05/10/2011

:00:19. > :00:24.Hello, and a very warm welcome to Manchester for a specially extended

:00:25. > :00:27.edition of Politics Scotland. Over the next couple of hours we'll be

:00:27. > :00:35.taking in the Prime Minister's speech to Conservative party

:00:35. > :00:44.conference live and in full. We'll also have all the latest news from

:00:44. > :00:48.Holyrood, including a statement in the chamber on fuel poverty. 4th

:00:48. > :00:52.first two events here in Manchester where within the next half an hour

:00:53. > :00:57.David Cameron will be making his keynote address to the Conservative

:00:57. > :01:07.Party conference. The reps are already queuing up. We have three

:01:07. > :01:12.of them here. We want to discuss what the Prime Minister will say it.

:01:12. > :01:16.Thank you very much for joining us. Michael, if I can then we get --

:01:16. > :01:23.begin with you, what do you want to hear the Prime Minister tell the

:01:23. > :01:28.conference? In terms of the Union, I would like to see more of the

:01:28. > :01:38.Prime Minister up in Scotland. I believe it is 8%...

:01:38. > :01:47.Focusing on the Union, being in Scotland and Wales more often and

:01:47. > :01:53.So, do you think that the Prime Minister is not doing enough?

:01:53. > :01:57.think he has done a much for Scotland and he has supported us

:01:57. > :02:07.during the elections and helped the economy. But I would like to see

:02:07. > :02:14.him more in Scotland as he a the Prime Minister of the whole country.

:02:14. > :02:20.Strengthening the union is the main priority. The Prime Minister I

:02:20. > :02:24.think, over the coming years, should be coming up to Scotland and

:02:24. > :02:28.helping out with the Scottish Bhartu, aiding the new leader of

:02:28. > :02:38.the Scottish party. The economic message will be, we have taken

:02:38. > :02:41.

:02:41. > :02:44.tough decisions, not all of them And also help businesses. It is

:02:44. > :02:53.felt that perhaps he could be taking the gloves off a little bit

:02:53. > :03:03.to fight and protect the union. it is an interesting time. We have

:03:03. > :03:08.

:03:08. > :03:14.the SNP a. I think... say, we support the Union and one

:03:14. > :03:17.to keep the UK together and promote Scotland's place. Thank you. I will

:03:17. > :03:21.let you get back into the queue and we will see how much the Prime

:03:21. > :03:26.Minister says on the question of the Union. One of the topics here

:03:26. > :03:28.is, who will be the new Conservative leader. We had a

:03:28. > :03:37.hustings for all four candidates putting...

:03:37. > :03:47.And what they would like to see if the Conservatives are to recover.

:03:47. > :03:50.

:03:50. > :03:57.Our colleague had a look in at that Leadership for a better future as

:03:57. > :04:02.this year's Tory party conference for sot who will be the future

:04:02. > :04:12.leader after this lady steps down? It is a great pleasure to introduce

:04:12. > :04:12.

:04:12. > :04:17.the lady herself, Annabel Goldie. This old bird might be doing her

:04:17. > :04:21.last chirrup as leader, but there are trees to chair -- perch on and

:04:21. > :04:26.songs to sing still. I will never tire of Megan the case for Scotland

:04:26. > :04:32.and Britain. I will Birkwood all Who back this course. It is bigger

:04:32. > :04:36.and more important than any political party. The race is on to

:04:36. > :04:44.find a successor and party members will decide who becomes leader at

:04:44. > :04:54.the Scottish Conservative and union party. Welcome to a Scottish

:04:54. > :04:56.

:04:56. > :05:01.Conservative and Union party conference. They take to the podium.

:05:01. > :05:09.He does not want to be leader at all. If he wins he would disband

:05:09. > :05:16.I have said that my vision and I will do so again today. It is up to

:05:16. > :05:19.you, the members, to reach the decision on the future. What if our

:05:19. > :05:29.members to side in this election, it is up to each and every one of

:05:29. > :05:30.

:05:31. > :05:34.us to agree to stick by the decision taken by our members and

:05:34. > :05:40.party has to stick together, or it is nothing. My vision is of a new

:05:40. > :05:43.centre-right party for Scotland. A new start. A party that with new

:05:44. > :05:47.direction and a new name and new relationship with the UK

:05:47. > :05:52.Conservative Party as a sister party, and crucially, one that will

:05:52. > :05:58.stick to Conservative and centre right values. Why do we need to do

:05:58. > :06:02.that? Because we know from research that it is a lack of a distinct

:06:02. > :06:06.Scottish identity that is a barrier for people boating. And that will

:06:06. > :06:10.for the first time give us a chance to be heard, and people will open

:06:10. > :06:15.the door to us. It is up to us to have the policy vision that will

:06:15. > :06:18.make them come back and food for us. I want to see a belief in

:06:18. > :06:22.decentralisation, pushing power down to families and communities,

:06:22. > :06:26.giving parents a proper say in the running of their schools, giving

:06:26. > :06:30.control to local people over local health services in the economy,

:06:30. > :06:37.using the powers in the Scotland Bill to lower the rate of income

:06:37. > :06:41.tax. Kick-start and are a -- economic recovery and stand up for

:06:41. > :06:46.Scotland was no place in the United Kingdom and take a Alex Salmond and

:06:46. > :06:50.defeat him in the independence referendum. -- take on Alex Salmond.

:06:50. > :06:55.Ruth Davison wants to offer generational change within the

:06:55. > :06:58.party's current structure. I am standing to lead our party, our

:06:58. > :07:03.party, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, because I

:07:03. > :07:08.believe I have the vision, the energy and the drive to take our

:07:08. > :07:13.party for it and build a decade of success. All four leadership

:07:13. > :07:19.candidates will talk about change. We recognise the changes needed.

:07:19. > :07:22.But you must decide what sort of change you want for our party. Is

:07:22. > :07:27.it a name change? A divorce from the rest of the Conservative

:07:27. > :07:31.family? Or the generational change that allows us to present a new

:07:31. > :07:36.face to Scotland, to talking a new voice, with authority and relevance

:07:36. > :07:41.to the people of Scotland? We don't need to change our name. We need to

:07:41. > :07:48.change ourselves. We need to be the party which reaches out and brings

:07:48. > :07:55.people in, which asks for Scots to join the debate for a country's

:07:55. > :07:59.future. We used to be the party that stand up for no Scots, Fiat's

:07:59. > :08:05.for United Kingdom -- fights. I will be the leader, putting forward

:08:05. > :08:11.a positive vision for our party and country's future. I will reform our

:08:11. > :08:18.party, bringing together members at every level, activists, councillors,

:08:18. > :08:23.MEPs, MSPs. To speak as one. I will reform our financial structure. I

:08:23. > :08:26.will reform our campaigning structure, trained agents, no paper

:08:26. > :08:31.candidates, a new media strategy and the visibility that we have not

:08:32. > :08:36.had in decades. I will form a policy. Using the experience and

:08:36. > :08:40.expertise that we have in our ranks that we do not use. Re-establishing

:08:40. > :08:44.our policy committee, inviting others to join the debate. Margaret

:08:44. > :08:49.Mitchell has her eye on next to's local government elections. She

:08:49. > :08:53.says people policies will persuade voters. Can I say at the outset

:08:54. > :08:59.that I am proud to be a member of the Scottish Conservative and

:08:59. > :09:05.Unionist Party. This is the party I joined at the age of 17 and since

:09:05. > :09:09.then, I have held office within the party's voluntary sector, as the

:09:09. > :09:13.chairman of the local government advisory committee, and as a member

:09:13. > :09:19.of its executive. I have been an elected councillor. I am now and

:09:19. > :09:23.MSP. Can I say right now, and put this on record, the Tory and

:09:23. > :09:28.Conservative membership in Scotland is among the most loyal and hard-

:09:28. > :09:34.working that any party could ever hope to have. But despite this, we

:09:34. > :09:39.are now on down to not just our core vote, the absolutely bare rump.

:09:40. > :09:43.The rest of my colleagues' response to this has been, a change of name,

:09:43. > :09:49.a change of party, more consultation with members. And a

:09:49. > :09:53.fresh face on the block that will mean we will win in 10 years' time.

:09:53. > :09:57.Ladies and gentlemen, we do not have 10 years to improve out for

:09:57. > :10:02.ages. None of them were arguing about working for people. For me,

:10:02. > :10:06.politics is all about people. Let me tell you the direction I want to

:10:06. > :10:12.see cut the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party going in.

:10:12. > :10:18.Starting with a recognition that the Scottish parliamentary election

:10:18. > :10:21.earlier this year represented a sea change in Scottish politics. People

:10:21. > :10:25.voted for unexamined for First Minister. The next day, they were

:10:25. > :10:31.cut to be told him and Alex Salmond and anybody else that would listen

:10:31. > :10:35.to him, that they voted to independence. That means that come

:10:35. > :10:41.the local government elections next year, they face a stark choice. Let

:10:41. > :10:46.us be under no illusion. If they vote SNP at that election, it will

:10:46. > :10:51.immediately be taken as a vote for independence. Jackson Carlile said

:10:51. > :10:55.the debate over the party's name is a distraction when the future of

:10:55. > :11:01.the union is at stake. I'm not standing to stop any other

:11:01. > :11:05.candidate. I believe that over 30 years of experience and -- as the

:11:05. > :11:09.youth leader, constituency chairman, the deputy chairman under four of

:11:09. > :11:13.our leaders, and as a parliamentarian, gives me the

:11:13. > :11:17.experience and judgment to lead the recovery of our party to an to lead

:11:17. > :11:20.a party in the face of the biggest challenge of her generation, the

:11:21. > :11:23.referendum that is going to be held on whether or not we review our

:11:23. > :11:27.partnership with the rest of the United Kingdom or whether we

:11:27. > :11:34.separate from it. I am sorry it is impossible to ignore the elephant

:11:34. > :11:40.in the room. Because to embark upon an 18 month quest for the illusory

:11:40. > :11:45.holy grail of a new name that will at a stroke give us a new identity,

:11:45. > :11:51.past and future, in some miraculous moments of revelation, is

:11:51. > :11:56.preposterous. It is a distraction. We cannot reunite as a party by

:11:56. > :12:01.dividing amongst ourselves for the next 18 months over a quest for a

:12:01. > :12:09.new name. When politicians have -- of all parties will see, it doesn't

:12:09. > :12:14.matter what you call yourself. We will be Col U the Scottish Tourist.

:12:15. > :12:19.-- we will be calling you the Scottish Tories. What matters is a

:12:19. > :12:23.conscience just rebuilding of our party. New policy, policy that

:12:23. > :12:26.involves a councillors, activists, and those who are none of that,

:12:26. > :12:31.people with an expertise in their field. A policy which reaches

:12:31. > :12:36.beyond those who have been voting for us. Those who the public

:12:36. > :12:46.perceived as being rich. Boats will be tallied on November are 4th in

:12:46. > :12:50.

:12:50. > :12:56.Edinburgh where the winner will be They will -- they will no doubt be

:12:56. > :13:02.encouraged that David Cameron knows all the names. I can name all of

:13:02. > :13:08.them. I will not put the fickle finger of fate of a black mark on

:13:08. > :13:18.any body. It is for the Scottish Conservatives to decide. But

:13:18. > :13:21.

:13:21. > :13:25.whoever it is, I will happily work The Prime Minister ending that

:13:25. > :13:30.report. One postscript, the ballot papers for the Conservative

:13:30. > :13:38.leadership contest in Scotland go out to the membership next Monday.

:13:38. > :13:42.They all the -- they are expecting to fill them out quickly. We will

:13:42. > :13:46.not know the results on to 4th November. We saw David Cameron in

:13:46. > :13:52.that report. He will present his keynote address to the conference

:13:52. > :13:54.probably in about a quarter of an hour's time. They are queuing to

:13:54. > :14:00.get in the hall. There has been more business at the conference

:14:00. > :14:04.this morning. We have had foreign affairs, William Hague, addressing

:14:04. > :14:14.the representatives here, and also, something which is always keep...

:14:14. > :14:15.

:14:15. > :14:21.Liam Fox has addressed the conference as well. On the night of

:14:21. > :14:26.6th August, and for three further nights, the behaviour of a mindless

:14:26. > :14:31.violent minority brought shame to the streets of Britain. These

:14:31. > :14:35.criminals made headlines around the globe. But over the very same

:14:35. > :14:40.period, our soldiers and marines in Afghanistan, many of them the same

:14:40. > :14:50.age as the rioters, bravely sustained and defeated 62 enemy

:14:50. > :15:00.attacks. On those same nights in Libya, RAF jets flew 81 visits,

:15:00. > :15:02.

