DAVID Cameron promised to create 'the responsible society' by rolling back the culture of big government bureaucracy installed during Labour's 12 years in power.
In his final conference speech before the general election, the Conservative leader said he had the character, temperament and judgment to be Prime Minister.
He told the party faithful gathered in Manchester that getting Britain out of recession and paying off the massive state debt would be "painful" but the nation had brighter times ahead if it took the tough Tory medicine.
"If we cut big government back, if we move society forward and if we rebuild responsibility, then we can put Britain back on her feet," Mr Cameron said.
"I know that today there aren't many reasons to be cheerful. But there are reasons to believe.
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"Yes, it will be a steep climb. But the view from the summit will be worth it."In a deeply personal speech, Mr Cameron returned repeatedly to what he described as "my DNA: family, community, country".
He recalled the death earlier this year of his son Ivan, which he said had made him question whether he wanted to continue in politics.
And he paid tribute to his wife Samantha, watching from the front row, for "sustaining" him at a time when "it's like the world has stopped turning and the clocks have stopped ticking."
Mr Cameron accused Labour of allowing Britain's economy, society and politics to be "broken" because its response to every issue was not to trust individuals and families but to rely on big government to solve problems.
And he told activists: "Here is the big argument in British politics today, put plainly and simply. Labour say that to solve the country's problems, we need more government. Don't they see? It is more government that got us into this mess.
"We are not going to solve our problems with bigger government. We are going to solve our problems with a stronger society, stronger families, stronger communities, a stronger country. All by rebuilding responsibility."
Setting out his case to enter 10 Downing Street in the election expected in the spring, Mr Cameron said: "Family, community, country. Recognising that what holds society together is responsibility and that the good society is a responsible society.
"That's what I'm about. That's what any government I lead will be about."
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Cameron promises 'responsible society'
October 08, 2009
David Cameron addresses the last Conservative Party Conference before the next election.
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Laura Norder, Didsbury (08/10/2009 at 15:58)
And will Boris be the next Tory leader to fall at the post?
tiggerluc, somewhere in shaw (08/10/2009 at 16:11)
Local lad, outsidethebox (08/10/2009 at 16:18)
MPs gravy train, UK (08/10/2009 at 16:25)
Harry, Benchill (08/10/2009 at 16:35)
I trust him more than Brown who gets worse by the day.
Of course there will be cuts. If you had an income of £25,000 a year and owed £100,000 on credit cards and loans what would you do? Do you make cutbaks and sort it out or borrow more? Brown does the latter. Never voted for them before but they will sort out Labour's mess. I can't stand Brown when he virtually says he's the one to sort out the mess. He got us into it.
Key points today were:
'We will need to confront Britain’s culture of irresponsibility'
He want's the people to have responsibility back rather than government interferring everywhere:
'That the state is your servant, never your master. Common sense and decency.'
'Labour say that to solve the country’s problems, we need more government.
Don’t they see? It is more government that got us into this mess.'
Why is our economy broken? Not just because Labour wrongly thought they’d abolished boom and bust. But because government got too big, spent too much and doubled the national debt.
But this idea that for every problem there’s a government solution for every issue an initiative, for every situation a czar....
It ends with them making you register with the government to help out your child’s football team. With police officers punished for babysitting each other’s children. With laws so bureaucratic and complicated even their own Attorney General can’t obey them.
Option one: we can just default on the debt. Not pay it. Other countries have done that in the past. But I don’t think anyone in this country wants to go down that road.
Option two: we could encourage inflation, which would wipe out the value of the debt, making it easier to pay off. But that’s not just an economic disaster – it’s a social disaster too. It doesn’t just wipe out debts, it wipes out people’s hard-earned savings.
So we have the third option - for me the only option. We must pay down this deficit. The longer we leave it, the worse it will be for all of us.''
It was one of the most empowering speeches in political history.
I also like the nice touch that he wasn't wearing a £21,500 watch like his Labour counterpart.
Mr Angry, Bury (08/10/2009 at 16:37)
THE ******* TORY PARTY IN THE 80'S!!!!!
