Speeches

 

David Cameron
Speech to Scottish Conservative Conference   12/03/2007

It’s great to be here again.

Since becoming leader, I’ve come to Scotland many times.

It’s a priority for me.

You know, people send me all sorts of interesting advice about Scotland....

.... although, frankly, sometimes it would perhaps be best if they kept it to themselves.

But I don’t need a memo to tell me what’s going on in the Scottish Conservative Party.

I can see it for myself.

We’ve got a great team.

We’ve got the best policies.

And now we’ve got to do all we can to be that voice for change that this country so badly needs.

This is a good time to be a Conservative.

These are days of hope and optimism.

You can sense a change of mood in Britain.

People have had enough of Labour.

Now they want an alternative.

And they’re ready to look again at the Conservatives.

But everyone should be clear about one thing.

The political weather has changed because the Conservative Party has changed.

We’ve changed our priorities.

We’re back in the mainstream.

We’re a modern Party focused on the future.

And that means we keep up the momentum of change.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking.

That we’ve changed quite enough for the time being.

That we’re ahead in the polls so we can sit back and relax.

Go back to our old ways.

Well that’s not going to happen.

The change goes on – faster, wider, deeper.

There are many people out there who still haven’t made their minds up about us.

Let’s be frank – there are more of them in Scotland than in many other parts of Britain.

They want to know that the change is real.

They want to know that it’s not just the leader, but the whole Party that’s changed.

So every single one of us has to show, day in day out...

...in everything we do

...and everything we say...

...that this is a modern Party with the right values and the right priorities.

It is because we’ve changed that we’re making progress.

I’m not talking about short-term trends in the opinion polls.

These things can come and go.

They’re not the substance of politics, they’re the froth.

The progress I’m talking about is the progress of our ideas.

We’re leading political debate in this country for the first time in many years.

On strengthening families, while Tony Blair pretends there’s no problem and tries to paper over the cracks...

...we’re the ones making the substantial arguments about family breakdown and its effects.

On improving the NHS, while Labour has been closing Accident and Emergency units ...

...we’re the ones campaigning against NHS cuts and developing the serious ideas to improve our health service by putting power in the hands of patients and professionals.

And on protecting the environment, it is only because we made the case for annual targets on carbon emissions that we’ll be seeing a Climate Change Bill published next week.

I’m proud of the fact that it’s our party leading the green revolution that our country so badly needs.

Above all we’re leading the debate on the really big argument in British politics today.

It’s not about the economy.

It’s about our society.

We speak today for the people of Britain who are sick and tired of living in a country that is economically rich but socially so poor.

We speak for the people of Britain who understand that there’s more to life than money...

...and who want to see a Government that’s passionate about helping everyone achieve a better quality of life.

Quality of life – that is the modern mission of the Conservative party.

So let’s make it clear what we’re fighting for.

We’re fighting to improve our National Health Service, which makes such a difference to the quality of so many people’s lives.

We’re fighting for a cleaner, greener environment: locally and globally - for this generation and those that will follow.

We’re fighting to support our families: with childcare, with more flexible career opportunities, and – let’s be clear - with a commitment to marriage as the essential institution of a strong society.

We’re fighting for affordable homes to allow everyone to live in decent conditions.

We’re fighting to tackle the causes of poverty as well as its symptoms.

We’re fighting for better schools so every child has the chance to fulfil their potential.

And we’re fighting to cut the crime that wrecks the quality of life in so many of our neighbourhoods.

These are the priorities of the modern Conservative Party.

And nowhere are they more important than in Scotland

This is a nation with a proud history and a distinct identity.

But at heart, Scots have the same priorities as everyone else in Britain.

Good schools.

Decent healthcare.

Safe streets.

Clean air.

People in Scotland are crying out for change and I want us to show that the only party that can be an effective force for that change is the Scottish Conservatives.

We have an historic opportunity.

By focusing on the issues that really matter to people we can get a great result in May’s Parliamentary elections.

And by using our voice - and our votes - to speak up for Scotland we can build a better country.

It’s this simple.

More Conservative MSPs in the Scottish Parliament means a more effective voice for the Scottish people.

Because it’s our MSPs, under the principled and positive leadership of Annabel Goldie, who do the real job of holding the Lib-Lab pact to account.