:15:02. > :15:05.strikes on command bunkers deep in And the Royal Navy continue to

:15:05. > :15:11.patrol seas around the world, and the deterrent submarines provided

:15:11. > :15:21.continues protection against any nuclear threat. It was these brave

:15:21. > :15:24.

:15:24. > :15:29.men and women who truly represent Britain at its best. That is why I

:15:29. > :15:35.want all of you to join me in paying tribute to the courageous

:15:35. > :15:41.servicemen and women, their loyal families and dedicated civilian

:15:41. > :15:46.support in our armed forces. And let us not forget, our veterans,

:15:46. > :15:52.the dignified widows and loved ones of those who have fallen, those

:15:52. > :15:59.with life-changing injuries, seen and unseen, and most importantly,

:15:59. > :16:09.to those who never made it home. You will never be forgotten.

:16:09. > :16:14.

:16:14. > :16:20.Not a day passes, without me thinking how lucky I Iran to work

:16:20. > :16:25.with the men and women in uniform, or how humbled I am by this great

:16:25. > :16:29.responsibility. The it is why I have been determined to get the

:16:29. > :16:36.Ministry of Defence back into shape, after a decade of chaos under

:16:36. > :16:42.Labour. We knew it was going to be hard, with a �38 billion black hole

:16:42. > :16:46.in the MoD budget. But the national deficit left behind by Labour also

:16:47. > :16:54.has a direct impact on our national security and standing in the world.

:16:54. > :16:59.You cannot be strong if you are broke. That is what Labour always

:16:59. > :17:03.fails to understand. George Osborne has been stair fast in his

:17:03. > :17:08.determination to deal with the deficit, and he has my full support.

:17:08. > :17:15.The nation must lead within his means, and every department has to

:17:16. > :17:19.do his bit. Even after the MoD's contribution to deficit reduction,

:17:19. > :17:25.we still have the 4th largest defence budget in the world, and

:17:25. > :17:31.will continue to be one of only five countries out of 28, in the

:17:31. > :17:37.tour, meeting the 2% GDP obligation. By the end of the decade, the Royal

:17:37. > :17:40.Navy will not only have its world- beating Type 45 destroyer has and

:17:40. > :17:45.cutting edge Astute Class submarines, but a career service

:17:45. > :17:49.that will be available for 50 years. The RAF will have the Joint Strike

:17:49. > :17:53.Fighter and that battle tested typhoon fighter which has done so

:17:53. > :17:58.magnificently in Libya, and the ageing couch of these and TriStar

:17:58. > :18:04.police will be replaced by Voyager transport and tanker aircraft. We

:18:04. > :18:08.have just announced we're spending over �1 billion on a new tuna

:18:08. > :18:16.Keller coppers. Unlike the previous Government, we are funding and

:18:16. > :18:22.delivering on the promise of more helicopters, and we will remodel a

:18:22. > :18:27.properly equipped Ahmed. But, few parts of the armed forces were more

:18:27. > :18:34.neglected by Labour than our reserves. That is why we will

:18:34. > :18:39.commit more than 1.8 million bound -- �1.8 billion over 10 years, to

:18:39. > :18:44.revolutionise the reserve forces. I want to increase the size of the

:18:44. > :18:51.Territorial Army by 50%. And this party will never allow the reserves

:18:51. > :19:01.to reach such a sorry state of affairs, ever again.

:19:01. > :19:01.

:19:01. > :19:07.APPLAUSE and that is not all. Resources for the world-renowned

:19:07. > :19:12.Special Forces are increasing. We are investing �600 million in cyber

:19:12. > :19:19.security. We are setting up a new joined forces Command and the first

:19:19. > :19:25.ever UAD Squadron in the RAF. And we'll renew the submarine-launched

:19:25. > :19:35.nuclear deterrent, based on the Trident missile.

:19:35. > :19:36.

:19:36. > :19:43.We cannot and we will not take a chance on the security of future

:19:43. > :19:47.generations. Our programme is both affordable and achievable and, to

:19:47. > :19:53.fund our commitments, we will raise the defence equipment budget by 1%

:19:53. > :19:58.over and above the rate of inflation. However, it is not just

:19:58. > :20:04.the armed forces that need to change, but the Ministry of Defence

:20:04. > :20:09.itself. The past year has seen some of the most radical reforms in a

:20:09. > :20:13.generation. I wonder if you can really believe that, for years, the

:20:13. > :20:19.Defence Board, the primary the surgeon making body in the MoD was

:20:19. > :20:24.not even chaired by the Defence Secretary. It is now! For years,

:20:24. > :20:30.there was no real Time Control on major equipment programmes to stop

:20:30. > :20:34.spiralling costs and constant delays. There is now. The major

:20:34. > :20:38.projects Review Board monitors the projects, the top 20 predicts, and

:20:38. > :20:45.let me tell you, those programmes and companies that are not

:20:45. > :20:49.delivering will be named and shamed. We have restructured the MoD,

:20:50. > :20:56.reform procurement, championed export promotion and boost its

:20:56. > :21:00.support for small businesses. And we have carried out a long overdue

:21:00. > :21:04.basing review which will ensure that her Majesty's armed forces

:21:04. > :21:13.will continue to be represented throughout the whole of the union.

:21:13. > :21:17.Furthermore, we have reversed the injustice done to the pilots killed

:21:17. > :21:27.and the families in the Mull of Kintyre tragedy. And that was long

:21:27. > :21:32.

:21:33. > :21:42.None of these could have been a -- he could have been achieved without

:21:43. > :21:44.

:21:44. > :21:49.my ministerial team, and while all these changes are important, we

:21:49. > :21:55.cannot forget that defence is much more than a projection of power,

:21:55. > :22:00.the number of tanks, planes, ships or submarines. We need new and

:22:00. > :22:05.strong alliances, and we need to revitalise some older ones, too.

:22:05. > :22:09.Since becoming Defence Secretary, we have signed 27 defence

:22:09. > :22:14.agreements around the world and I hope to sign eight more, this year.

:22:14. > :22:18.We have established the Northern group with our northern and Baltic

:22:18. > :22:24.friends. We have signed the UK- France that its duty and we have

:22:24. > :22:27.put defence diplomacy at the heart of policy. -- defence treaty. I was

:22:27. > :22:31.appalled to discover many key allies around the world have been

:22:31. > :22:35.soaring leap neglected. I was the first Defence Secretary to have a

:22:35. > :22:42.bilateral visit to India in five years, and to Turkey, in seven

:22:42. > :22:45.years, and in January, William Hague and I made the first of a

:22:45. > :22:51.joint foreign and defence secretary trip to Australia and New Zealand,

:22:51. > :22:58.two of our key allies. But of course, our special relationship

:22:58. > :23:04.with the United States is and will continue to be the UK's number one

:23:04. > :23:08.bilateral relationship and the cornerstone of our security. As

:23:08. > :23:13.Fiona pointed out, nowhere is this corporation seen better than in

:23:13. > :23:18.Afghanistan, where British and American troops are fighting side

:23:18. > :23:22.by signed in Helmand Province. By helping the Afghans manage their

:23:22. > :23:30.security and by preventing the use of Afghanistan as an international

:23:30. > :23:33.base for terrorism, we make it safer for us all. Last night we and

:23:34. > :23:38.bust the European allies tabled a resolution in the UN Security

:23:38. > :23:42.Council calling on the President aside regime to stop the violence

:23:42. > :23:48.in Syria, after months of unacceptable killings, torture and

:23:48. > :23:52.abuse. The decision of Russia and China to veto this resolution and

:23:52. > :23:58.to side with a brutal regime, rather than the people of Syria is

:23:58. > :24:02.deeply mistaken and regrettable. We will redouble our efforts to work

:24:02. > :24:07.with other nations, to increase the pressure on the regime wherever we

:24:07. > :24:17.can and we are sure -- we are sure the people of Syria that the they

:24:17. > :24:19.

:24:19. > :24:22.will never be forgotten -- assure. We call for a new, bold and

:24:22. > :24:27.ambitious relationship with the countries of the Middle East and

:24:27. > :24:31.North Africa so that, as they growing freedom, they can join us

:24:31. > :24:36.in prosperity. Our ambition in this Government is still greater, not

:24:36. > :24:40.only to make the right decisions for today, but to create a new way

:24:40. > :24:46.of conducting foreign policy and to give the country the means to do it

:24:46. > :24:50.for tomorrow. We start with a clear sense of what went wrong under

:24:50. > :24:54.Labour. They strutted on the world stage whilst saddling the nation

:24:54. > :24:58.that debt. They left a black hole in defence expenditure bigger than

:24:58. > :25:03.the entire defence budget and signed away the rights of this

:25:03. > :25:07.country to the European Union, while neglecting what they were

:25:07. > :25:17.morally and politically obliged to do, to consult the people of this

:25:17. > :25:23.

:25:24. > :25:28.They sidelined and ran down the Foreign Office. In an endless

:25:28. > :25:33.merry-go-round of ministerial musical chairs, they closed more

:25:33. > :25:36.than 40 officers and posts around the world, and axed the foreign of

:25:36. > :25:40.his language school, and agonised about whether they were influential

:25:40. > :25:43.in Europe and the United States without being effective than either.

:25:43. > :25:47.They deal to prepare for their aftermath in Iraq and connived in

:25:47. > :25:52.the release of the Lockerbie bomber. Two years ago, we said the decision

:25:52. > :26:02.to release him was wrong, and now the entire world can see that we

:26:02. > :26:03.

:26:03. > :26:08.So, this Government is changing the way we conduct foreign policy in

:26:08. > :26:12.four important ways. First, we created a National Security Council

:26:12. > :26:17.which brings together the key ministers, chief of defence staff,

:26:17. > :26:21.heads of intelligence agencies and, on Libya alone, this council has

:26:21. > :26:27.already met 16 times. We work together every day, we consult the

:26:28. > :26:37.experts, and decisions are formally and properly made and minuted.

:26:38. > :26:39.

:26:39. > :26:43.Cabinet government is back, and Second, we are connecting Britain

:26:43. > :26:47.up to the fastest growing regions of the world, launching ambitious

:26:47. > :26:52.try to get small businesses exporting, intensifying links with

:26:52. > :26:57.India, Indonesia, Turkey, China, Brazil and the rest of Latin

:26:57. > :27:02.America. Their economic growth of the future is not going to come

:27:02. > :27:09.from government spending, nor is it going to come from more boring, it

:27:09. > :27:13.will come from tree, and giving people the freedom to trade -- and

:27:13. > :27:20.that is something that we should strongly support. -- it will come

:27:20. > :27:24.from trade. And there, in our approach to the European Union, is

:27:24. > :27:27.one in tune with the instincts of the British people. All the

:27:28. > :27:31.advanced national interests by preventing the EU from acting to a

:27:31. > :27:35.disadvantage, but also by making sure that it works to our advantage

:27:35. > :27:40.in trade, and in free markets, such as the new trade agreement with

:27:41. > :27:45.South Korea, worth up to �500 million per year to the economy. We

:27:45. > :27:50.are putting forward the real growth agenda, which is what Europe

:27:50. > :27:55.desperately needs. It does not need any more institutions, costly

:27:55. > :27:58.institutions, regulations are a single extra bureaucrat, but it

:27:58. > :28:08.does ease burdens on businesses, the expansion of the single market

:28:08. > :28:09.

:28:09. > :28:19.and a passionate belief in the It is now acknowledged that, when

:28:19. > :28:20.

:28:20. > :28:25.we said joining the Euro would be a And when we said that Labour should

:28:25. > :28:33.not have led -- let us get sucked into the eurozone bailout, the were

:28:33. > :28:38.right, and now, thanks to David Cameron, European bailouts for

:28:38. > :28:43.Greece will not call upon the British taxpayer. When we said the

:28:43. > :28:47.costs of the EU budget were out of control, the were right, and now we

:28:47. > :28:52.have had unprecedented success in bringing it under control. And when

:28:52. > :28:57.be said that no more areas of power should go to the youth, we were

:28:57. > :29:02.right, and thanks to the European Union Act, 2011, by law, that

:29:02. > :29:09.cannot act without a referendum -- that cannot happen without a

:29:09. > :29:14.referendum, in this country. And we are just as right that the European

:29:14. > :29:18.Union has more power in our National Life than it should have.

:29:18. > :29:28.And I believe as strongly as I ever have that, when the right moment

:29:28. > :29:34.

:29:34. > :29:38.comes, this party should set out to APPLAUSE 40 years ago, I predicted

:29:38. > :29:42.that the eurozone have become a burning building with no exits.

