Hague: You're no Margaret Thatcher, Mr Brown

William Hague has just wowed the Conference.

Here is my favourite section of a speech that delighted the Tory faithful:

"Some of us stood here thirty years ago with Margaret Thatcher. We, Gordon, backed her when she rescued our country in the face of every denunciation and insult from the likes of you. Margaret Thatcher would never have devastated the pension funds of this nation, nor kicked its small businesses in the teeth. So you may fawn now at the feet of our greatest Prime Minister, but you are no Margaret Thatcher.  Gordon Brown is not a conviction politician. He is a calculation politician. He calculates that people will forget who caused the current crises in our health service, our prisons and our pensions.  He calculates that he can pretend to be a new government. But he is the old government, and after ten years of failure and disappointment, he cannot be the change the country needs.  So, now, Conservatives, this is our opportunity, to show this week the real change that Britain needs. We live in a new world, and the old politics of Gordon Brown are no longer enough."

Caroline Spelman has told the Sunday Express that a good proportion of the party's £10m election warchest will be used to expose Gordon Brown.  The idea of painting Gordon Brown as a 'calculation politician' is a good one.  I think it could resonate.

William Hague's speech will have only increased his credibility as a 'comeback Tory leader'.  A poll in today's Mail on Sunday found that 19% of the public favoured William Hague to succeed David Cameron.  Boris Johnson with 10% was next.  David Davis and Ken Clarke were both on 7%.  Liam Fox enjoyed the support of 4% of the public.  George Osborne was on 1%.  Mr Hague, although 3/1 favourite, told Sky News that he never wanted to be Tory leader again.

Comments

[john]

Typo above.
Brown is the "calculation" politician, not Cameron.

[James Maskell]

A risk with concentrating on what Brown is rather than what we would do in Government would be that we wouldnt be countering the frequent complaint that the public dont know what we stand for.

We must be careful not to be too negative...

[mark]

Brilliant speach.Praising Mr Cameron,acknowledging Lady T,s achievements and hammering Gordon Brown.Excellent

[Ted]

Why don't we get a few of the flood victims from Hull and Gloucestershire up the video screens to say how well Mr Brown dealt with the crisis? see the Sunday Express article
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/20543/Brown-s-empty-words
Why not some farmers to discuss how the industry has been devastated by the Government caused leak of F&M and its failure to stop the spread?

[The Culture Warrior]

I watched it live, it was a fantastic speech. If Cameron delivers one as good, things might pick up.

If anyone's interested, you can watch conference live here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_4410000/newsid_4416200?redirect=4416203.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&nbram=1

[CAWP]

"The idea of painting David Cameron as a 'calculation politician' is a good one. I think it could resonate."

Not a Freudian slip, I hope?

You meant Brown, I suppose.

[Editor]

Thanks john. My silly error has been corrected! More haste etc...

[Traditional Tory]

Excellent speech.

Reminds us why Hague should be leading this party again.

I think it'll happen.

[Rover]

Who is exploiting Lady Thatcher now? Would Hague have made this speech had our greatest prime minister not had tea with Gordon Brown? Of course he wouldn't. Where was Hague when Cameron was trashing her legacy and snubbing her? The only prominent Tory big beast who can hold his head high when it comes to Lady Thatcher is Liam Fox. He has never failed to support her publicly and I understand privately too.

[Edison Smith]

William Hill has Michael Portillo to be next Tory leader at 60-1.

The fact that Portillo is even on the options pretty much highlights how much of an ignoramus the betting agencies are when it comes to politics.

[jorgen]

So, Cameron spends a couple of years working hard at being seen with anyone but Lady Thatcher; the Prime Minister then invites Lady Thatcher and suddenly Cameron proves to be a great admirer too. Has he forgotten his old girlfriend Toynbee? Looks to me like Gordon Brown sets the tone.

Apart from this, I agree with Rover @ 12:57.

[Mike H]

Excellent speech from William Hague. There were many items that warrant repeating, but perhaps the most important for the rest of this week in particular is this bit. When talking about David Cameron, he said:-

"I find in him a leader who listens and leads, and who takes sound advice - and when those of us who have held high office in our party wish to give frank advice we owe that to him, delivered in private confidence, never through public self-indulgence."

Aunty Pravda and the rest of the left-leaning media will be circling like vultures waiting for signs of disunity. Any throw away comment of dissent from anyone vaguely near Blackpool will be blown-up, analysed and re-reported at the cost of the real message that we need to get out to the country at large.

I'm not advocating censorship - I'm suggesting that in the wider interests of the party and the country as a whole, we should all think about what William has said and keep any such comments private rather than broadcasting them at Blackpool.

To do otherwise would be no better than defecting to Labour.

[Robbie]

I was really impressed with William Hague’s speech; he came across very well as usual. Thought it was interesting when he spoke about speaking with DC in person if there were any problems or criticism rather then going to the press. Did anyone else see the TV camera’s focus on a rather smug looking Michael Ancram at that point? If anyone knows what type of a reception Ancram is getting from the other delegates, I would be interested to know as I am unable to be at Blackpool this year. I only hope it’s a look of disgust.

[greg]

The Michael Ancram incident was very funny. Did you notice that the cameras focussed on him BEFORE Hague used the line? They had been tipped off!

[Matthew]

I like William Hague.

But Editor you could better hide your agenda which is to get either Cameron to lurch to the right or to replace him with a creature of the right. The speech "increased his credibility as a comeback Tory leader"? To whom? I doubt the public. Look at his satusfaction ratings when he was leader amongst the public at large - http://www.ipsos-mori.com/polls/trends/satisfac.shtml. He lost a general election to a landslide. Rather than having a balanced manifesto, he ran an election campaign on... keeping a currency. His satisfaction ratings back then were as high as Major's during the dark years. Need I say more?