What a contrast with our opponents.

First of all there’s Gordon Brown.

We’re told he’s a man of substance.

But every time he opens his mouth on any subject other than the economy, all that pops out is another clumsy gimmick.

Promoting Britishness by telling us to fly flags on the lawn...

...or forcing new immigrants to do community work.

His big idea for families?

A state-run website giving parenting advice.

Doesn’t he realise there are many fantastic parenting websites already, set up by parents for parents?

He can’t think of a question without believing that the only right answer is the big clunking fist of state intervention.

He can’t actually make his mind up about which football team he supports.

When he’s talking to Scots he’s a Scotland fan; south of the border he says he supports England.

And – get this – he is the man who says he wants to end the culture of spin.

Gordon, pull the other one.

Do you think we’ve forgotten the spending announcements when the same money is re-announced over and over and over again?

Do you think we’ve forgotten the budgets when the big changes – the clobbering of the self employed and the hammering of pensions – weren’t even been mentioned by you in the budget speech itself?

Do you think we’ve forgiven you for the stealth taxes, that you’ve never properly admitted to, but that are bludgeoning every family in Britain?

</P.

You are not answer to spin. You are spin – and we won’t let people forget it.

And what about Gordon Brown’s new best friend, Sir Ming Campbell?

Ming wants to do a deal with Gordon and take the Lib-Lab pact UK-wide.

We always suspected it - but now it’s on the record.

It’s clear, official and nationwide - if you vote Liberal, you get Labour.

That’s the thing about British politics at the moment. I’m the odd one out.

No, it’s not that I’m the only major party leader who doesn’t come from Fife....

....it’s that I’m the only party leader – and we’re the only party - that wants to get Labour out of Downing Street.

Here in Scotland, the SNP wants us to think they are the only alternative to Labour.

Yet the only really distinctive SNP policy is to break up the Union.

We must not let this happen.

We know that we’re all stronger with England and Scotland staying together.

We know that the Union between our nations is an essential part of our future, as well as our past.

We know that the Scottish people want delivery, not divorce.

So we have a huge responsibility here in Scotland to make sure that people have a real choice.

Not the failure of Lib-lab pacts.

Not the break up offered by the SNP.

But sensible, practical, moderate, mainstream, compassionate Conservatism that backs the Union between our two great countries ...

... so let’s get out there and fight for it.

In serious politics, you don’t just win because the pendulum swings, because you fight a good campaign, or because it’s time for a change.

You win when you are clear about both what you want to achieve – and how you are going to achieve it.

As I’ve said, today’s Conservative Party is clear about the "what" ...

...we want to improve the quality of life for everyone in our country.

We want to tackle the biggest challenge facing our country: reviving our society, just as we once revived our economy.

And we are equally clear about how we will do it.

Not through Labour’s idea of state control.

But through our idea: social responsibility.

Social responsibility is at the heart of what we believe as Conservatives.

We believe that there is such a thing as society; it’s just not the same thing as the state.

We believe that we’re all in this together...

... that we can’t just pass off our responsibilities to the state ...

... and that you can’t pass laws to make people good.

And we understand that if we are to bring about the social revival that is our aim...

...if we are to deliver those lasting improvements to people’s quality of life...

...everyone will have to play their part.

Government certainly...

...but also individuals, families, businesses, communities, charities and social enterprises.

Take crime.

Yes Government has its responsibilities.

We need Police on our streets, empowered to intervene and make a difference.

We need prisons, robust and secure, with programmes to turn people’s lives around.

And we need tough penalties available to our courts.

As Conservatives we will champion all of these things, including right here in Scotland where Annabel has rightly led the campaign against automatic early release of criminals and has pledged to scrap it.

But we all know that’s not enough to turn the tide against crime, lawlessness and anti-social behaviour.

We all have responsibilities.

We need families to bring up their children properly.

We need schools that instil a sense of discipline and order.

We need public spaces where people simply don’t tolerate yobbish behaviour.

We need businesses to stop selling alcohol to children.

We need to say – each and every one of us – loud and clear that this is my society, I care about what is happening and I will play my part.

We need a revolution in responsibility, and we need it in every area where we want to make a difference.