:29:42. > :29:46.across the euro-zone are our friends and neighbours and because

:29:46. > :29:49.there stability and prosperity is tighter there's, we must support

:29:49. > :29:53.them in their air force to quench the flames. But we will never make

:29:53. > :29:57.the mistake of thinking in one else can be relied upon to stand up all

:29:57. > :30:03.the interests of Britain. We will continue to work closely with

:30:03. > :30:05.European allies, and in particular in defence treaties with France, we

:30:05. > :30:13.have forced the closest relationship with our neighbours as

:30:14. > :30:18.the Second World War. Of course, our Defence will always be anchored

:30:18. > :30:23.in our unbreakable alliance with the United States of America, and

:30:23. > :30:28.then the primacy of NATO, and that is why when others propose an EU

:30:28. > :30:38.military headquarters the summer, on behalf of the United Kingdom, I

:30:38. > :30:54.

:30:54. > :31:00.4th in what we are changing, not the at... We are opening six new

:31:00. > :31:05.embassies and closing a nun. We are expanding a diplomatic presence

:31:05. > :31:10.intended to countries and breathing new life into neglected announces

:31:10. > :31:13.such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and working to reinvigorate

:31:13. > :31:23.that great institution, the Commonwealth.

:31:23. > :31:28.

:31:28. > :31:32.We will use our influence in the world to pursue our own interest

:31:32. > :31:37.and that of common humanity. Seeking a global deal on climate

:31:37. > :31:42.change. The international arms trade treaty and a completed Doha

:31:42. > :31:45.trade ground. I will host the first meeting of government to address

:31:45. > :31:49.the challenges posed by Cyrus place to protect our citizens against

:31:50. > :31:55.cyber crime and cyber attack while ensuring that the internet remains

:31:55. > :31:58.open to all. We now have the Government determined to restore

:31:58. > :32:04.the health of our Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our foreign

:32:04. > :32:08.policy, to rescue its wealth -- finances, reopen a language centre

:32:08. > :32:11.and see through the biggest drive ever seen in Britain to build up

:32:11. > :32:16.traditional diplomatic skills of negotiation and analysis. That is

:32:16. > :32:21.the job of our diplomats to be immersed in the culture and history

:32:21. > :32:31.of other nations, not to be ensnared in administration and

:32:31. > :32:32.

:32:32. > :32:38.management speak. And if we have... If we have these skills as a to

:32:38. > :32:43.negotiate a treaty it will be done correctly. -- when we want to

:32:43. > :32:48.negotiate a treaty. When we want to intervene over scene we will do so

:32:48. > :32:54.successfully. -- overseas. It will remain the best diplomatic service

:32:54. > :33:00.in the world, the British and common of office. -- Commonwealth

:33:00. > :33:03.Office. We have brought new energy to British diplomacy, with the

:33:03. > :33:08.ministers of the foreign office visiting 97 countries since the

:33:08. > :33:12.general election. I have visited nearly 40 countries myself. I have

:33:12. > :33:16.been the first Foreign Secretary to visit Australia since Douglas Hurd.

:33:17. > :33:24.The first ever to visit a united Yemen. The first to make a bowler

:33:24. > :33:28.short visits to Tunisia and New Zealand in 30 stop but he is more

:33:28. > :33:32.energetic and more pleasant than it has been for decades -- British

:33:32. > :33:36.diplomacy is more energetic. This is our foreign policy. Giving

:33:36. > :33:41.Britain that leadership it needs to thrive as a confident, outward-

:33:41. > :33:45.looking, prosperous nation, a reliable ally in military power, at

:33:45. > :33:50.the heart of international institutions, and pursuing a

:33:50. > :33:54.distinctive British foreign-policy that supports our economy, built up

:33:54. > :33:59.our skills and influence in the world, and advances hour barriers.

:33:59. > :34:05.This Government would use Britain's unique network of alliances and

:34:05. > :34:09.partnerships, our embassies career development programmes, cultural

:34:09. > :34:13.influence, superb armed forces and diplomatic services, and all our

:34:13. > :34:19.national talents, to the very full in support of a future for this

:34:19. > :34:26.country that is strong, safe and prosperous. This is our foreign

:34:26. > :34:30.policy. Thank you. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague,

:34:30. > :34:34.addressing the conference a little earlier. And before that, we heard

:34:34. > :34:39.the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox. a few moments David Cameron will be

:34:39. > :34:44.getting to the stage to deliver his keynote conference. A few minutes

:34:44. > :34:48.ago he and his wife Samantha walked through the back preparing to make

:34:48. > :34:52.his speech. What should he be saying and what does he have to

:34:52. > :34:58.say? To discuss those topics and joined by Kevin Schofield from the

:34:58. > :35:04.Sun newspaper. This is a difficult one for him today, isn't it? Yes,

:35:04. > :35:14.it is a bit of a high-wire act that he has to before. He has to go it

:35:14. > :35:29.

:35:29. > :35:33.took up straight, tell us that we Be overnight we were sighing that

:35:33. > :35:38.individuals and families had to carry off the debts. And yet lo and

:35:38. > :35:44.behold, we heard that no that was not the case. As soon as the story

:35:44. > :35:52.hit the front pages, and it was a major story, the reaction came in

:35:52. > :36:02.thick and fast. People pointing out that the economy would be her at

:36:02. > :36:39.

:36:39. > :36:47.love and St. That caused a lot of They have managed to find money for

:36:47. > :36:52.things like the weekly rubbish bin collections. The Lib Dems have

:36:52. > :36:56.managed to push for more for school stimulus on infrastructure but the

:36:56. > :37:00.Conservatives have resisted that. But there has to be some kind of

:37:00. > :37:08.boost to the economy because at the moment, things are not going to

:37:08. > :37:12.plan. The here in Manchester, we are now preparing for the Prime

:37:12. > :37:17.Minister's speech. He will be getting on his feet within the next

:37:17. > :37:23.few minutes. War to come from here in Manchester but for now, back to

:37:23. > :37:28.Andrew in the studio. -- more to come. I am joined by Professor John

:37:28. > :37:32.Curtice of Strathclyde University. Let's pick up a couple of the

:37:32. > :37:36.points Kevin made. Unfortunate or the Prime Minister that he had to

:37:36. > :37:42.rewrite his speech after that credit card being offered this

:37:42. > :37:48.fiasco thing. It is a score draw as far as mistakes in leaders'

:37:48. > :37:54.speeches in the party conference are concerned. Last week, Ed

:37:54. > :37:59.Miliband said that he was not one of Lear which created a measure of

:37:59. > :38:04.the cheers and applause. It goes to show that giving these high-profile

:38:04. > :38:09.speeches is a difficult business and occasionally, even experienced

:38:09. > :38:12.politicians make quite serious mistakes. It is incredible such and

:38:12. > :38:18.is asked us such a mistake can be made because he has the best speech

:38:18. > :38:22.writers and it does this and yet these things still happen. -- in

:38:22. > :38:27.the business. Mr Cameron is having to come across with this message

:38:27. > :38:32.about getting bet than. He is trying to defend what the

:38:32. > :38:36.Government is doing. He's trying to use the household analogy which got

:38:36. > :38:42.him into trouble. But he has to try to convince us that eventually,

:38:42. > :38:46.growth will return. One thing we have learned from this conference

:38:46. > :38:52.is that, 16 months into office, it is reaching the stage of this

:38:52. > :38:56.Government brewing it is beginning to be difficult -- where it is

:38:57. > :39:00.beginning to be difficult to blame the problems on your predecessor's

:39:00. > :39:03.rather than things that have happens subsequently. The economy

:39:03. > :39:07.is not growing as fast as the Government would hope. Economic

:39:08. > :39:11.growth is down yet again this morning. The Prime Minister is

:39:11. > :39:19.saying that things will work out in the end, but saying that becomes

:39:19. > :39:21.more difficult. Over to all livid, with a new scheme to help carers

:39:21. > :39:26.with their electricity bills has been announced by the Scottish

:39:26. > :39:31.Cabinet. The cabinet secretary for infrastructure and capital

:39:31. > :39:34.investment is speaking. universal home insulation scheme.

:39:34. > :39:39.We wish to build upon a stronger relationship with councils across

:39:39. > :39:44.Scotland, and put this at the heart of future programmes for tackling

:39:44. > :39:52.fuel poverty. Despite this, presiding officer, warned its to be

:39:52. > :39:57.done. Dramatic increases in fuel prices have pushed up to 170,000

:39:57. > :40:04.additional households in Scotland, into fuel poverty, taking the total

:40:04. > :40:08.to nearly 2 million. We must consider how these projects can

:40:08. > :40:12.work alongside the new green deal and energy company obligations when

:40:12. > :40:17.the might come to fruition next year. For these reasons I am

:40:17. > :40:21.instigating a review of the fuel poverty strategy, to ensure that we

:40:22. > :40:26.are able to assist fuel poorer households in Scotland. The

:40:26. > :40:30.Scottish fuel poverty forum will look at the success of this review

:40:30. > :40:35.and will lead it. There will be three strands to the review. A

:40:35. > :40:39.review of the nature of fuel poverty and its drivers. Future

:40:39. > :40:45.options for fuel poverty programmes, and how to maximise the leverage of

:40:45. > :40:50.external funds, and examination of engagement on reserve matters. I

:40:50. > :40:53.will report back to Parliament early next year with a state that

:40:53. > :40:57.the policy and an action plan resulting from the review. The

:40:57. > :41:02.spending review this year confirmed that this Government is determined

:41:02. > :41:06.to tackle fuel poverty head on and make increased funds available to

:41:06. > :41:13.do so. I am pleased to announce that funding for Scottish

:41:13. > :41:23.government fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes will be �65

:41:23. > :41:31.million in 2012-13, and in 2013-14, rising to 66.2 �5 million in 2014-

:41:31. > :41:34.15. That is a 35% increase in the �48 million being provided in 11-12,

:41:34. > :41:40.and the mystery is clearly the importance we are placing on

:41:40. > :41:46.supporting households affected by fuel poverty. More generally, this

:41:47. > :41:50.funding will enable us to fund domestic energy efficiency

:41:50. > :41:55.commitments in the climate change back report on policies on

:41:55. > :42:02.proposals. The Spending Review also provided additional funding to

:42:02. > :42:05.establish the Worm homes fund. This fund, are �50 million, well assist

:42:05. > :42:11.those living in communities affected by fuel poverty. The fund

:42:11. > :42:16.will focus on the potential of renewable energy to provide a long-

:42:16. > :42:20.term, sustainable means to address fuel poverty, development of the

:42:21. > :42:27.fund will be considered, alongside the fuel poverty strategy review.

:42:27. > :42:34.And finally, presiding officer, I am pleased to be able to announce

:42:34. > :42:38.today an additional �5 million for this year, taking the total spend

:42:39. > :42:48.two �53 million, and the extra �5 million will be for insulation and

:42:49. > :42:51.

:42:51. > :42:55.heating systems, targeted at the most vulnerable and fuel poor

:42:55. > :43:01.people in Scotland. We're doing everything in our power to

:43:01. > :43:06.eventually eliminate fuel poverty in Scotland. Alex Neil, setting out

:43:07. > :43:11.the Government plan to cut down on fuel poverty. I am joined by

:43:12. > :43:16.Professor John Curtice. We will be hearing more about that later. Let

:43:16. > :43:21.us return to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. We are

:43:21. > :43:25.waiting on the Prime Minister to speak. How much will his speech

:43:25. > :43:30.focus on the economy and problems in the euro-zone? A undoubtedly the

:43:31. > :43:34.economy is going to be central to his speech, because it is the

:43:34. > :43:41.biggest problem confronting the Government and the country. The

:43:41. > :43:45.implications of the debt crisis in the eurozone, and the potential

:43:45. > :43:48.wash out of that coming across the English Channel is undoubtedly

:43:48. > :43:53.preoccupying ministers. On the one hand the Prime Minister is going to

:43:53. > :43:56.have to say, he's won to have to admit to us, getting out of this

:43:56. > :44:00.recession is going to be more difficult than getting out of other

:44:00. > :44:09.recessions because the Government cannot spend his way out of it, but

:44:09. > :44:13.at the same time, he has to present it that things are going better.

