David Cameron today became the first leader of the Tory party to make a speech to the Tory party conference as Prime Minister since 1996.
And, insisting that there are no alternatives to the Coalition Government's planned cuts to services to reduce Britain's national debt, which is the highest in the G20, he echoed the words of Lord Kitchener, Britain's Secretary of State for War in 1914, by declaring:" Your country needs you."
During the speech to Conservative Party MPs and delegates in Birmingham, the Prime Minister called on the British people to "pull together" to rebuild the country and wipe up the mess left by 13 years of a Labour Government.
Cameron admitted the reductions would be 'difficult' but insisted the alternative would pile debts onto the next generation and be 'shirking' responsibility.
Watched by his wife Samantha, Cameron urged: "This is your country. It is time to step up and own it - big citizens, people that believe in themselves, a Britain that believes in itself."
He said the Conservatives' slogan 'We're all in this together' was 'not a cry for help, but a call to arms' as he urged citizens to shun Labour's 'selfishness' and become involved in their communities.
Further attacking the Opposition - who have just elected the left-wing "Red" Ed Miliband as their new leader - for giving Britain its huge debt burden and now not recognising how serious it is, Cameron said: 'You want us to spend more money on ourselves today, to keep racking up the bills today and to leave it to our children - the ones who had nothing to do with this - to pay our debts tomorrow. That is selfish and irresponsible'.
He added: 'They (the Labour Party) must never, ever be allowed anywhere near our economy again.'
The Tories, who are in power with the Liberal Democrats, like to see themselves as the patriotic party, and the PM conducted his speech against a backdrop consisting of the Tory Party's tree logo which was emblazoned with the Union flag.
The PM then tried to justify the child benefit reduction, insisting that the better off had to accept a squeeze as the coalition battles to pay down the deficit.
'I'm not saying this is going to be easy, as we've seen with child benefit this week,' he told the party faithful. 'But it's fair that those with broadest shoulders should bear a greater load.'
An anomaly will see two working parents earning up to £88,000-a-year keep the handout but a mother whose partner earns just over £44,000 lose theirs.
However, despite this cut to child benefit being attacked by the left-wing press, a survey for The Sun newspaper showed that 83% of the British people support it.
And, to aid British businesses, the PM promised he will also slash red tape and cut corporation tax every year for the next three years to boost entrepreneurs
The Prime Minister also used his speech to attack the devolved Scottish Government, saying that it was wrong to order the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
The United States (not knowing how Britain's political system works) has, at times, attacked the government in London - which rules over the entire UK - over the release of the bomber. But Scotland has a different judicial system to England & Wales and London had no say over the matter. The decision was made entirely by the Scottish Nationalists, who are in power in Edinburgh.
And, in a blow to the Liberals, who are in power (albeit as part of a coalition) for the first time since World War II (the last time Britain had a coalition government), the Prime Minister said that he WILL get rid of Britain's nuclear weapons - but replace them with new upgraded nukes. The Liberals want Britain to get rid of its nukes completely.
Your country needs you: Cameron's wartime rallying call to Britain as he insists there is no alternative to cuts
By Daily Mail Reporter
6th October 2010
Daily Mail
The Prime Minister admitted the reductions would be 'difficult' but insisted the alternative would pile debts onto the next generation and be 'shirking' responsibility.
Mr Cameron, at the Conservative Party conference, accepted that people were 'anxious' about the impact of cuts but declared: 'There is no other responsible way.'
In a nod to the child benefit row, he insisted it was right that those with 'broader shoulders' bear the largest burden as the Government battles to pay down the deficit left behind by Labour.
The Tory leader, in his first conference speech as PM, sought to marry his Big Society concept to the cuts programme.
Echoing the wartime words of Lord Kitchener, he said: 'Your country needs you.'
Rallying call: David Cameron addressing the Conservative Party conference - their first in government since 1996 - in Birmingham this afternoon
New generation: David Cameron and wife Samantha on stage after his hour-long speech
Despite the idea receiving lukewarm support during the election campaign, the Prime Minister said it was not an 'impossible, unachievable dream'.
Playing on the coalition of two political parties, he told delegates: 'It takes two', adding: 'I know British people - they are not passengers, they are drivers.'
In a deliberately optimistic speech, he urged: 'This is your country. It is time to step up and own it - big citizens, people that believe in themselves, a Britain that believes in itself.'