Yet his approval within the party has always been high. Does this set alarm bells ringing?

[Oscar Miller]

"The idea of painting Brown as a calculation politician is a good one"

Or perhaps a 'miscalculation politican'.

[Jon Gale]

"Where was Hague when Cameron was trashing her legacy and snubbing her?

Rover (and Jorgen),

When has Cameron ever trashed or snubbed Lady Thatcher?

C'mon, specifics/examples please.

[Rover]

Styling himself as heir to Blair is my answer Jon Gale. That in itself is enough trashing and snubbing in one foul stroke.

[Nick Young]

Good speech. Someone needed to highlight Brown's hypcrisy in courting the Lady. And I like Hague's reference to his youthful conference appearances!

[Nick Young]

'So, Cameron spends a couple of years working hard at being seen with anyone but Lady Thatcher; the Prime Minister then invites Lady Thatcher and suddenly Cameron proves to be a great admirer too.'

Jorgen, as DC pointed out on the Andrew Marr show this morning, he was photographed with the Lady when her Commons statue was unveiled some time ago (ie. before Brown invited her to No. 10). Had he really been trying so hard to avoid her, do you think he'd have done so?

[Conservative Homer]

Good to hear from Hague as always. But that voice. Reminded me why he should have never, and should never again be leader. That man has one boring droning uncharismatic voice, most people just turn off.

That said, so does Brown, so did major.

[Ted]

Rover - well Mrs Thatcher expressed a preference for Blair over Major, seeing him as more her heir, so I'd of thought that was something she approved of :-)

Lady Thatcher suffered more than most from the activities of her predecessors (Grumpy Heath & Selling The Family Silver Macmillan) and to lend herself to a piece of blatant destabilisation by Brown was a serious mistake on her part.

[mark]

A good start.Mr Cameron impressed me with Andrew Marr and Mr Hague struck just the right notes with his speach.We need to get our confidence back.The polls look awful but real votes cast last Thursday showed a different picture.I think we could be heading for a huge electoral shock.Maybe not a win but i think Gordon Brown's majority can be slashed and defy all the opinion pollsters.He will be smug about this election at his peril

[jorgen]

Nick and Jon, I don't know where you two have been the last two years, but Cameron has since the start aligned more with Toynbee and Blair than with Lady Thatcher. Lady Thatcher apparently also thought so at the memorable recent visit to number 10 - as did Norman Tebbit. And why do you think Gordon Brown invited her in the first place?

Nick, did you really expect that the current leader of the CP would have dared even thinking about declining an invitation to be photographed with the statue of one of the greatest PMs even if he hated her?

[HF]

Brilliant by Hague and he is much more impressive than D. Milliband.

A clever way to rebuke yesterday's men for their disloyalty.

[Alistair]

And Little Willie Hague is certainly no match for Gordon Brown.

I hope he does become leader again when Cameron goes. He will be just as big a flop as he was last time round.

[Rob]

Does anyone know if this speech is available to view online?

[sick of brown]

Great speech by Hague and an excellent start to the conference so far but why do you mention Hague as a possible future leader of the Tory party?

Cameron is the leader and will continue to be so. Instead of doing the BBC's dirty work for them why don't you just shut it about imaginary "new leaders" and get fully behind Cameron like 99% of the Party now seem to be doing?

Back Cameron or get Brown. Geddit?

[Michael Hewlett]

I find it eternally boring and depressing that Hague's excellent speech should be used in 'alternative leader' discussions.

Can we not have a constructive week discussing policies and being seen by the public as a credible alternative government?

These endless future leader discussions gain us no favour with the public and increases the impression (pushed by the media presently) that the Tory party is preoccupied with back biting and internal splits.

[CJM]

C'mon. Let's expose the Brown con. Surely GB would have been one of the "Maggie Thatcher, Milk Snatcher" chanters. How about one of these for a simple headline/chant? Gordon Brown, ...

Pensions Clown
Exam results down
Savings down
Dentists down
Lots of other things down
Yobs in Town
Makes you frown

JOB 1: HAMMER HOME TO THE PUBLIC HOW THIS GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED AND HOW GB WAS RIGHT THERE AT THE CENTRE. Rich/poor gap. Social mobility. Education. Crime. Prisoner release. Prison building. Private equity tax loopholes. Voter trust. Immigration. Hospitals. MRSA. Foot & Mouth. Iraq. Council Tax. Transport. Tax cons. Pension theft.

JOB 2: GIVE SOME POSITIVE POLICIES.

1 and 2 do not have to match. We do not need a positive to counter every Labour negative. We just need lots of Labour negatives and some Tory positives, regardless of their direct overlap. Make the voters realise that they've been conned, and then give them a positive reason to vote for DC.

Britons -- you are taxed plenty enough already. It's time to get a government that will spend those £'s wisely. Every £ that we take will be spent in a worthwhile way, not thrown away. Here's how we'll change a select few important things, and the rest will follow.

[Mike H]

Rob 20:51

Yes, it's available online on the party website - click on the conservative.tv link and you'll arrive here:-

http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=conservatives.tv.page

Half way down the page, just above the photos section, click the big right or left arrows to select the clip you want. All the major speeches are there.

[Mike Thomas (215cu)]

They should go at Brown for this is in a PPB.

Brown said this.....

Thatcher said this.....

Expose him for the opportunist he is.

As for Hague's speech... excellent stuff. Considered, passionate and a devastating broadside at Brown.

More of the same please.