:44:13. > :44:17.Some of the fears about this and about the Bank's is in danger of

:44:17. > :44:20.being self fulfilling and the British Government is annoyed that

:44:20. > :44:28.Euro zone finance ministers have not made the decision about Greece

:44:28. > :44:31.and are aware that the continuing uncertainty is fuelling more

:44:31. > :44:37.uncertainty in markets. Whatever the British Government's views

:44:37. > :44:43.about the Euro, the success of its structural economy is in part

:44:43. > :44:49.dependent upon what euro-zone ministers do. David Porter is in

:44:49. > :44:56.Manchester for us. The economy is fundamental to this Prime

:44:56. > :45:00.Minister's speech, isn't it? Over all the three main party conference,

:45:00. > :45:05.the economy has been the big story. Lots of things have been happening

:45:05. > :45:11.in Europe, and the financial markets have been in turmoil. David

:45:11. > :45:16.Cameron will be very aware that he has to tell it as it is, on the

:45:16. > :45:20.economy. He is walking a political tightrope. He has to tell people

:45:20. > :45:25.how it is that there will probably be tough times ahead, but at the

:45:25. > :45:31.same time, he does not want to leave it on too thickly. He will

:45:31. > :45:36.want some optimism to put into his speech. That is why we have had

:45:36. > :45:42.some of the confusion over the past 24 hours, and some of the re-rating

:45:42. > :45:47.of that speech, people giving him that we want to go to be Spain of

:45:48. > :45:51.credit card and store card bills, that suddenly was seen as the wrong

:45:51. > :45:54.message in the middle of an economic recession. We have a

:45:54. > :45:58.situation that we should be telling people not to go out and spent but

:45:58. > :46:01.to pay or does, that could make things worse. We had figures this

:46:01. > :46:08.morning that showed that in the three months from April to June,

:46:08. > :46:12.the economy grew by just 0.1%, which is a revision down from 11 a

:46:12. > :46:17.year. And it is something ministers will be pretty worried about, the

:46:17. > :46:21.fact that the number of businesses going out of businesses, small

:46:21. > :46:25.companies, businesses which are ceasing to trade, that has

:46:25. > :46:31.increased as well. There is no doubt that it is pretty grim of

:46:31. > :46:36.their economic late. The Prime Minister will want to acknowledge

:46:36. > :46:41.that. But, he will say that if we stick to the course, we have reason

:46:41. > :46:46.to be optimistic. He will not want to overdo that, but the message

:46:46. > :46:51.will be that, if we stick to this course, there is reason to be

:46:51. > :46:55.optimistic in the future. It is difficult for the Prime Minister to

:46:55. > :46:59.be up front with voters about what is happening in the economy, but to

:46:59. > :47:05.try to look to the sunny uplands in the future, because he does not

:47:05. > :47:09.want to be tarred with the brush of a devastated economy. That is one

:47:09. > :47:14.of the arts of leadership. He will try to persuade us that he is,

:47:14. > :47:19.indeed, a leader for hard times. If he didn't acknowledge the reality

:47:19. > :47:22.and the fact that by many people, probably most people, prices are

:47:22. > :47:27.rising more quickly than their incomes, if you do not acknowledge

:47:27. > :47:34.that difficulty, people say, you do not understand what is going on.

:47:34. > :47:39.But if he was to say that it was all doom and gloom, he there is no

:47:39. > :47:43.doubt, the Government, now, because the economy has not grown, because

:47:43. > :47:48.of the market turmoil, is facing a more difficult situation than

:47:48. > :47:52.anticipated, and inevitably, the pressure that has been growing to

:47:52. > :47:57.say how are you going to achieve that, simply reducing bills, it is

:47:58. > :48:00.gradually going to feel that pressure, and we have seen from the

:48:00. > :48:05.Lib Dem conference and from this conference, small measures to say

:48:05. > :48:11.that, as a Government, we are using such influence as we have, in a way

:48:11. > :48:17.that we think might help promote economic growth. David Potter, it

:48:17. > :48:23.has not been a unified conference. We saw a difference of opinion, the

:48:23. > :48:26.cat flap argument yesterday between Theresa May and Ken Clarke on the

:48:26. > :48:31.Human Rights Bill. Do you think the Prime Minister will have to avoid

:48:31. > :48:39.any of that in his speech this afternoon? As far as he can,

:48:39. > :48:42.anything to do with Europe, he will try to steer clear of. Europe is

:48:42. > :48:47.still a divisive issue at the Conservative Party conference.

:48:47. > :48:52.Something the present leadership of the party has wanted to disguise as

:48:53. > :48:57.far as it can. David Cameron, when you interview him I just mention

:48:57. > :49:00.Europe, he says, it is vitally important to us, keeping the Euro

:49:01. > :49:06.together is vitally important, but there are people in this conference

:49:06. > :49:10.hall just a few yards away from us who would dearly love to see the

:49:10. > :49:15.clock went back on Europe, and certain powers repatriated from

:49:15. > :49:25.Europe to the UK. That was underlying the discussion he had

:49:25. > :49:26.

:49:26. > :49:29.yesterday. One person had managed to avoid being deported because the

:49:29. > :49:32.and I said they had a pet cat and it would go against their rights to

:49:32. > :49:36.our family life at that person was reported. Ken Clark said that that

:49:36. > :49:40.had not been the case and that the deportation had failed on other

:49:40. > :49:44.grounds and that the cap was ancillary to all that. But when you

:49:44. > :49:49.put that type of thing in the context of Europe and the European

:49:49. > :49:55.Commission on Human Rights, it touches a very raw nerve with many

:49:55. > :50:02.people in this conference. We have William Hague in his speech, for

:50:02. > :50:07.many people, he is far closer to many members a positive use,

:50:07. > :50:11.perhaps taking a tougher line. He is the one member of the cabinet

:50:11. > :50:17.that Conservative activists will listen to on the question of Europe.

:50:17. > :50:23.David Cameron, he will probably have to mention it in the context

:50:23. > :50:27.of the European crisis, and the European financial markets, but it

:50:27. > :50:31.is not something he will want to dwell upon. He knows that the

:50:31. > :50:37.important thing is the economy. That is the issue he has got to

:50:37. > :50:41.address this afternoon. John Curtice, it has been tricky for the

:50:41. > :50:47.Prime Minister. We saw Nick Clegg at the Lib Dem conference saying

:50:47. > :50:50.that he was going to keep the Human Rights Act, then we have from

:50:50. > :50:54.Teresa May appealing to representatives out there in the

:50:54. > :50:58.audience, then Ken Clarke comes along and messes it up for the

:50:58. > :51:05.Conservative Party, in the view of some people. Is this problematic

:51:05. > :51:09.for the Prime Minister? Does this show up some splits in his party?

:51:10. > :51:17.Sometimes Ken Clarke is suggested as the 6th a Liberal Democrat

:51:17. > :51:22.member of the Cabinet. He is well known to have pro-European views.

:51:22. > :51:28.He has liberal views over his brief of justice can put to members of

:51:28. > :51:32.his party. Teresa May can express a personal view on changing the gin

:51:32. > :51:42.and rice at, and the Conservative Party has long said that it wanted

:51:42. > :51:43.

:51:43. > :51:47.to change it, but I think the thing, the thing we need to watch out

:51:47. > :51:53.about his, the Conservatives and Lib-Dems have very different views

:51:53. > :51:57.about Europe. Almost part, they have been able to put the coalition

:51:58. > :52:02.together on the premise that they will not change anything and do not

:52:02. > :52:06.anticipate being asked to being -- to make any decisions about Europe

:52:06. > :52:10.anyway. But the longer the euro- zone crisis goes on, and the longer

:52:10. > :52:16.it seems that the European countries want to get more together

:52:16. > :52:21.in terms of fiscal policy, it raises the question as to whether,

:52:21. > :52:25.at some point between now and 2015, the UK Government might have to

:52:25. > :52:33.make a decision about your upon which the two parties find it more

:52:34. > :52:39.When you were speaking to Kevin Schofield earlier he mentioned that

:52:39. > :52:43.some cash had been found down the back of the couch, as it were. The

:52:43. > :52:48.Conservatives were keen to point out this was not a plan B, but they

:52:48. > :52:54.did find some efficiency savings to put into Project, did they not?

:52:54. > :52:58.They did. The Chancellor, George Osborne, said on Monday he had

:52:58. > :53:02.found up to �8 million in savings in white or, that he decided the

:53:02. > :53:10.vast majority of which he would use for a freeze next year on council

:53:10. > :53:14.tax in England -- in Whitehall. the Scottish Government has announced

:53:14. > :53:18.that there would be a freeze as well next year. Their time to so

:53:18. > :53:26.they realise there are problems, we share the economic pain. Where we

:53:26. > :53:32.can, we will make life easier. They say they are not going to borrow to

:53:32. > :53:36.spend. They will make savings, and they are keen at the moment to say

:53:36. > :53:41.that any money we do save, they will put forward for infrastructure

:53:41. > :53:46.projects, projects they call the shots already, that they can start

:53:46. > :53:52.quickly and get people involved -- projects they call a shovel ready

:53:52. > :53:57.projects. What we will hear next month is when the Chancellor

:53:57. > :54:01.delivers his Autumn Statement, and that in many ways is like a mini-

:54:01. > :54:05.budget, when he Updates the House of Commons and MPs and the rest of

:54:05. > :54:11.us for where he sees the economy going. Most who will think he will

:54:11. > :54:14.have to revise his growth figures downwards. -- most people. That

:54:14. > :54:18.means the Government will be getting in less tax revenue and

:54:18. > :54:26.will have to borrow more. Of the obligation is that they will be

:54:26. > :54:32.wanting to use the money to pump certain projects -- the implication

:54:32. > :54:36.is. They are saying deficit reduction is their main aim and

:54:36. > :54:40.they will continue with that. If the economy takes a turn for the

:54:40. > :54:45.worse, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister will come under a lot more

:54:45. > :54:49.pressure to do more to actively help the economy Foster I can see

:54:49. > :54:55.the Preece weed video playing behind you so I don't think it will

:54:55. > :54:58.be too long -- I can see the Preece Beach video. The Prime Minister

:54:58. > :55:04.made an attempt to reach out to women voters and apologised to some

:55:04. > :55:09.of his behaviour in the conference, did he not? Yes, and because some

:55:09. > :55:15.people feel that some of the cuts the coalition is engaged with a

:55:15. > :55:20.disproportionate. I look at some of the data. It is true there are a

:55:20. > :55:25.couple of recent polls that suggest the Conservative Party's doing less

:55:25. > :55:28.well among women but others that do not substantiate that. Too much has

:55:28. > :55:36.been made about one particular opinion poll it was published in

:55:36. > :55:43.the Sunday Telegraph. I'm not sure that they have that much to worry

:55:43. > :55:46.about. One other thing is, around 36 or 37%, the kind of medicine

:55:46. > :55:50.this Government is having to give out to people, the Conservatives

:55:50. > :55:54.have been remarkably successful at Holden the support they had just

:55:54. > :55:59.over 12 months ago. To that extent, in terms of their electoral

:55:59. > :56:04.position, they must regard the first 16 months as quite a

:56:04. > :56:09.reasonable success. We showed some clips of the hustings that took

:56:09. > :56:13.place on Monday at conference. The Prime Minister was very keen to

:56:13. > :56:17.name the candidates but was not going so far as to support one of

:56:17. > :56:27.them got particularly, with murder Fraser and his controversial plans

:56:27. > :56:28.

:56:28. > :56:33.to rebrand the party -- Murdo Fraser. That clearly is going to be

:56:33. > :56:36.a crucial decision for the party. This is not now simply going to be

:56:36. > :56:41.an election about who might be the best man or woman to do the job.

:56:41. > :56:46.Murdo Fraser, by making his call for a party to eventually reform

:56:46. > :56:50.itself, and to become much more small in its attitude toward

:56:50. > :56:52.Scotland's constitutional powers and the role the Scottish

:56:52. > :56:56.Parliament has effectively proneness up into an election about

:56:56. > :57:01.what is the future direction of the Scottish Conservative Party. Does

:57:01. > :57:06.it remain relatively traditional? Orders have become what Murdo

:57:06. > :57:10.Fraser is saying it used to be, a centre right, small and Nationalist

:57:10. > :57:15.Party. That is a big decision for the party to make. Murdo Fraser is

:57:15. > :57:18.trying to sell his case to the section of the Scottish electorate

:57:18. > :57:26.that you expect to be least likely to buy into it and to that extent

:57:26. > :57:30.he has given us have at -- has given himself a considerable task.

:57:30. > :57:34.The video is still playing behind you. You're talking to the Prime

:57:34. > :57:38.Minister about the Scottish leader sip contest and the Scottish

:57:38. > :57:44.representatives. What has been you're feeling from the Scottish

:57:44. > :57:48.people about the leadership contest north of the border? I think they

:57:48. > :57:53.are very interested and energised. I was at the hustings which we

:57:53. > :57:56.played a little bit of earlier this week... I will have to stop you. We

:57:57. > :58:06.can go live to the conference hall where the Prime Minister, David

:58:07. > :58:09.

:58:09. > :58:19.Cameron, is being applauded now. He is a podium now. -- he is at the

:58:19. > :58:22.