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (08/10/2009 at 16:37)
Lou Toft, Rochdale (08/10/2009 at 16:39)
Last week Brown promised to increase the minimum wage year on year.
It's obvious that the Tories want to abolish this.
The Man on Bury Bridge (08/10/2009 at 16:42)
How right he was.
Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (08/10/2009 at 16:43)
Long Time No Speak
Further to your predictions on the success of the Congestion Charge vote last year, I doubt the Camerons will be losing too much sleep.
PS. I wonder how many posts we get through before you have to explain your name.......
mp. (08/10/2009 at 16:49)
redted, Manchester (08/10/2009 at 16:57)
redted, Manchester (08/10/2009 at 16:57)
blueboy (08/10/2009 at 17:12)
Harry, Benchill (08/10/2009 at 17:26)
Banning comments is a serious blow to the right of freedom of expression. Opinion or criticism cannot be silenced by bans, it can only be silenced by intelligent and rational engagement. And therein lies the rub - certaian quarters do not do "intelligent" or "rational" and certainly these are both alien concepts.
It is people who operate purely on prejudice and try to pass their prejudice off as "morality".
Maiden aunt, manchester (08/10/2009 at 17:54)
Is It Me? (08/10/2009 at 18:08)
Rob Lawrence (08/10/2009 at 18:42)
Socialism, in any form, has failed so I think it's time for something else.
Public School Pimms Lout (08/10/2009 at 20:13)
Take your socialist nonsense away with you!
At last, we will have a party in charge that will put the 'Great' back into 'Britain' ! The spongers, the lazy, the illegal and the wasters will not prosper under an Tory administration lead by David Cameron.
I for one will be very happy when this 'socialist workers salt of the earth' nonsense is exposed for what it truly is, a support mechanism for the lazy wasters and underclass benefits dwellers!
The true working class man is long forgotten, a man of integrity, morals, hard work and decency who ensured his family came first and his kids worked hard at school and shown respect. Your Labour administration doesn't represent him, they represent the spongers and lowest form of society.
Good riddance to Labour!
Andanotherthing, Mcr (08/10/2009 at 20:28)
If you were Mr Agitated of Altrincham....Maybe.
Knowall, stretford end (08/10/2009 at 20:49)
Appointing a retired general a political gimmick who said that? oh the Shadow home secretary, then he said he didn't understand the question when he realised the Tories had played the gimmick card.
George Osbourne Wednesday Morning blames the banks for the mess, come Thursday and Yorkshires finest Harold Wilson impersonator blames Gordon Brown
The message from the Party Chairman no drinking champagne in public to show that they are feeling the pinch and they understand the problems the recession has caused and two days later we have pictures of Bandwagon supping a glass of it and another of them showing his empathy with the unwaged by nicking it.
Same old tories really, but people will vote for them because certain newspapers will tell them to, it will be a bad day for the North if bandwagon comes to power....
Is It Me? (08/10/2009 at 20:53)
taxed2death, Urmston (08/10/2009 at 21:24)
No mention of interest rates at an all time low.No mention of NHS waiting lists.No mention of record investment in schools and police.No mention of Euro treaty.
None have been of the agenda because the Tories lose the argument everytime on the things that matter.Instead they hide behind sweeping sound bites and will not enter into debate about the things they ruined under Thatcher.
Just be sure you don't fall for the slick advertisement and spin but see the the whole picture before you waste you vote in the next election.
hjk (08/10/2009 at 22:05)
Horatio Dogsbody, Flixton (08/10/2009 at 23:30)
When the inevitable implosion came and it all collapsed as a house of cards, the British Government had to pump in thousands of millions of pounds to prevent the imminent destruction of the banking system, along with people's savings, jobs and assets. The Tories would have done nothing and just let it all self-destruct, along with most of the remaining economy. Now they have the gall to criticize the Government for the size of the debts incurred in preventing a devastating financial collapse.
The biggest insult is that the top people in the banks and elsewhere, ultimately responsible for this mess, are most unlikely ever to be supporters or members of New Labour. Most likely they were Tories to a man. Do we really want those responsible for this disaster and their friends to be entrusted running the nation?