He issued a clarion call, saying: 'So come on, let's pull together - let's pull together, let's work together in the national interest.'
He said the Conservatives' slogan 'We're all in this together' was 'not a cry for help, but a call to arms' as he urged citizens to shun Labour's 'selfishness' and become involved in their communities.
'It's not about Government abdicating its role, it's about Government changing its role. It's about people coming together to make life better,' he said.
'We can build a country defined not by the selfishness of the Labour years but by the values of mutual responsibility that this country holds dear.
'A country defined not by what we consume, but what we contribute. A society where we say I am not alone, I will play my part.'
The country would need this 'spirit' as it faces up to the 'catastrophic' state of public finances left by Labour, he told the party faithful.
He insisted: 'I know how anxious people are. I wish there was another way, I wish there was an easier way but I have to tell you there is no other responsible way.'
The Government was acting decisively to stop taxpayers' money being poured down the drain and to avoid a sovereign debt crisis like in Greece, he said.
He warned Labour's plan of halving the deficit over four years would simply store up even bigger cuts in the future as Government interest payments soar.
Directly addressing the Opposition, the PM said: 'You want us to spend more money on ourselves today, to keep racking up the bills today and to leave it to our children - the ones who had nothing to do with this - to pay our debts tomorrow.
'That is selfish and irresponsible'. He added: 'They must never, ever be allowed anywhere near our economy again.'
Mr Cameron admitted jobs would be lost and Government projects axed but insisted the spending cuts would be implemented in a 'fair' way.
Team: David Cameron was joined by Cabinet ministers on stage
On their feet: Cabinet ministers give David Cameron a standing ovation as he arrives on stage
The speech came after the conference was overshadowed by the row over axing child benefit for higher-rate taxpayers as part of swingeing spending cuts.
Mr Cameron tried to justify the child benefit reduction today, insisting that the better off had to accept a squeeze as the coalition battles to pay down the deficit.
'I'm not saying this is going to be easy, as we've seen with child benefit this week,' he told the party faithful. 'But it's fair that those with broadest shoulders should bear a greater load.'
An anomaly will see two working parents earning up to £88,000-a-year keep the handout but a mother whose partner earns just over £44,000 lose theirs.
Mr Cameron was forced to say sorry last night for failing to warn middle class mothers about looming tax cuts after a huge backlash.
But he refused to back down over the controversial change, due in 2013, which will see one in six families lose the payouts which are worth thousands a year.
The Prime Minister has indicated he would reinstate tax breaks for married couples - axed by Labour in 2000 - in a bid to mitigate the hardship.
This afternoon, Mr Cameron seized the mantle of Margaret Thatcher as he backed small business owners to haul Britain out of the economic mire.
He hailed the 'doers and grafters' who will 'get this economy going', promising them tax breaks and to make the banks start lending to them again.
'When you think of a wealth creator, don't think of the tycoon in a glass tower. Think of the man who gets up and leaves the house before dawn to go and clean windows,' he said.
His rhetoric echoed Baroness Thatcher's pitch as the champion of the hardworking small-business owner, playing on her origins as the daughter of a Grantham grocer.
Look of love: Samantha Cameron turns to her husband as they cross the stage. In the background are Defence Secretary Liam Fox, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles and Education Secretary Michael Gove
Mr Cameron also had harsh words for the bankers who helped bring the British economy to its knees.
Aides said the Coalition was drawing up plans to hit the banks with another supertax, probably hitting profits and bonuses.
'There's another way we are getting behind business - by sorting out the banks,' the Prime Minister said.
'Taxpayers bailed you out - now it's time for you to repay the favour and start lending to Britain's small businesses again.' Mr Cameron insisted.
Mr Cameron insisted that dealing with the deficit is essential to keeping interest rates low, helping small businesses to prosper.
But the Coalition will also slash red tape and cut corporation tax every year for the next three years to boost entrepreneurs, while new businesses will also get National Insurance breaks.
He said: 'I don't think our job ends there. Government has a role not just to fire up ambition but to help give it flight. So we are acting to build a more entrepreneurial economy.'
Support: David Cameron and his wife Samantha heading to the conference hall this afternoon
The Government is planning a new generation of technical schools and tens of thousands of extra university and apprenticeship places.
WARTIME RALLYING CRY
The famous rallying cry 'You Country Needs You' came from a 1914 recruitment poster featuring Lord Kitchener.