:58:22. > :58:28.This week in Manchester, this party has shown the disciplined, the

:58:28. > :58:33.unity and purpose that is the mark of a party of government. I am

:58:33. > :58:40.proud of my team. I'm proud of our members. I am proud to lead this

:58:40. > :58:47.party. But most of all, I am proud of you. You have made this week the

:58:47. > :58:52.success that I believe it has been for a party and for our country.

:58:52. > :58:59.People have very clear instructions for this Government. Lead us out of

:58:59. > :59:06.this economic mess. Do it in a way that is fair and right. And as you

:59:06. > :59:12.do it, please build something worthwhile for us and our children.

:59:12. > :59:16.Clear instructions, clear objectives, and from me, a clear

:59:16. > :59:24.understanding that in these difficult times, it is leadership

:59:24. > :59:30.we need. To get away economy moving. To get our society working. And in

:59:30. > :59:36.a year, the Olympics year, when the world will be watching us, to show

:59:36. > :59:43.everyone what Great Britain really means. But first, I want to say

:59:43. > :59:47.something to everyone in this hall. Thank you. Despite the predictions,

:59:47. > :59:51.you want elections all over our country this may, so let us hear it

:59:51. > :00:01.for those great campaigns that you fought and won.

:00:01. > :00:08.

:00:08. > :00:13.And thank you for something else. In that AV referendum, you did

:00:13. > :00:16.Britain a service. And you kicked that excuse for voting system off

:00:16. > :00:26.the political agenda for a generation, so thank you for that

:00:26. > :00:32.

:00:32. > :00:42.And next year, let us make sure we beat Ken, we back Boris, and we

:00:42. > :00:50.

:00:50. > :00:53.But you're not just winners. You would do us. This summer, as before,

:00:54. > :00:58.Conservatives went to Rwanda to build classrooms, teach children,

:00:58. > :01:02.help build businesses, social action. That is the spirit of the

:01:02. > :01:07.modern Conservative Party. And here at this conference we have been

:01:07. > :01:13.recording audio books for the Blind. I looked very carefully at the

:01:13. > :01:22.books that my colleagues chose. George knew exactly what he wanted.

:01:22. > :01:31.He went straight for the man Who Would Be King. I'm afraid Boris

:01:31. > :01:35.missed out. Instead he chose the joy of... Cycling. There was one

:01:35. > :01:42.chose personally. I said Ken, this is called crime and punishment, and

:01:42. > :01:49.I want you to read it, twice. I think after yesterday we should

:01:49. > :01:52.probably have a group reading of more go look at. Although if you

:01:52. > :01:56.read that book to your children at bedtime, you'll remember the cat

:01:56. > :02:06.helps the police to catch the burglar, not keep him in the

:02:06. > :02:11.

:02:11. > :02:15.This is a party, and ours is a country, that never walks on by.

:02:15. > :02:19.Earlier this year, some people said to me, Libya, that is not our

:02:20. > :02:26.concern. Don't start what she cannot finish. Some people even

:02:26. > :02:31.said to me, Arabs, they don't do democracy. But if we had so the

:02:31. > :02:35.side this spring, people in Benghazi would have been massacred

:02:35. > :02:40.-- if we had stood aside. And don't let anyone say this was not in our

:02:40. > :02:45.national interest. We remember what Gaddafi dead. He gave Semtex to the

:02:45. > :02:50.IRA. He was behind the shooting of a police of the cell in a London

:02:51. > :03:00.square, responsible of a bombing in Lockerbie. I say, let us be proud

:03:01. > :03:08.

:03:08. > :03:13.of what we did to help the Libyan In Afghanistan today, there are men

:03:13. > :03:17.and women fighting for Britain as Brophy as any in our history. They

:03:17. > :03:22.come from across our country. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern

:03:22. > :03:27.Ireland. They now have the equipment they need and we are on

:03:27. > :03:31.target to bring them home by the end of 2014. Theirs has been a

:03:31. > :03:35.campaign of incredible courage and sacrifice. And I know that

:03:36. > :03:39.everybody in this whole will want to send a message to everyone who

:03:39. > :03:44.serves and everyone who has served, to those in uniform, in our armed

:03:44. > :03:50.forces and in our police, and to those not in uniform who keep us

:03:50. > :04:00.safe from terrorism on our streets. We thank you, we salute you, we are

:04:00. > :04:08.

:04:08. > :04:15.proud of what you do for our But leadership in the world is

:04:15. > :04:20.about more strength as much as it is about moral might. I was in

:04:20. > :04:24.Algeria on a trade Nissan. I visit a vaccination clinic. It is an

:04:24. > :04:28.experience I will never forget. It was hot and basic. The lights kept

:04:28. > :04:33.going off. But to the rows of women cuddling their babies, this place

:04:33. > :04:39.was a godsend. One of the nurses told me that if it wasn't for

:04:39. > :04:43.British aid, many of those beautiful babies would be dead. In

:04:43. > :04:46.four years' time, this country will have helped vaccinate more of the

:04:46. > :04:50.world's poorest children than there are people in the whole of England.

:04:50. > :04:56.Of course, we will make sure your money goes to people who need it

:04:56. > :05:02.most. Been aware that is transparent. But I believe that in

:05:02. > :05:08.spite of all Arab difficulties, this is the right thing to do. --

:05:08. > :05:18.of all our difficulties. We never turn our backs on the world's

:05:18. > :05:23.

:05:23. > :05:27.poorest. I believe everyone in Leadership in tackling tourney,

:05:27. > :05:31.leadership in fighting poverty. But when it came to that decision, to

:05:32. > :05:35.help the Libyan people, there was something dispiriting about the

:05:35. > :05:40.debate here in Britain. It wasn't that some people thought we

:05:40. > :05:43.shouldn't do what we did. That is their right, a point of view. It

:05:43. > :05:47.was that so many people actually thought Britain could not do

:05:47. > :05:52.something like that any more. And to hear that kind of pessimism

:05:52. > :05:56.about our economic future, our social problems, political system.

:05:56. > :06:01.That our best days are behind us. But we are on a path of certain

:06:01. > :06:05.decline. I am here to tell you that simply isn't true. Of course, if we

:06:05. > :06:10.sit around and head for the best, the rest will lead us behind. If we

:06:10. > :06:13.fool ourselves that we can grow our economy, mend our society, Dewar

:06:13. > :06:21.children a good future, if we fall ourselves we can do these things

:06:21. > :06:26.about Efford, without correcting mistakes, confronting vested

:06:26. > :06:29.interest, we will not get anywhere. But if we correct the mistakes,

:06:29. > :06:36.confront the vested interests and take on the failed ideas of the

:06:36. > :06:42.past, I know we can turn this ship around. Nobody wants false optimism.

:06:42. > :06:45.I will never pretend there are short cuts to success. But success

:06:45. > :06:48.will come with the right ideas, the right approach, the right

:06:48. > :06:54.leadership. Leadership from government to set up the direction

:06:54. > :06:58.we must take and the choices we must make, but leadership also from

:06:58. > :07:02.you. Because the things that will really deliver success are not

:07:02. > :07:08.politicians and government but the people of Britain and the spirit of

:07:08. > :07:14.Britain. Some people say that to succeed in this world, we need to

:07:15. > :07:22.be more like India or China or Brazil. I say we need to be more

:07:22. > :07:26.like us, the real us. Hard-working, pioneering, independent, adaptable,

:07:26. > :07:36.optimistic, can do. But is a spirit that has made this United Kingdom

:07:36. > :07:37.

:07:37. > :07:42.what it is. A small country that does great things for --. It is a

:07:42. > :07:47.spirit that is alive and well. I sit in the head teacher amateur

:07:47. > :07:51.Norwich who started the free school from scratch and is four times over

:07:51. > :07:56.subscribed. Her ambition is to do it all over again. But his

:07:56. > :08:00.leadership. I see it in the grip of GPs in Bexley who have taken more

:08:00. > :08:03.control of their budgets and they have the patience, some of the

:08:03. > :08:13.poorest in the country, free treatment in Harley Street on the

:08:13. > :08:17.NHS. I see it in all that we saw this summer. Dan Thomson watch the

:08:17. > :08:23.riots unfold in television. But he didn't sit there and think, I will

:08:23. > :08:28.leave it for the council to clear up. He got on the internet, sent a

:08:28. > :08:33.trickle. And he started a social movement. -- sent out a call.

:08:33. > :08:39.People picked up brooms and reclaim streets. The argument is,

:08:39. > :08:42.leadership works. I know how tough things are. I don't for one minute

:08:42. > :08:46.underestimate how worried people feel, whether it is about making

:08:46. > :08:54.ends meet for the state of the world economy. But the truth is,

:08:54. > :09:00.right now we need to beat energised, not paralysed by gloom and feel.

:09:00. > :09:06.The world is booming, half of it. Many communities are thriving. They

:09:06. > :09:10.are so much that is great about a country. We don't have to accept

:09:10. > :09:15.that success in this century automatically belongs to others. We

:09:15. > :09:25.just have to remember the origin of our achievements. The people of

:09:25. > :09:35.

:09:35. > :09:40.That is why so much of my leadership is about unleashing your

:09:40. > :09:44.leadership. Giving everyone who wants it, the chance to seize their

:09:44. > :09:48.opportunity, the support and the freedom to get things done. Giving

:09:48. > :09:53.everyone who wants to believe it the confidence that working hard

:09:53. > :09:59.and taking responsibility will be rewarded, not punished. With us

:09:59. > :10:03.reject the pessimism, and bring on the can-do optimism, and summon the

:10:03. > :10:13.energy and appetite to fight for a better future for our country,

:10:13. > :10:20.

:10:21. > :10:25.Now, of course, that starts with the economy. As we meet here in

:10:25. > :10:31.Manchester, the threat to the world economy and to Britain is as

:10:31. > :10:35.serious as in 2008, when the world recession loomed. The eurozone is

:10:35. > :10:41.in crisis. The French and German economies have slowed to a

:10:41. > :10:49.standstill. Even mighty America is questioned about have theirs. It is

:10:49. > :10:53.an anxious time. -- about her best. Prices, bills, petrol, electricity,

:10:53. > :10:58.the weekly shop, keep going up. On the news it is job losses, cutbacks

:10:58. > :11:03.and closures. Thing about tuition fees, house prices, and you wonder

:11:04. > :11:08.how our children are going to manage. Of course, Government can

:11:08. > :11:12.help, and this one is. We have cut petrol duty, kep the winter fuel

:11:12. > :11:16.allowance, kep the cold weather payments, froze council tax

:11:16. > :11:26.payments this year, and as George said in that excellent speech on

:11:26. > :11:32.Monday we're going to freeze up all over again next year. -- breeze it.

:11:32. > :11:36.-- freeze it. But we need to tell the truth about the overall

:11:36. > :11:42.economic situation. People understand that, when the economy

:11:42. > :11:47.goes into recession, times get tough, but normally, after a while,

:11:47. > :11:52.things pick up, strong growth returns, people get back into work,

:11:52. > :11:57.and this time it is not like that. People want to know why the good

:11:57. > :12:03.times are so long in coming. The answer is straightforward but

:12:03. > :12:09.uncomfortable. This was not a normal recession. It was a debt

:12:09. > :12:14.crisis. It was caused by too much borrowing, by individuals, banks,

:12:14. > :12:17.businesses and, most of all, by governments. When you're in the

:12:17. > :12:22.debt crisis, some of the normal things governments can do to deal

:12:22. > :12:27.with a normal recession, like boring to cut taxes, or increasing

:12:27. > :12:32.spending, -- borrowing. These things do not work because they the

:12:32. > :12:36.to more debt, which makes the crisis worse. Because it takes the

:12:36. > :12:42.risk of higher interest rates and less confidence and higher taxes.

:12:42. > :12:46.The only way out of the debt crisis is to deal with your debt. That is

:12:46. > :12:51.why households are being done the credit card and store card bills.

:12:51. > :12:54.It means banks getting their books and order, and it means governments

:12:54. > :12:59.all over the world, cutting spending and living within your

:12:59. > :13:06.means. This coalition government Conservatives and Liberal Democrats,

:13:06. > :13:11.Nick Clegg and I, we have led the way, you have that it. Our plan is

:13:12. > :13:17.right. Our plan will work. I know that you cannot see it off feel it

:13:17. > :13:22.right now, but think of it like this - the new economy we're

:13:22. > :13:29.building, it is like building a house. The most important part is

:13:29. > :13:34.the part you can't see. The foundations. Slowly, but surely, we

:13:34. > :13:40.are laying solid foundations for a stronger future. And the vital

:13:40. > :13:50.point is this - if you don't stick with it, it won't work. And there

:13:50. > :13:52.

:13:52. > :13:57.something else. -- it is something else. Something else, that we have

:13:57. > :14:03.to stick to. Because we are not in the Euro, we can ladies foundations

:14:03. > :14:13.on our own terms, in our own way. So let me say this. As long as I am

:14:13. > :14:26.

