Good morning Spring Forum-ers

David Cameron and Eric Pickles will do a live webcast from the conference at 1.15pm. You can still submit questions to [email protected]

Cameron is also interviewed by The Times on the first day of his first Spring Forum as leader:

• "Trade union funding is a hangover from the corporatist past. It’s profoundly unhealthy and I’m offering a solution to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown: a cap on donations applying to everybody and modest state funding that can help you break that unhealthy link with unions and help you to be a genuinely socially democratic party."
• “Being in opposition is a pretty miserable existence. All you can do is try and behave in the way you would if you were in government.”
• “The climate change levy is just a tax on energy. It’s not a charge on carbon. We’ll be setting out exactly how we would change it soon.”
• “All politicians look at the polls. They’re dishonest if they say they don’t. But what really matters is what lies underneath. People want to know if we share their values, understand what their needs are."

There has been some debate surrounding two interviews with Francis Maude about whether the tone of the weekend should be optimistic, realistic, or both - see today's newslinks.

Click "Continue" to see a schedule of the main events...

SPRING FORUM OFFICIAL TIMETABLE

Friday

9.30am - Francis Maude opens Spring Forum 2006

10.30am - Shadow Cabinet ministers discuss issues facing Britain’s cities

11.15am - David Cameron hosts discussion with community leaders entitled Changing Our Cities

12.15pm - George Osborne speaks on how a strong and stable economy is essential for vibrant communities

3.30pm - William Hague and Lord Heseltine speak on City Revival. The former Deputy Prime Minister is to call for rejuvenation of the cities and elected council leaders

4.00pm - Delegates and Shadow Cabinet members, including Mr Cameron, depart to help out at community projects. Mr Maude leads conference attenders into key wards to campaign for Conservative candidates standing in the local elections

Saturday

9.30am - Mr Maude opens second day of conference

9.35am - New members and new candidates presented to conference

10.00am - Panel discussion hosted by Oliver Letwin on party statement of aims and values

11.00am - Financial appeal

11.20am - Keynote speech by Mr Cameron

12.00pm - Conference ends

Deputy Editor

Comments

[buxtehude]

"But what really matters is what lies underneath."

Yes indeed. Can we have some indication, please? Please don't think, David, that knowing your values is uppermost on the voters' minds. Knowing what you'll do to make the country better is what really matters.

We had the values bit from Blair already, in spades. I don't say it isn't important. But how your values translate into action is the real theme. Everything else is window-dressing.

So don't be shy. Tell us what you want to do.

[Chris Palmer]

I sent in a question, though I suspect that it might not be answered.

[Art Poole.]

My question is; Due to the EU split and unrest in the Conservative Party,does Mr Cameron believe that the Party is mainly made up of fruitcakes,loonies and closet eurosceptics?

[Tim Aker]

Can we assume the financial appeal won't be requesting loans???

[Umbongo]

A. DC is quoted as saying “Being in opposition is a pretty miserable existence. All you can do is try and behave in the way you would if you were in government". Could somebody tell him that 1. he is not in government, 2. the function of an opposition is to oppose - the opposition does not have the same responsibility as government, and 3. the opposition is a government in waiting - not a government in exile. This is the small change of British parliamentary government and he is ignorant of this - as well as a lot of other things.

B. Why any state funding? Why not have the unions funding Labour? I have no problem with that as long as the members approve and we don't have the quasi-money laundering of taxpayers' money going "to help unions become more efficient" which is sent on to the Labour party by the recipients. If big business wants to fund the Conservatives, again why not? But no tax deductions for contributions please. Let's be realistic, the most we can expect is to know where the money is coming from (and going to). We can draw our own conclusions about who influences what given the financing information.

[Chris Palmer]

He's late.

[trumazol]

Hapy !!!








































































































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