He had been appointed Secretary of State for War and was faced with the administration of British forces and the task of getting thousands of young men to sign up to fight for king and country.
In 1914, Britain was the world's superpower and the Royal Navy ruled the waves but, with Britain being an island, the British Army was comparitively small, with a strength of 710,000 (larger, though, than it is now. The British Army is the largest in the EU and the third largest in NATO but has a strength of just 147,000).
The World War I poster, featuring his handlebar moustache and pointing figure, was credited with helping to raise huge numbers of volunteers who became known as 'Kitchener armies'.
By 1918, almost one in four males of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland had joined the British Army, giving it a strength of 5 million.
A new green investment bank will help develop technologies, while high-speed rail and superfast broadband will help rebuild the economy.
Mr Cameron admitted that reducing spending will be 'difficult' as the Government unveils a four-year cuts plan later this month.
'There are programmes that will be cut, there are jobs that will be lost,' he said. 'There are things that government does today that it will have to stop doing.
'Many government departments will have their budgets cut by on average 25 per cent over four years. That's big.
'But let's remember, a lot of businesses have had to make the same or bigger savings in recent years.'
The PM pledged to protect the service people most rely on - the NHS. 'People who are sick, who are vulnerable, the elderly - I want you to know we will always look after you.'
Mr Cameron also used his speech to try to redefine 'fairness' in public spending. He rejected Labour's focus on the 'size of the cheque' it handed to welfare claimants and the less well-off.
'We say, let's measure our success by the chance we give. Let's support real routes out of poverty: a strong family, a good education, a job.
'We'll invest in the early years, help put troubled families back on track, use a pupil premium to make sure kids from the poorest homes go to the best schools not the worst, recognise marriage in the tax system - and most of all, make sure that work really pays for every single person in our country.'
He insisted the coalition would clamp down on families staying at home and living on benefits while their neighbours go out to work.
'Fairness means giving people what they deserve, and what people deserve depends on how they behave.
'If you really can't work, we'll look after you. But if you can work but refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of others.'
dailymail.co.uk
And, insisting that there are no alternatives to the Coalition Government's planned cuts to services to reduce Britain's national debt, which is the highest in the G20, he echoed the words of Lord Kitchener, Britain's Secretary of State for War in 1914, by declaring:" Your country needs you."
During the speech to Conservative Party MPs and delegates in Birmingham, the Prime Minister called on the British people to "pull together" to rebuild the country and wipe up the mess left by 13 years of a Labour Government.
Cameron admitted the reductions would be 'difficult' but insisted the alternative would pile debts onto the next generation and be 'shirking' responsibility.
Watched by his wife Samantha, Cameron urged: "This is your country. It is time to step up and own it - big citizens, people that believe in themselves, a Britain that believes in itself."
He said the Conservatives' slogan 'We're all in this together' was 'not a cry for help, but a call to arms' as he urged citizens to shun Labour's 'selfishness' and become involved in their communities.
Further attacking the Opposition - who have just elected the left-wing "Red" Ed Miliband as their new leader - for giving Britain its huge debt burden and now not recognising how serious it is, Cameron said: 'You want us to spend more money on ourselves today, to keep racking up the bills today and to leave it to our children - the ones who had nothing to do with this - to pay our debts tomorrow. That is selfish and irresponsible'.
He added: 'They (the Labour Party) must never, ever be allowed anywhere near our economy again.'
The Tories, who are in power with the Liberal Democrats, like to see themselves as the patriotic party, and the PM conducted his speech against a backdrop consisting of the Tory Party's tree logo which was emblazoned with the Union flag.
The PM then tried to justify the child benefit reduction, insisting that the better off had to accept a squeeze as the coalition battles to pay down the deficit.
'I'm not saying this is going to be easy, as we've seen with child benefit this week,' he told the party faithful. 'But it's fair that those with broadest shoulders should bear a greater load.'
An anomaly will see two working parents earning up to £88,000-a-year keep the handout but a mother whose partner earns just over £44,000 lose theirs.
However, despite this cut to child benefit being attacked by the left-wing press, a survey for The Sun newspaper showed that 83% of the British people support it.
