line about the Tories round, Turns out we were only resting
1446, DB: Here he is, talking of his pride and pleasure to be leading the Conservatives in government.
1439, JF: Bigot gate features in pre speech video
1435, JF: Pre speech video has Gordon Brown’s face morphing into Ed Miliband.
1432, JF: As we wait for Cameron, one thing to look for is whether Hague introduces him as he did in previous years.
1422, PH: You can watch the speech here.
1420, JF: Here’s a picture of the stage.
1415, PH: David Cameron is due to start speaking at 1430, stay tuned for live coverage.
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