David Cameron: The long-term is in our blood

David Cameron will talk about 'Built To Last' at a party event at Vinopolis tonight.  You can read a pdf of the full text now.  This is my favourite part of the speech:

"Labour don’t think for the long term.  They think that announcing government schemes, setting up quangos and passing laws is the way to solve problems.  Gimmicks such as night courts, rewarding young people with music vouchers, and marching yobs to cashpoints.  None of them got off the ground.  Under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, the state keeps getting bigger and bigger but the long-term challenges are just not being tackled.
 
We can meet these challenges.  Our enduring values are right for our time and right for the challenges we face.  So it falls to our Party to meet the challenges of a dynamic economy, a strong society and a sustainable environment.  We know we have the right values.  We believe that the more you trust people, the stronger they and society become.  We believe in sharing responsibility; that government doesn’t have all the answers; that we’re all in this together – individuals, families, business, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, business and government.  Above all, we think for the long term.  We’ve been around for a while.  The long–term is in our blood."

"The long-term is in our blood".  What a great thing for a Conservative to say.  Protecting the environment, raising the next generation and restoring the competitiveness of the British economy are all great Conservative projects and all take time to deliver.  All a real contrast with the shallow grandstanding of Tony Blair.

All we now need from Mr Cameron are the policies to deliver long-term change...

Comments

[Donal Blaney]

Well, I have read and liked the speech...now for the substantive policies and the policy review...

[Rob Largan]

A clever soundbite indeed. It could work very well indeed.

However some of Cameron's stratergies have so far been interested in short term electoral gain at the expense of advancing our ideas in the long run. Practice what you preach 'Dave' and you shouldnt go to far wrong.

[Andrew Woodman]

Who's that guy 2 in from the bottom left?

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

Peter Ainsworth?

[Andrew Woodman]

So it is. It's come back to me now. Think he needs to work on his public recognition.

[John Coles]

At Vinopolis, eh? Well that's pretty well the nub of the problem. Not the setting for elderly tie-wearing provincials like me; we're the discarded foot soldiers of yesteryear. Just the venue, of course, for another slap in the face for Thatcherism - "There is such a thing as society". Of course there is, Co-Co, of course there is. And where is most of that society to be found? How stupid of me to ask - at the Vinopolis, of course!

[a-tracy]

Too many people (and especially Gordon Brown) don't think through the long term consequences, or if they do they don't care about the future, for those of us who do I believe this strikes the right chord.

Just aside I don't know who either of the men on the bottom row between DD and CS are.

[Selsdon Man]

It is not just elderly provincials who wear ties. Some of the so-called modernisers look as if they should be selling the Big Issue - and that includes the women.

[Andrew]

Short-termism has been my personal bugbear for years. Unfortunately, it's rather effective at winning elections.

[Greg Lance-Watkins]

Hi,

I have listened to or read all [as far as I can tell] of Cameron's key note speeches.

I am of the opinion he is dishonest, insincere, foolish, duplicitous and most of all misguided.

Misguided is in fact the key to this matter as obviously he is not working alone in high vacuum and increasingly it is becoming more obvious that Vapid Cameroon is little more than a glove puppet for the Aesopian linguistics as he marches to a common purpose tune.

To have failed to explain to the electorate he seeks to beguille that not a single one of the foolish utterances will ever come to pass, nor to explain that he requires the permission of the unarguably corrupt and undeniably undemocratic supra national EUropean soviet to do anything much more complez than stay at home and fashionably change nappies.

This corrupted little man, doing as he is told inorder to take a rump Tory Party to a victory and POWER at all costs, is making a whore of his MPs and a mockery of the electorate. The Tories MAY gain power but it is clearly at the cost of principle and integrity.

Vapid Cameroon has issued his nwe policies - well old ones in new clothes! In that they are so clearly issued as headline and vote getters, who could disagree with them? They are clearly not to be trusted.

As with his incincere promise, made when it was clear that David Davies was the popular choice for the leadership, and Vapid Cameroon's managers said 'promise them you will take the party out of the EPP - that will LOOK AS IF you are EUroSceptic and undermine Davis', months later little progress has been made and to where will he lead his pro EU Party?

It seems likely that Prudence will take over from Tiny Blur and as he seeks his own mandate to implement a more Socialist agenda and distancing from the Evil Union it is intended the New Boy King will fulfill the common purpose dream and slide neatly into place as New Labour but this time called Tory - what's in a name to the new soft fluffy Communism of the EU in its march to a supra national soviet from Vladivostok to the Atlantic?

One has to wonder if global terrorism brought about by globalism is so much 'the beneficial crisis' required by Governments, ever mindful of William Pitt's comment:
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
on: 18 November 1783in a speech to The House of Commons.

Vapid Cameroon has lost my vote and that of many others in his unprincipled dishonest ditching of principles for effect. We have come to expect dishonesty from Tiny Blur's clique of zealots and clearly the days of the Lib.Dims. are finished as their territory vanishes in a welter of self doubt and sodomy.

I like Millions of others shall not be voting as the politicians merghe their parties for self gain - they can be assured it is NOT apathy, it is anger!

I now see even UKIP is ditching principle to seek comfort for their MEPs, unlikely to be re-elected and in a bid for short term populism they have shifted 5 rotten little planks of policy together with the 5 people supporting it, all serial failures from the old Tory party, desperately scrabbling for relevance with policies that clearly recycle rejected Tory mantras.