And, to aid British businesses, the PM promised he will also slash red tape and cut corporation tax every year for the next three years to boost entrepreneurs
The Prime Minister also used his speech to attack the devolved Scottish Government, saying that it was wrong to order the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
The United States (not knowing how Britain's political system works) has, at times, attacked the government in London - which rules over the entire UK - over the release of the bomber. But Scotland has a different judicial system to England & Wales and London had no say over the matter. The decision was made entirely by the Scottish Nationalists, who are in power in Edinburgh.
And, in a blow to the Liberals, who are in power (albeit as part of a coalition) for the first time since World War II (the last time Britain had a coalition government), the Prime Minister said that he WILL get rid of Britain's nuclear weapons - but replace them with new upgraded nukes. The Liberals want Britain to get rid of its nukes completely.
Your country needs you: Cameron's wartime rallying call to Britain as he insists there is no alternative to cuts
By Daily Mail Reporter
6th October 2010
Daily Mail
- 'We have to pull together to rebuild Britain'
- Cuts will hit those with 'broader shoulders'
- Pledge to help small firms evokes Thatcher
- Banks attacked, with vow to make them lend more
- Benefits shake-up will make sure work pays
- Trident to be replaced with like-for-like deterrent
- Condemnation of Lockerbie bomber's release
The Prime Minister admitted the reductions would be 'difficult' but insisted the alternative would pile debts onto the next generation and be 'shirking' responsibility.
Mr Cameron, at the Conservative Party conference, accepted that people were 'anxious' about the impact of cuts but declared: 'There is no other responsible way.'
In a nod to the child benefit row, he insisted it was right that those with 'broader shoulders' bear the largest burden as the Government battles to pay down the deficit left behind by Labour.
The Tory leader, in his first conference speech as PM, sought to marry his Big Society concept to the cuts programme.
Echoing the wartime words of Lord Kitchener, he said: 'Your country needs you.'
Rallying call: David Cameron addressing the Conservative Party conference - their first in government since 1996 - in Birmingham this afternoon
New generation: David Cameron and wife Samantha on stage after his hour-long speech
Despite the idea receiving lukewarm support during the election campaign, the Prime Minister said it was not an 'impossible, unachievable dream'.
Playing on the coalition of two political parties, he told delegates: 'It takes two', adding: 'I know British people - they are not passengers, they are drivers.'
In a deliberately optimistic speech, he urged: 'This is your country. It is time to step up and own it - big citizens, people that believe in themselves, a Britain that believes in itself.'
He issued a clarion call, saying: 'So come on, let's pull together - let's pull together, let's work together in the national interest.'
He said the Conservatives' slogan 'We're all in this together' was 'not a cry for help, but a call to arms' as he urged citizens to shun Labour's 'selfishness' and become involved in their communities.
'It's not about Government abdicating its role, it's about Government changing its role. It's about people coming together to make life better,' he said.
'We can build a country defined not by the selfishness of the Labour years but by the values of mutual responsibility that this country holds dear.
'A country defined not by what we consume, but what we contribute. A society where we say I am not alone, I will play my part.'
The country would need this 'spirit' as it faces up to the 'catastrophic' state of public finances left by Labour, he told the party faithful.
He insisted: 'I know how anxious people are. I wish there was another way, I wish there was an easier way but I have to tell you there is no other responsible way.'
The Government was acting decisively to stop taxpayers' money being poured down the drain and to avoid a sovereign debt crisis like in Greece, he said.
He warned Labour's plan of halving the deficit over four years would simply store up even bigger cuts in the future as Government interest payments soar.
Directly addressing the Opposition, the PM said: 'You want us to spend more money on ourselves today, to keep racking up the bills today and to leave it to our children - the ones who had nothing to do with this - to pay our debts tomorrow.
'That is selfish and irresponsible'. He added: 'They must never, ever be allowed anywhere near our economy again.'
Mr Cameron admitted jobs would be lost and Government projects axed but insisted the spending cuts would be implemented in a 'fair' way.
Team: David Cameron was joined by Cabinet ministers on stage
On their feet: Cabinet ministers give David Cameron a standing ovation as he arrives on stage
The speech came after the conference was overshadowed by the row over axing child benefit for higher-rate taxpayers as part of swingeing spending cuts.
Mr Cameron tried to justify the child benefit reduction today, insisting that the better off had to accept a squeeze as the coalition battles to pay down the deficit.
'I'm not saying this is going to be easy, as we've seen with child benefit this week,' he told the party faithful. 'But it's fair that those with broadest shoulders should bear a greater load.'