I believe that that my responsibility as a political leader is to speak the truth on the issues that matter.

Sometimes that upsets people.

Recently, I’ve been criticised for saying that strong families are the key to a strong society and that marriage is a part of that.

We all understand the sensitivities.

I’m not interested in conducting some kind of a moral crusade. Politicians shouldn’t twitch at the net curtains.

But neither should we ignore the evidence.

One of the biggest causes of misery in Scotland today is family breakdown.

It’s the same in the rest of the UK

Seventy per cent of young offenders come from lone-parent families.

Children who have suffered family breakdown are seventy five per cent more likely to fail at school.

Family breakdown causes poverty, illness and broken lives.

And here’s a crucial fact:

Nearly one in two cohabiting parents split up before their child’s fifth birthday, compared to only one in twelve married parents.

That’s why I support marriage and will back it through the tax system.

Some people say that politicians shouldn’t get into this area because their own families can break down.

Yes, of course that can happen.

We’re human, and our relationships can go wrong just like anyone else’s.

But that can’t be a reason for ignoring what is a vital national issue.

Labour’s response to this debate is so telling.

They know what I’m saying is true.

But they’re too soft and too superficial to say it.

They’d rather take cheap shots than work together to find the serious solutions our society desperately needs.

Some people say you can’t talk about marriage because it sounds like talking about the past.

They are so wrong.

In a world that’s changing so fast, where bringing up children can be so challenging encouraging commitment is a vital part of the future.

And it should be there for everyone.

That’s why I so strongly support – and why this party supports – civil partnerships so that people who are gay can show that commitment too.

And these people who think marriage and commitment are part of the past and not the future ...

... what do they want for our society?

A Britain with even higher rates of family breakdown?

A country where men just father children and don’t take their responsibility for bringing them up properly?

A society where more children grow up without mum and dad there for them?

That’s not progress, that’s not the future: it’s a picture of the past and a portrait of failure – and we’ve got to stop it happening.

Earlier this week, Gordon Brown put himself on the wrong side of this vital debate.

We know that his policies have penalised marriage. Thanks to his tax and benefit rules, many couples with children are better off if they split up.

Instead of recognising this mistake, and pledging to do something about it, he’s simply compounded it.

He put himself on the side of the old-fashioned anything goes individualism that’s all about me me me...

...when what children need in the fast-changing modern world is the strength, the stability, the confidence that comes from a loving home with two parents caring for them.

I will never be frightened of saying these things.

In a future that must be family-friendly, Gordon Brown has put himself on the side of the past.

This is not about saying that single parents do a bad job.

They do the hardest job in the world.

It is simply saying that kids do best when mum and dad are both there for them.

And this debate is not just about money, and tax, and benefits.

It’s about helping parents with all the things that make life tough.

Help with childcare.

Help with flexible working.

Help with relationship support.

And when relationships do break down, as they always will, it means going after feckless fathers who fail their children by refusing to support them.

Let me tell you that there are plenty of single mums who will applaud that sentiment.

But at the same time, let’s not pretend that politicians have all the answers.

Or that changing the tax system to recognise marriage will make all the difference.

Of course it won’t.

We need to change our culture too, so we value families more.

We need parents themselves – all parents - to understand and accept the responsibilities they have, because responsibility starts at home.

We need businesses to do more to help parents balance their work and family lives.

And we need companies to reverse the commercialisation of childhood that drives so many parents crazy.

Because when it comes to families, each and every one of us must help create the culture change this country needs.

Building a family-friendly society is the first step in fighting crime, in fighting drug and alcohol abuse, and in improving our quality of life.

It is not something that can be delivered by government alone.

It is a personal responsibility, and a social responsibility.

This is a huge agenda and everyone can be a part of it.

Particularly here.

I’m convinced that Scotland is ready for a change from the stale politics of the past.

There’s a new generation of Scots who are full of aspiration and ambition.

They want something better, for themselves, for their families, for their communities, for their country - Scotland - and for the United Kingdom too.

The Scottish Conservatives must become the voice of this young Scotland.

We must go out there with all our passion and all our energy...

...and show people that this modern, dynamic Conservative Party is the force of the future, with a message of change, optimism and hope.