:14:26. > :14:30.Prime Minister, this country will And I will not let us be sucked

:14:30. > :14:34.into endless bailouts of countries that are in the Euro. We are

:14:34. > :14:39.members of the IMF, and we have responsibilities there, but when it

:14:39. > :14:49.comes in any Euro bailout mechanism, my approach is simple. Labour got

:14:49. > :14:56.

:14:56. > :14:59.us into it, and I have made sure we Now, of course, the deficit

:14:59. > :15:05.reduction programme is one big bail-out of the last Labour

:15:05. > :15:09.government. We have been subjected to a sort of national apology tour

:15:09. > :15:13.by Labour these past few months. Sorry for sucking up to Gaddafi,

:15:13. > :15:17.for not regulating banks, crushing civil liberties, failing to go

:15:17. > :15:20.green, not building enough Houses, sorry for the in Beijing that made

:15:20. > :15:26.it the most dysfunctional Government in this country's

:15:26. > :15:31.history. And you know what? Nothing. Not a peep on the thing they might

:15:31. > :15:41.make to say sorry for - wasting billions and billions of your money.

:15:41. > :15:49.

:15:49. > :15:55.You know what the Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, said last week? That

:15:55. > :16:05.Labour didn't spend any more money than they had available. Hello, it?

:16:05. > :16:08.You spent �428 billion more than you had available. And that --

:16:08. > :16:18.there is only one conclusion you can draw from this. We must never,

:16:18. > :16:23.

:16:23. > :16:33.ever let these people anywhere near the economy ever again. APPLAUSE

:16:33. > :16:38.

:16:38. > :16:43.As before, it falls to us, to clear up after the Labour Government. I

:16:43. > :16:47.have insisted that we do it in a way that is fair. You cannot cut it

:16:47. > :16:51.ever sit the size of hours, without asking everyone to next sacrifice.

:16:51. > :16:54.But those with the most money appearing the biggest burden. We

:16:54. > :16:58.have imposed a permanent levy on the banks, getting them to pay more

:16:58. > :17:03.every year than Labour ever did in one year. We have raised taxes on

:17:03. > :17:07.people who make money overseas but to live here, and, at the same time,

:17:07. > :17:10.we have given real help to the poorest and the most vulnerable. We

:17:10. > :17:16.are seeking 1 million of the poorest people out of tax

:17:16. > :17:22.altogether, and after the 75 p raised for pensioners scandal, were

:17:22. > :17:26.linking pensions to earnings so that elderly people will be �10,000

:17:26. > :17:36.more better off in their retirement. This is a one-nation deficit

:17:36. > :17:42.

:17:42. > :17:47.reduction plan for a One nation And, my friends, there is something

:17:47. > :17:51.else that we, the Conservatives have done. The National Health

:17:51. > :17:56.Service is the most precious institution in this country, the

:17:56. > :18:01.most precious institution to my family, to your family. At the last

:18:01. > :18:06.election it was Labour policy to cut the NHS. It was Liberal-

:18:06. > :18:11.Democrat policy to cut the NHS. It was our policy, Conservative policy,

:18:11. > :18:15.to protect the NHS and spend more on it, this year, next year, and

:18:15. > :18:25.the year after that, because we are the party of the NHS, and as long

:18:25. > :18:30.

:18:30. > :18:35.as I am here, that is the way that But, will term this isn't just

:18:35. > :18:39.about what the state spends. It is about the link between what you put

:18:39. > :18:46.in and what you get out. And, as we debate what people get from the

:18:46. > :18:52.state, we must remember how we generate taxes in the first place.

:18:52. > :18:56.To do know is planning to strike over public sector pensions, I say

:18:56. > :19:01.this, you have every right to protest, but the population is

:19:01. > :19:05.ageing, the public sector pension system is unaffordable. The only

:19:05. > :19:10.way to go public sector workers that this unsustainable pension

:19:10. > :19:15.system which I want to, and to do right by the taxpayer, is to ask

:19:15. > :19:21.public servants to work a little longer, and pay a little more. That

:19:21. > :19:26.is fair. What is not fair, what is not right, is going on strike and

:19:26. > :19:36.putting at risk the very people who are helping to pay for your future

:19:36. > :19:46.

:19:46. > :19:52.He dealing with our debts, that is just line one, Clause 1, or the

:19:52. > :19:56.plan for growth. But it is just the start. We need jobs. We are not we

:19:56. > :20:00.get jobs by growing Government. We need to grow businesses. Here is

:20:00. > :20:05.our growth plan. It is to do everything we can to help

:20:05. > :20:08.businesses start, grow, five, succeed. When that means backing of

:20:08. > :20:13.and cutting regulation, we will do that. Where it means intervention

:20:13. > :20:18.and Investment, we will intervene and invest. Whatever it takes to

:20:18. > :20:22.help businesses takeover the world, we will do it. Do global economy

:20:22. > :20:26.has been transformed in recent years. It used to take companies

:20:26. > :20:31.decades to become world leaders. Now some of them do it in just a

:20:31. > :20:36.few years. When you step off the plane in Delhi, or Shanghai or

:20:36. > :20:43.Lagos, you can feel the energy, hunger, drive to succeed. We need

:20:43. > :20:49.that here. There is too much cannot do, soggy mess around. We need to

:20:49. > :20:55.be a sharp, focused, can-do country. As we go for growth, the last thing

:20:55. > :20:58.I want is to pump the old economy back up with the banking sector at

:20:58. > :21:03.of control, manufacturing squeezed and prosperity confined to just a

:21:03. > :21:10.few parts of the country and the few industries. Our plan is to

:21:10. > :21:15.build something new and better. We can do it. Look at what is

:21:15. > :21:24.happening in East London. Europe's financial capital is now matched by

:21:24. > :21:27.Europe's technology capital. Goodall, Facebook, all these see

:21:27. > :21:30.potential in investing right here. Look at what is happening across

:21:31. > :21:39.the country. The wings of the World's biggest jumbo jet, made in

:21:39. > :21:44.Wales. The JCB, made in Staffordshire. And Formula One.

:21:44. > :21:49.Whether it is marked whether, Michael Schumacher, Rubens

:21:49. > :21:59.Barrichello, they all have one thing in common, when they get into

:21:59. > :22:01.

:22:01. > :22:07.their car, it is make right here in Britain. -- made. This is the new

:22:07. > :22:12.economy we must build up, leading an advanced manufacturing, Life

:22:12. > :22:16.Sciences, Green Engineering, inventing, creating, exporting. It

:22:16. > :22:22.is easy to talk about these things. It is more difficult to deliver

:22:22. > :22:27.them. For a start, you do not deliver it just by providing a

:22:27. > :22:31.industries into Saints and sinners. That is not just an insult to the

:22:31. > :22:35.accountancy firms and professional services that make us billions of

:22:35. > :22:39.pounds and employ millions of people, it is too simplistic. I am

:22:39. > :22:43.always arguing that we need businesses to be more socially

:22:43. > :22:47.responsible, but, to get proper growth, to rebalance the economy,

:22:47. > :22:51.we have to put some important new pieces into place. We have got to

:22:51. > :22:57.take action now to get credit to the small businesses that are the

:22:57. > :23:00.engine of the economy. We have to ring-fenced banks saw they can win

:23:00. > :23:04.say to the real economy. We are setting up technology and

:23:04. > :23:08.innovation centres were scientists and academics can work with

:23:08. > :23:14.entrepreneurs to bring brilliant inventions into successful products.

:23:14. > :23:19.We have reformed taxation to encourage enterprise. But, we are

:23:19. > :23:23.also going to have to take some controversial decisions, and to

:23:23. > :23:27.challenge some vested interests. When companies need to adapt

:23:27. > :23:32.quickly to win orders, to win contracts, we cannot go on with the

:23:32. > :23:36.rigid, outdated employment legislation of the past. I know

:23:36. > :23:43.that critics will say, what about workers' rights? We mustn't forget

:23:43. > :23:53.the important worker right of all, the right to have a job in the

:23:53. > :23:59.

:23:59. > :24:01.When, in modern business, you are either quipped of it, it is

:24:01. > :24:05.hopeless that the transport infrastructure lags so far behind

:24:05. > :24:12.that in Europe. That is why we need to build high-speed rail, and why

:24:12. > :24:15.we need to get the best broadband network in Europe, too. And when a

:24:15. > :24:19.barrister economy needs workers with skills, we need to put an end

:24:19. > :24:24.to the old snobbery about vocational education and training.

:24:24. > :24:27.This Government is providing funding for an extra 250,000

:24:27. > :24:34.apprenticeships across this Parliament. But we're not getting

:24:34. > :24:37.enough back from big business. So, here is a direct appeal. If you

:24:37. > :24:42.want skilled employees, we will provide the funding, Cup the red

:24:42. > :24:52.tape, but you have got to show the leadership and give us the

:24:52. > :24:56.

:24:56. > :25:02.apprenticeships this country so Unlocking growth, rebalancing the

:25:02. > :25:06.economy, but also requires change in Brussels. The EU is the biggest

:25:06. > :25:12.single market in the world, it has amazing potential. But it is not

:25:13. > :25:18.working properly. Almost agree day, I see pointless new regulation

:25:18. > :25:23.coming away. A couple of weeks ago, I was up, early in the morning,

:25:23. > :25:27.preparing for work, going through paperwork, and I came across an EU

:25:27. > :25:32.directive. It was about whether people with diabetes should be

:25:32. > :25:36.allowed to drive. What on earth has this got to do with the single

:25:36. > :25:42.market? Do you suppose anyone in China is thinking, I know how we

:25:42. > :25:49.will grow the economy, let's get those diabetics off the road!

:25:49. > :25:53.Europe has got to wake up. I want us to push this at every meeting,

:25:53. > :25:59.Council and summit. That is the alarm call that Brussels needs.

:25:59. > :26:05.There is one more thing. That business needs. Businesses need the

:26:05. > :26:10.space to grow, literally. And that is one of the reasons why we are

:26:10. > :26:14.reforming the planning system. It is hard to blame local people for a

:26:14. > :26:17.pause in developments when they get so few of the benefits. We are

:26:17. > :26:21.changing that. It's a new manufacturing plant is building

:26:21. > :26:26.Euro area, you Council will keep the business rates. If new homes

:26:26. > :26:31.get built, you keep the council tax. This is a local list plan for the

:26:31. > :26:35.local his party. I know what people are worried about, what this means

:26:35. > :26:39.for conservation. And let me tell you, I love the countryside. I

:26:39. > :26:43.would never do anything to put it at risk. But we have got to get the

:26:43. > :26:50.balance right. The proportion of land in England that is currently

:26:50. > :26:55.built up his 9%. 9%. There are businesses out there, desperate to

:26:55. > :26:59.expand, to have thousands of people, but they a stock in the mud of the

:26:59. > :27:05.planning system. We're open to constructive ideas about how to get

:27:05. > :27:08.this right, but to those who oppose everything we do, my message is

:27:08. > :27:18.this - take your argument down to the JobCentre, because we're going

:27:18. > :27:27.

:27:27. > :27:31.We knew economy we a building, it must be an economy for everyone --

:27:31. > :27:35.of this new economy we are building. You know the real tragedy of

:27:35. > :27:41.Labour's economy? Not adjusted to was overwhelmed with debt and

:27:41. > :27:46.umbrellas. It left suddenly people behind. They talked a lot about

:27:46. > :27:49.opportunity. But they've ripped the ladders of opportunity away. We had

:27:49. > :27:55.an education system that left hundreds of thousands and prepared

:27:55. > :28:04.for work. A welfare system that attract thousands in dependency --

:28:04. > :28:09.trapped. We had a housing system that failed to meet demand, so

:28:09. > :28:12.prices shot up and killed an unsustainable boom. And we had a

:28:12. > :28:15.government, oh boy did we have a government, that creamed the taxes

:28:15. > :28:20.of the boom to splurge back into the benefits, redoubling the

:28:20. > :28:24.failure again. Labour, who tell us they care so much about fairness,

:28:24. > :28:29.justice, who so they want to hit the rich and help the poor, it was

:28:29. > :28:33.Labour who gave us the casino economy and a welfare society. So

:28:33. > :28:41.who, who is going to lift the poorest up? Get our young people

:28:41. > :28:45.back to work? Create a fairer society? Not you, the self-

:28:45. > :28:49.righteous Labour Party. It will be us who bills the economy for

:28:49. > :28:59.everybody and gives hope to everybody in our country -- builds

:28:59. > :29:12.