An anomaly will see two working parents earning up to £88,000-a-year keep the handout but a mother whose partner earns just over £44,000 lose theirs.
Mr Cameron was forced to say sorry last night for failing to warn middle class mothers about looming tax cuts after a huge backlash.
But he refused to back down over the controversial change, due in 2013, which will see one in six families lose the payouts which are worth thousands a year.
The Prime Minister has indicated he would reinstate tax breaks for married couples - axed by Labour in 2000 - in a bid to mitigate the hardship.
This afternoon, Mr Cameron seized the mantle of Margaret Thatcher as he backed small business owners to haul Britain out of the economic mire.
He hailed the 'doers and grafters' who will 'get this economy going', promising them tax breaks and to make the banks start lending to them again.
'When you think of a wealth creator, don't think of the tycoon in a glass tower. Think of the man who gets up and leaves the house before dawn to go and clean windows,' he said.
His rhetoric echoed Baroness Thatcher's pitch as the champion of the hardworking small-business owner, playing on her origins as the daughter of a Grantham grocer.
Look of love: Samantha Cameron turns to her husband as they cross the stage. In the background are Defence Secretary Liam Fox, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles and Education Secretary Michael Gove
Mr Cameron also had harsh words for the bankers who helped bring the British economy to its knees.
Aides said the Coalition was drawing up plans to hit the banks with another supertax, probably hitting profits and bonuses.
'There's another way we are getting behind business - by sorting out the banks,' the Prime Minister said.
'Taxpayers bailed you out - now it's time for you to repay the favour and start lending to Britain's small businesses again.' Mr Cameron insisted.
Mr Cameron insisted that dealing with the deficit is essential to keeping interest rates low, helping small businesses to prosper.
But the Coalition will also slash red tape and cut corporation tax every year for the next three years to boost entrepreneurs, while new businesses will also get National Insurance breaks.
He said: 'I don't think our job ends there. Government has a role not just to fire up ambition but to help give it flight. So we are acting to build a more entrepreneurial economy.'
Support: David Cameron and his wife Samantha heading to the conference hall this afternoon
The Government is planning a new generation of technical schools and tens of thousands of extra university and apprenticeship places.
WARTIME RALLYING CRY
The famous rallying cry 'You Country Needs You' came from a 1914 recruitment poster featuring Lord Kitchener.
He had been appointed Secretary of State for War and was faced with the administration of British forces and the task of getting thousands of young men to sign up to fight for king and country.
In 1914, Britain was the world's superpower and the Royal Navy ruled the waves but, with Britain being an island, the British Army was comparitively small, with a strength of 710,000 (larger, though, than it is now. The British Army is the largest in the EU and the third largest in NATO but has a strength of just 147,000).
The World War I poster, featuring his handlebar moustache and pointing figure, was credited with helping to raise huge numbers of volunteers who became known as 'Kitchener armies'.
By 1918, almost one in four males of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland had joined the British Army, giving it a strength of 5 million.
A new green investment bank will help develop technologies, while high-speed rail and superfast broadband will help rebuild the economy.
Mr Cameron admitted that reducing spending will be 'difficult' as the Government unveils a four-year cuts plan later this month.
'There are programmes that will be cut, there are jobs that will be lost,' he said. 'There are things that government does today that it will have to stop doing.
'Many government departments will have their budgets cut by on average 25 per cent over four years. That's big.
'But let's remember, a lot of businesses have had to make the same or bigger savings in recent years.'
The PM pledged to protect the service people most rely on - the NHS. 'People who are sick, who are vulnerable, the elderly - I want you to know we will always look after you.'
Mr Cameron also used his speech to try to redefine 'fairness' in public spending. He rejected Labour's focus on the 'size of the cheque' it handed to welfare claimants and the less well-off.
'We say, let's measure our success by the chance we give. Let's support real routes out of poverty: a strong family, a good education, a job.
'We'll invest in the early years, help put troubled families back on track, use a pupil premium to make sure kids from the poorest homes go to the best schools not the worst, recognise marriage in the tax system - and most of all, make sure that work really pays for every single person in our country.'
He insisted the coalition would clamp down on families staying at home and living on benefits while their neighbours go out to work.
'Fairness means giving people what they deserve, and what people deserve depends on how they behave.
'If you really can't work, we'll look after you. But if you can work but refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of others.'
dailymail.co.uk
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