Just as the Scots are waking up to the costs and damage of devolution UKIP decides to promote a Scottish Parliament yet wish to
act logically in Wales and disband the ridiculous EU Council or as they aptly but misleadingly call it the National Ass. for Wales!

If they start advocating an English Parliament you will know that they leaderless, rudderless and without ideas and have quite clearly prostituted UKIP to follow the Tory concept of 'say anything to get votes because WE know we'll never have to honour the lies'.

It will be interesting to see if UKIP is that dishonest because then there will be NO party worth voting for - just a growth of anger voiced as refusal to vote as it only encourages them in their arrogant self interested hubris! Politicians will yet again lie and claim it is either apathy or take the true liar in control's line of 'they don't vote because they are happy with our lies'!

It is getting rather late for politicians to wake up as at the moment they seem all too willing to turn law abiding citizens into potential global terrorists!

Regards,
Greg L-W.

[Chris]

Got in about an hour ago after catching the train back from London bridge. The atmosphere was great this evening at Vinopolis and there was a real mix of ages. At18 to be honest I was probably the youngest or at least very close to being the youngest there, though there were a fair number of older members.

All of the speakers were very good, especially impressed by Grant Shapps, who was more articulate than I could ever imagine.

This was my first main party event, and after the great experience I definitely plan on going to any others I'm invited to.

[Richard]

"We believe in sharing responsibility; that government doesn’t have all the answers; that we’re all in this together – individuals, families, business, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, business and government. Above all, we think for the long term. We’ve been around for a while. The long–term is in our blood."

Is that a long-winded way of saying "we'll shrink the state"? If so he's won me over.

[Annabel Herriott]

Greg L_W! What on earth are you ON??? THere is a little old labour bloke who rants in the Hudds Examiner like that, and we all think he is nuts. DC made a good speech. I downloaded the transcript to read it properly. He is setting out the stall. Fair enough. When it gets too late for B and B to nick any of it, you will see the policies being published. I have not a doubt in my mind, that they are formulated and tucked away somewhere safe until then. You will look a right clot when it all comes to pass, and it will. Next time hung, 2011/12/13, us.

[matt wright]

Excellent step forward from Cameron. We needed to set out our values and getting buy-in and agreement across the party is wise. Only thing I would say is listen to any advice people give in reply to the document about refining the message. We need a very clear statement of what modern conservatives stand for.This was just what i was thinking and urged in a post on this site 2 days ago that we set out our values clearly.

Matt

[Graeme Archer]

It was a great event. I tried very hard to be cynical but had to
give in to the tangible good cheer and optimism in the room.

Incidentally that's an odd posting above moaning about having an
event in Vinopolis. Where are we supposed to meet? In the pub
outside Liverpool St? Goodness.

Anyway here's what we got - Boris Johnson, "slowly rotating" -
Grant Shapps - absolutely brilliant personification of what it
takes to be a great Tory MP, consistently likeable, passionate and locally focussed - he was great on Today this morning too btw - Justine from Putney, being just
generally great - the Margot James phenomenon- give that woman a
target seat - she was very good - and a "social entrepeneur",
again, sorry I can't remember her name - spurring us on to empower
the voluntary sector and brake the disconnect between the public,
private and voluntary sectors - this would have been music to the
Editor's ears, it was to mine, if that's the direction we're
travelling in we really are going to be a revolutionary, empowering
force for social good.

Our Man Himself was as good as you've come to expect; just a nice,
open, genuine, passionate bloke. This whole exercise is great for
us. It may not say anything that astonishes **us**, but it does
say stuff that will astonish our electors.

Most astonishing event of the evening: it was a Tory party event
with FREE LIQUOR. I can honestly say that conference aside (when
third parties usually cough up) I have NEVER been to a Tory
function and been given a free drink.

2nd most astonishing event of the evening: some Scots bloke in the
audience asked a question about Brown (OK it was me) that the
leader answered beautifully and BORIS JOHNSON CONGRATULATED ME ON
AFTER. Ok he just winked and said "good stuff" as he was wafted
past, but it meant the world to me.

Final best thing of the night: we met James Cleverly. Even more smashing
in the flesh than he is on the blog. And he recognised Keith!

[Chris]

Graeme, Thanks for posing the "West Lothian question" question, your being Scottish seemed to make the question more PC to be honest. The subject is a bit of a raw nerve in some areas, and to hear it raised by someone with your accent just made it seem far more acceptable.

Last night was the first event I attended, and I must admit I was impressed by the free beer (In Regular and Low Calorie form!) that seemed to be endlessly available. All in all I found the event a lot of fun, and everyone seemed welcoming to newcomers like myself. The best thing I suppose was the way how the high profile MPs mingled among us minions, I remember speaking to William Hague about conservative future, and I was shuffling along directly behind George Osbourne whilst we queued to get into the main auditorium.

[Richard Carey]

To respond to a few posts:

Greg L-W: Are those mind-altering substances totally legal?!! I would rebut your charges point by point, but it would take all night and probably not be a good use of my time...

Graeme - good review of the event. And with regard to Margot James, I quite agree - I suspect there were many good candidates in who didn't quite make it in 2005 who could do fantastically well in future in a changed Conservative Party with the Party's campaigning infrastructure (at all levels) fully behind them in a target seat.

Chris - The Party definitely needs to provide lo-cal beers. I was recently due to help fight a local by-election, which was then cancelled when Lab and LD candidates didn't even stand for a prevously Labour seat, so I've been deprived of some calorie-burning pavement pounding!