:29:12. > :29:18.That will start with a good education for everybody. It sounds

:29:18. > :29:22.so simple. Property chain, a good discipline. Rigorous exams --

:29:22. > :29:26.proper teaching. But it is hard. It is hard because our education

:29:26. > :29:34.system has been infected by an ideology that is said on insisting

:29:34. > :29:39.on every child's success, it has too often made excuses for failure.

:29:39. > :29:43.They say poor kids can't learn. Black boys can't do that well. In

:29:43. > :29:48.this community, you cannot expect that much. You really must

:29:48. > :29:52.understand. I do understand. Oh yes I understand. But believe me, I'm

:29:52. > :30:02.disgusted by the idea that we should aim for any less for a child

:30:02. > :30:08.

:30:08. > :30:13.from a poor background than a rich I have content for the nation we

:30:13. > :30:18.should accept narrow horizon for a black child and a white one. It is

:30:18. > :30:28.the age old irony of the liberal left. They practise oppression and

:30:28. > :30:34.

:30:34. > :30:37.they call it equality. So we are fighting back and something really

:30:37. > :30:42.massive is happening in our country. There is now irrefutable proof that

:30:42. > :30:45.with the right schools, with the right freedoms and the right

:30:45. > :30:48.leadership, we can transform the education of the most deprived

:30:48. > :30:53.children. You heard yesterday from that inspirational student from

:30:53. > :30:59.Burlington Danes Academy in Hammersmith. Inner-city school,

:30:59. > :31:04.deprived area. Almost half of the children on free school meals. But

:31:05. > :31:10.this year, three-quarters got five good GCSEs, including English and

:31:10. > :31:14.maths. Now, that his way better than what the majority of state

:31:14. > :31:20.schools in Sussex, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire got last year. Some of

:31:20. > :31:25.the most affluent counties in our country. Why? Because the head

:31:25. > :31:30.teacher, her staff, the parents, they all rose often said, we are as

:31:30. > :31:40.good as anyone. Our children can achieve anything. Leadership works,

:31:40. > :31:44.

:31:44. > :31:48.and we will make it work in all of We are backing more headteachers to

:31:48. > :31:52.turn schools into academies. We want more parents, entrepreneurs,

:31:52. > :31:57.charities, to come into our education system and set up the new

:31:57. > :32:01.free schools' too. Changes under way. For the first time in a long

:32:01. > :32:06.time, the numbers studying those core and vital subjects, history,

:32:06. > :32:10.geography, language, are going up. Pupils exams will now be marked on

:32:10. > :32:14.their punctuation and grammar. And teachers will be able to search

:32:14. > :32:20.people's backs for anything banned in schools. Mobile-phone, weapon,

:32:20. > :32:30.anything. It is a long, hard road back to rigour, but we are back on

:32:30. > :32:36.

:32:36. > :32:42.And here is something else we're going to do. In Britain today, we

:32:42. > :32:48.do have a group of schools that are utterly intolerant of failure. When

:32:48. > :32:52.90% of pupils get five good GCSEs. Yes, private schools. You have

:32:52. > :32:57.heard me talk about social responsibility. I want to see

:32:57. > :33:03.private schools start to cannabis and sponsor them in the state

:33:03. > :33:07.system -- start academies. The apartheid between private and state

:33:07. > :33:11.education is one of the biggest wasted opportunities in our country

:33:11. > :33:21.today, and let it be us, the Conservative Party, who help to

:33:21. > :33:29.

:33:29. > :33:39.Rigour back in learning, standards back in schools, teachers back in

:33:39. > :33:42.

:33:42. > :33:46.control. The Conservatives are back An economy that works for everyone

:33:46. > :33:51.mean sorting out welfare and immigration as well. Welfare begin

:33:51. > :33:55.as a lifeline for. But for too many it has become a way of life.

:33:55. > :33:59.Generation after generation, in the cycle of dependency, and we are

:33:59. > :34:04.determined to break it. Part of our answer is controlling immigration.

:34:04. > :34:08.So we put a cap on the number of a non- EU immigrants and had to come

:34:08. > :34:12.and work in our country. We must look out talent. I want the best of

:34:12. > :34:17.the brightest entrepreneurs, scientists and students from around

:34:17. > :34:21.the world, to get the red carpet treatment, and they will. But the

:34:21. > :34:25.fake marriages, the people arriving for a month and stay for years, the

:34:25. > :34:35.criminal who use the human rights act to try to stay in a country, we

:34:35. > :34:37.

:34:37. > :34:40.are clamping down on each and every one of them. We have got to get

:34:40. > :34:46.some sense back into a Labour market and get British people back

:34:46. > :34:49.into work. For years, you have been conned by governments. To keep the

:34:49. > :34:55.unemployment figures down, they have parked as many people as

:34:55. > :35:00.possible on to the SEC. 2.5 million people to be exact. Not officially

:35:00. > :35:05.unemployed, but claiming welfare, no real questions asked. Today, we

:35:05. > :35:10.are asking those questions. And it turns out that of the 1.3 million

:35:10. > :35:14.people who have put in a claim for the new sickness benefit in recent

:35:14. > :35:18.years, one million are either able to work all stop their claim before

:35:18. > :35:23.the medical assessment had been completed. Under Labour they got

:35:23. > :35:30.something for nothing. With us, they will only get something if

:35:30. > :35:33.they give something. If they are prepared to work, we will help them,

:35:33. > :35:36.and I mean really help them. If you have been out of work and on

:35:36. > :35:41.benefits for five years, a quick session done the job centre, help

:35:41. > :35:45.with your CV, that is not going to cut it. That will not help you. He

:35:45. > :35:50.need to get your esteem and confidence back. You need training

:35:50. > :35:53.and skills. Extensive personal support. Previous governments

:35:53. > :35:56.whenever willing to make commitments, sign the cheque to get

:35:57. > :36:02.this done. Never willing to break the Treasury rules to make it

:36:02. > :36:09.happen. We have. We are investing now so we do not pay later. We are

:36:09. > :36:14.going to spend up to �14,000 on individual people just to get the

:36:14. > :36:19.untrained and back into work. I know that is a lot of money. But it

:36:19. > :36:23.is worth it. Letter to be us. Let it be this Government, the

:36:23. > :36:33.Conservatives, that build an economy where no one gets left

:36:33. > :36:39.

:36:40. > :36:45.behind. And for most people, that means also a home of their own. Not

:36:45. > :36:49.just any old home, but a decent one. A place with a proper front door.

:36:49. > :36:54.Room for the kids to play. But the percentage of British people that

:36:54. > :37:00.and their own home is going down. Unless you get help from your

:37:00. > :37:06.parents, the average age of a first-time buyer in a country today

:37:06. > :37:13.is 37. You hear some be able saying, why can't it be like in Europe

:37:13. > :37:17.where everybody rents? I disagree. The failure of the housing market

:37:17. > :37:22.is bound up in the debt crisis. Because the lenders will not

:37:22. > :37:27.learned, the builders will not build and the buyers cannot buy. We

:37:27. > :37:33.are going to sort this out. We will bring back the right to buy your

:37:33. > :37:36.council house, used that to buy homes. Macmillan made the party or

:37:36. > :37:41.other property owning democracy. Margaret Thatcher gave people the

:37:41. > :37:51.right to buy. Let us in this generation inspire a new Tory

:37:51. > :38:00.

:38:00. > :38:05.And while I am on the subject of those great Conservative figures,

:38:05. > :38:11.let me say this. I am incredibly fortunate in leading this party

:38:11. > :38:16.that I have had the full throated support of a previous leaders.

:38:16. > :38:22.Michael Howard, Iain Duncan Smith, William Hague, Sir John Major, and

:38:22. > :38:27.of course, Lady Thatcher. And you know what, in this party we do not

:38:28. > :38:37.do our leaders. We are proud of what they have done for a party and

:38:38. > :38:56.

:38:56. > :39:00.what they have done to our country. A few months ago, we were all

:39:00. > :39:06.shocked by the scenes are now streets in London and in other

:39:06. > :39:10.parts of the country. But perhaps almost the most shocking thing is

:39:10. > :39:14.that people were not that surprised. There was no great call for a

:39:14. > :39:20.public inquiry to find out what had gone wrong to. Instead, what I

:39:21. > :39:26.think you could here, was the angry, consistent, overwhelming cry of the

:39:26. > :39:33.country shouting to its leaders. We know. We know why this happened. We

:39:33. > :39:41.know what has gone wrong. We know that if the system keeps pushing

:39:41. > :39:46.the plane, we will not -- if the system keeps fudging the difference

:39:46. > :39:49.between right and wrong. And if parents do not meet their

:39:49. > :39:55.responsibilities, their kids will get out of control. What people

:39:55. > :40:01.were saying to us is, yes, we know what has gone wrong, and we want

:40:01. > :40:06.you to put it right. One of the things that people want is speedy

:40:06. > :40:10.justice. After the riots, those responsible were put straight into

:40:10. > :40:13.court and tough sentences were quickly handed out. And I have made

:40:13. > :40:18.it clear to the police, the prosecution services, the Ministry

:40:18. > :40:28.of Justice, the Attorney-General, if we can do that then, let us do

:40:28. > :40:34.

:40:34. > :40:38.it all the time Kuwaiti in, year We all know the problems go deeper.

:40:38. > :40:43.And that is why my travelling mission in politics is to build

:40:43. > :40:46.that bigger, stronger society. It starts with families. I want to

:40:46. > :40:51.make this the most family-friendly government the country has ever

:40:51. > :40:56.seen. All childcare, health visitors, relationship support,

:40:56. > :41:00.help with parenting. For the 120,000 families that are most

:41:00. > :41:04.troubled and frankly caused the most trouble, a commitment to turn

:41:04. > :41:13.their lives around by the end of this Parliament. Today, I can

:41:13. > :41:20.announce this. Another new focus. There are 65,000 children in care.

:41:20. > :41:26.Do you know how many children there are in care under the age of one?

:41:26. > :41:31.3660. And do you know how many children under the age of one were

:41:31. > :41:36.adopted in our country last year? 60. This may not seem like the

:41:36. > :41:41.biggest issue facing our country. But it is the biggest issue for

:41:41. > :41:45.these children. How can we have let this happen? We have people flying

:41:45. > :41:50.all over the world to adopt babies while the care system at home

:41:50. > :41:54.agonises about placing black children with white families. With

:41:54. > :42:00.the right values, the right Efford, let us be the ones who end this

:42:00. > :42:10.scandal and help these, the most memorable children of all -- the

:42:10. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :42:22.For me, leadership on families also means speaking out on marriage.

:42:22. > :42:27.Marriage isn't just a piece of paper. It pulls couples together

:42:27. > :42:34.through the air and flow of life. Gives children stability. It's as

:42:34. > :42:38.palpable things about what we value. -- it says powerful things. We also

:42:38. > :42:42.doing something else. I stood before a Conservative conference

:42:42. > :42:47.once and I said it shouldn't matter whether it commitment was between a

:42:47. > :42:52.man and woman or a man and a man or a woman and a woman. And you

:42:52. > :42:58.applauded me. Five years on we are consulting on legalising gay

:42:58. > :43:04.marriage. And to anyone who has reservations, I said this. Yes, it

:43:04. > :43:08.is about equality. But it is also about something else. Commitment.

:43:08. > :43:12.Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us, that society is

:43:12. > :43:16.stronger when we make vows to each other and we support each other. So

:43:16. > :43:26.I don't support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I

:43:26. > :43:40.

:43:40. > :43:44.support gay marriage because I am a We will you community spirit and

:43:44. > :43:47.social action. We see every day and our communities. It is one other

:43:47. > :43:53.great things about Britain. Over the last five years of Labour

:43:53. > :43:57.Government, the number of people volunteering came down. Now, the

:43:57. > :44:04.proportion of people who say they feel they might belong strongly to

:44:04. > :44:08.their neighbourhood is the highest for a decade. If you are single --

:44:08. > :44:11.if you go to Wythenshawe a few miles from here, it used to be

:44:11. > :44:15.ravaged by drugs, crime and graffiti, but the local people got

:44:15. > :44:20.the kids of the streets, cleaned up the graffiti, kit out the drug

:44:20. > :44:23.dealers, and of course, Government cannot legislate for this, but we

:44:23. > :44:27.can support the leadership that makes it happen. That is why we're

:44:27. > :44:30.giving Labour IDS new powers to take over the running of

:44:30. > :44:34.playgrounds, pubs and parks, it is why we're making it easier for

:44:34. > :44:38.people to give time and money to good causes, others why you want

:44:38. > :44:43.elected mayors in our great cities and by their drawing up other no

:44:43. > :44:50.plans to open up public services and give more power to people. --

:44:50. > :44:54.radical plans. What are the biggest things holding people back from

:44:54. > :44:59.playing an active part in society - health and safety. I was told

:44:59. > :45:06.recently about a school that wanted to buy a set of highly depends.

:45:06. > :45:13.With these pens came -- of highlight pens. But these came with

:45:13. > :45:18.a warning, to make sure you include plenty of fresh air, and hand and

:45:18. > :45:22.eye protection. You try highlighting with all of that. This

:45:22. > :45:27.was not how a great nation was built. Britannia didn't rule the

:45:27. > :45:35.waves with her arm bans on, so the vetting and barring scheme, we're

:45:35. > :45:45.scaling it back. And at last, let's bring some common sense to

:45:45. > :45:49.

:45:49. > :45:53.Building strong the communities, that is why we introduced National

:45:53. > :45:57.Citizens' Service, and you sort yourself but the start of this

:45:57. > :46:04.afternoon's session. One of the people who took part, Owen Carter,

:46:04. > :46:08.wrote to me and said this - this has changed my perspective of life.

:46:08. > :46:13.You can do anything, if you work hard and have a supportive team

:46:13. > :46:18.around you. You can do anything. That is the spirit I am talking

:46:18. > :46:21.about. That is why we are tripling the scale of National Citizens'

:46:21. > :46:27.Service. That is how we will build the Big Society and that his

:46:27. > :46:32.leadership. Next year, were going to welcome the world, for the

:46:32. > :46:37.Olympics, and of course for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. These

:46:37. > :46:41.events say a lot about Britain - tradition and modernity, all in one.

:46:41. > :46:45.Today, we can choose to be a country that is back on its feet

:46:45. > :46:50.and striding forward, paying down debt and earning a living, getting

:46:50. > :46:54.people off welfare and into work, breaking new ground in education

:46:54. > :46:58.with excellence for Everyone, not a police view. We can be a country

:46:58. > :47:04.where people look back on the life, and say, I work hard, I raised a

:47:04. > :47:07.family, I am part of a community and it was worth my while. We are

:47:07. > :47:12.too far from Knapp today, but we can get there. It is not

:47:12. > :47:17.complicated, and it is not easy either, because nothing worthwhile

:47:17. > :47:22.is one easily. We have been told we were finished before. They told us

:47:22. > :47:28.when we lost an empire, we could not find a role, but we took on

:47:28. > :47:33.communism and help bring down the Berlin Wall. The cold as the sick

:47:33. > :47:37.man of Europe, but we could this country into a beacon of enterprise.

:47:37. > :47:41.We have never had the greatest amount of resources, but we had the

:47:41. > :47:46.spirit, it is not the size of the dog in a fight, it is the size of

:47:46. > :47:56.the fight in the dock. And yes, confounding the sceptics,

:47:56. > :47:57.

:47:57. > :48:02.reinventing ourselves. -- dog. That is what we do. It is called

:48:02. > :48:06.leadership. Let this time of challenge be turned into a time of

:48:06. > :48:09.opportunity. Not sitting around watching things happening and

:48:09. > :48:14.wondering why, but standing up and making things happen and asking,

:48:14. > :48:18.why not? We have the ideas, the people and now we have a Government

:48:18. > :48:23.that is backing those ideas and freeing this people. Let us show

:48:23. > :48:29.the world some fight. Let us pull together, work together, and

:48:29. > :48:39.letters, together, League Britain said better days ahead. -- let us

:48:39. > :48:45.

:48:45. > :48:55.together lead Britain to greater days ahead.

:48:55. > :48:56.

:48:56. > :49:01.The Prime Minister, David Cameron, receiving a standing ovation at the

:49:01. > :49:04.party conference in Manchester. He focused on leadership, saying that

:49:04. > :49:09.leadership work, he wanted to unleash the leadership in his party.

:49:09. > :49:13.He said he would sell the truth about the economy and made clear he

:49:13. > :49:19.was dealing with the debt, and that he was building the foundations of

:49:19. > :49:24.a better economy. He also said his driving mission in politics was to

:49:24. > :49:29.build the Big Society. The Prime Minister with his wife, Samantha,

:49:29. > :49:34.there. I am joined in the studio by Professor John Curtice, of

:49:34. > :49:37.Strathclyde University. Europe initial reaction to that speech?

:49:37. > :49:43.One slight surprise is that although the first half of it was

:49:43. > :49:48.about the economy, and the second half, he talked about social policy,

:49:48. > :49:53.education, emigration, health and his big personal favourite, the Big

:49:53. > :49:58.Society. David Cameron is still very interested in these topics,

:49:58. > :50:03.despite the predominance of the economy to do a Conservative

:50:03. > :50:07.government. What was less surprising was that it was rather a

:50:07. > :50:12.defensive speech. This was a Prime Minister having to say that times

:50:12. > :50:16.are tough, that yes, eventually, I can get them better, and this is

:50:16. > :50:24.what we will try to do. In particular, trying to that end his

:50:24. > :50:28.Government against the claim that it is unfair. With the public

:50:28. > :50:33.seeing the opinion polls that they might kill the cuts are not fairly

:50:33. > :50:37.distributed. And secondly he was defending himself against the

:50:37. > :50:44.argument that the Government does not have any idea how to get back

:50:44. > :50:50.economic growth. To that extent, it was a defence of speech, and it was

:50:50. > :50:54.not a speech to Rosehall. The occasional gibe against Labour, but

:50:54. > :51:01.for the most part, this was a speech that was listen to quite

:51:01. > :51:04.quietly. What is this better vision of Britain that he promises to lead

:51:04. > :51:08.us to? The Prime Minister's critics would say that this demonstrated

:51:08. > :51:13.how pragmatic a Prime Minister he is. People would say that we are

:51:13. > :51:16.not clear there is much of a clear threat to his speech in terms of a

:51:16. > :51:22.vision as a poster Prime Minister demonstrating a willingness to deal

:51:22. > :51:26.pragmatically with the range of issues that confront him.

:51:26. > :51:32.reporter has just rushed out from the conference hall in Westminster.

:51:32. > :51:39.There was a big focus on leadership in a speech. That has been the

:51:39. > :51:43.theme of this week. Leadership for a better future. David Cameron

:51:43. > :51:48.wanted to get across that we are in straitened economic times. It is

:51:48. > :51:52.going to be a struggle, he said. He said no one wants false optimism.

:51:52. > :51:57.He said, I am not going to soft- soap you and tell you that things

:51:57. > :52:03.will be all right, it is going to be harder and longer than that. But

:52:03. > :52:06.he was resolute. He said the Government we stick his guns. He

:52:06. > :52:12.explained why the debt had to be brought down, why you could not

:52:13. > :52:16.just borrow more to stimulate the economy. He said, we are in this

:52:16. > :52:19.for the long haul, there will be tough times, but he was trying to

:52:19. > :52:24.betray himself as a leader who is strong enough and resolute enough

:52:24. > :52:30.to do this and to take that in forward. That was an interesting

:52:30. > :52:35.message that followed on from that leadership - reject pessimism, and

:52:35. > :52:40.bring on can-do optimism. Before the speech, he had to try to blend

:52:40. > :52:44.optimism into the speech. One of his crucial tasks was to say that

:52:44. > :52:48.things are more difficult anticipated, and yes, by the way,

:52:48. > :52:53.you might not be able to see the progress, that difference to

:52:53. > :52:59.building the foundations. He was trying to say, trust us, and

:52:59. > :53:02.eventually things will get better. He did have one good news story

:53:02. > :53:08.from the last of months that he could use, and he tried to use that

:53:08. > :53:14.in order to demonstrate that things can get better and that was the

:53:14. > :53:17.intervention in Libya. He tried to use that to say, people who said we

:53:17. > :53:21.no longer had that defence capability, we demonstrated that we

:53:21. > :53:27.do. That was the one thing he could use in his speech to say that we

:53:27. > :53:32.have, as a Government, demonstrated that we can deliver. And that was

:53:32. > :53:36.quite important to him, to be able to say that in his speech. A couple

:53:36. > :53:40.of jibes in his speech about Ed Miliband's speech at the Labour

:53:40. > :53:47.conference last week. You cannot divide industry into Saints and

:53:47. > :53:52.sinners. That was the commit about predators. And he made a reference

:53:52. > :53:55.to the booing of Tony Blair. It was the but that got the biggest

:53:55. > :54:01.applause, the biggest year, when he listed the previous Conservative

:54:01. > :54:05.leaders, ending of course with Lady Thatcher. He is no doubt that the

:54:05. > :54:08.Conservative Party still feels comfortable with the legacy of its

:54:08. > :54:12.past, in a way that the Labour Party isn't, and for a variety of

:54:12. > :54:17.reasons, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, once might have been

:54:17. > :54:21.regarded as the great Segers of Labour, are not seen that way now.

:54:21. > :54:26.That is an indication of the difference between the two parties

:54:27. > :54:33.and where they are at. And that Ed Miliband criticism of predators and

:54:33. > :54:37.those who are good, that has been a very easily misinterpreted. We can

:54:37. > :54:44.go back to David Porter who has got some representatives of the party

:54:44. > :54:53.with him. The representatives are streaming out. I managed to grab

:54:53. > :54:57.hold of two. What did you think of what you heard? I was struggling to

:54:57. > :55:01.support this is bees to do. I am aware of the problems he has caught

:55:01. > :55:05.the problems that are so severe, but there was mind some good things.

:55:05. > :55:11.You think he should have been tougher and said that it is going

:55:11. > :55:16.to be worse than we have Leger to believe? We need to get at the

:55:16. > :55:21.truth, and we know that it is bad. You come from a London perspective,

:55:21. > :55:24.so was a tough enough or should he have been saying that I am going to

:55:24. > :55:29.be very firm with you, it is going to be laudable for the next couple

:55:29. > :55:33.of years. That was an inspiring, uplifting speech that was ill-

:55:33. > :55:39.received by the vast majority of the audience. His message was right

:55:39. > :55:42.on, particularly in the beginning. We have a very clear message and

:55:42. > :55:45.David Cameron said what that message is, but the young people

:55:45. > :55:50.are the future of the United Kingdom, and only the Conservatives

:55:50. > :55:55.can get us out of the mess that Labour put us in, to help the young

:55:55. > :56:00.people of Britain. It is all very well saying that you want a can-do

:56:00. > :56:04.attitude. How do you go about bringing it back? The Prime

:56:04. > :56:08.Minister David Cameron gave some very clear indication of what the

:56:08. > :56:11.Conservative Government is doing. He is giving young people the

:56:11. > :56:15.inspirational advance of joining the National Citizens' Service.

:56:15. > :56:19.What more can the Prime Minister do to inspire young people? There was

:56:19. > :56:22.a team of young people in their from all different backgrounds,

:56:22. > :56:27.social and economic. That is what Britain is about, about young

:56:27. > :56:32.people, about their future, we're a small but the country and that was

:56:33. > :56:37.the message that the the Cameron Gate. Will this help you sell the

:56:37. > :56:42.Tory cause in Scotland? We shall see. As you know we are in the

:56:42. > :56:47.middle of a leadership election. And one candidate wants to go it

:56:47. > :56:51.alone. Not because we hate the English, my father was a cockney,

:56:51. > :56:56.but because we cannot get the message through in Scotland to the

:56:56. > :57:04.Scottish people. At council level they want to vote for us, but not

:57:04. > :57:10.at the next level up. We will let you join the throng of people

:57:10. > :57:14.leaving the hall. Back to you, Andrew. John Curtice is still with

:57:14. > :57:17.me in the studio. This brings to an end the UK party conference season.

:57:17. > :57:22.Do you think the Conservatives will go back to their constituencies in

:57:22. > :57:27.fine fettle after this? evidence is that neither the Lib

:57:27. > :57:31.Dems or the Labour Party changed the opinion polls. I suspect this

:57:31. > :57:35.Conservative conference will not, either. That has been remarkable

:57:35. > :57:40.since last Christmas, the opinion polls have not changed, Labour

:57:40. > :57:44.narrowly ahead of the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats in deep

:57:44. > :57:49.trouble. It does not look to me as though anything has happened this

:57:49. > :57:52.week that will change that. For the time being at least, we have the

:57:52. > :57:57.situation where one half of the coalition is an electoral trouble,

:57:57. > :58:04.but the Conservatives is in relatively fine fettle so it of the

:58:04. > :58:08.border. There was no mention of Scottish independence or the union.

:58:08. > :58:14.Maybe some Scottish Conservatives will be disappointed by that. Some

:58:14. > :58:20.people might say, that will just go to show that at the end of the day,

:58:20. > :58:24.Scotland is not part of the British Government and some Unionists in

:58:24. > :58:31.Scotland might feel that the Prime Minster has made something of a

:58:31. > :58:38.mistake with that. That's all from the team here for now. Goodbye.

:58:38. > :58:43.Almost will have the SNP autumn conference to come. -- although we