Archive for the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Category

The Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the Spring Forum at Welsh Conference. 

In his speech he said:

 It’s great to be back in Cardiff.  This time last year I said the dragon of Welsh Conservatism would roar once more......and look what happened last May.  From Aberconwy in the North, to the Vale of Glamorgan in the South from the mountains to the valleys, the message rang out the Conservatives are back – back in Wales, back in government, back serving the country we love once more.

And this wasn’t just the pendulum swinging our way again. It was because of the out-and-out hard work of the team here in Wales.  The team at the top – Cheryl, Nick: thank you for everything that you’ve done.  And to the team on the ground you fought that election last May with guts, with passion and with perseverance and we will need every ounce of that fighting spirit for the Assembly elections this May.

Let us get out there and show Labour that they cannot take Wales for granted.  And together we must tell people about the policies that you campaigned for and we are delivering.

We said that work should always pay and today, thanks to Iain Duncan Smith and his brave reforms of welfare, that is what is happening – we are ending that benefits culture once and for all.  We said we’d had enough of politicians handing British powers over to Brussels as though they were theirs to give rather than ours to keep and now thanks to William Hague and the referendum lock he’s bringing in, that can never ever happen again.

 We said – you know what? – here is a novel idea: isn’t it time our children learned about the great history of our country in school? And I can tell you that thanks to Michael Gove, our island story is going to be told once more.  We said we’d freeze council tax – we’ve frozen it.  We said we’d cap immigration – we’ve capped it.  We said we would honour those fighting out in Afghanistan to keep us safe at home.  And the operational allowance for our brave servicemen and women – we have doubled it.  

So my friends we’ve begun to fix all those things that need fixing in our country and we can’t expect the media to tell people about it – we’ve got to get out there and do it ourselves.  I get a lot of letters these days, and a lot of emails, and I have to say they’re something of a mixed bag.  But I did get this email just a couple of weeks ago from a man from Leicestershire called Ray.  This is what Ray said: 

“Dear Sir, as a long-time Labour supporter, I find myself horrified at this government.  When you were elected, I was determined to despise every move you made and rub my hands in glee each time I heard of the latest new horror you were about to inflict on this country. I’ve been gearing myself up for months to have a good old rant about you. Then you have to go and spoil it. The policies you are making, the changes you are making, appear to be good for this country. Please do something horrible before my world is shattered.”

I’m sorry Ray – I’m going to keep on disappointing you.  So people tell me lots of things. There’s never a shortage of advice in this job.  But I tell you – I’ve never heard anyone say this: “What I really want – what would really restore my faith in politics – is the Alternative Vote system.”  We’re amongst friends, so let’s be clear what the campaigners for AV want us to do.  They want us to ditch a voting system that has served our democracy for centuries that is used by almost half the electors on the planet and that, yes – is simple, it’s clear, it’s decisive, which time and again has given people the power to kick out tired governments.  And for what? 

Do you realise that under the system they propose, candidates who come third can actually end up winning?  Just think about that.  Just imagine it’s the Olympics, London 2012.   We’re all watching the 100 metres.  Usain Bolt powers first over the line.  But then he gets to the podium, it’s the guy who comes third who gets the gold.  We wouldn’t put up this in the Olympics what on earth are we doing thinking about it for our politics.  Let me ask everyone in this room a couple of questions:   

Do you want a system so undemocratic that your vote for a mainstream party counts once, while someone who supports a fringe party like the BNP gets their votes counted several times?

Do you want that?

 Do you want a system so obscure it’s only used by three countries in the whole world – Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea? Do you want that?  So - no to AV.  Let us take our argument to the British people, let’s give it everything we’ve got and let’s win that referendum in May. 

When we came into office ten months ago, we inherited a dreadful mess.  A broken economy. A broken society. A broken politics.  The worst of this inheritance was the state of the public finances.  I will never forget sitting down, going through the books and seeing some of the spending decisions that were made by the last government.  They had left a £38 billion black hole in the defence budget.   One pound out of every four we spent was borrowed.  We were spending - this country was spending £120 million a day – that is each and every day – just on paying the interest on our debt.  And yet even with these bills piling up, Labour were still signing blank cheques and giving the green light to multi-million pound projects we couldn’t afford.  And we’re still uncovering them today.   

Because of those PFI contracts, in one hospital it cost £333 to change a light-bulb. What on earth did they think they were doing?    I say, let’s make this a light-bulb moment for the country: never, ever trust Labour with your money ever ever again. 

They were setting up our country for the complete car crash of falling market confidence, higher interest rates, higher taxes, more bankruptcies and more job losses.  But in the end, this isn’t just about the economics. It’s also about the morality of it all.  They were happy just to pass these debts on to our children because they didn’t have the guts to do something about it.   

Now, we have set out a credible plan to balance the books. We are making the necessary cuts in public spending.  Yes, the road ahead will be hard; this year in particular.  But the plan is right.  Our credit rating has been confirmed. Market interest rates are lower. We’re on course to balance the books by the end of this Parliament.  What we’re doing might not be popular – but it is the only way.  The other way is the cowardly way, the irresponsible way and that has never, ever been the Conservative way.  

But I want to be clear about something today: our plans for government go so much further than just sorting out the deficit and balancing the books.  Remember who we fought the election for.  I know who I fought it for.  The stream of mothers who told me they were desperate to find a good school for their children.  The people who told me they were sick of going out to work knowing their neighbours were on benefits – but had no intention of getting a job.  It was for the businessman who wrote to me in tears because he was going to lose everything he worked for – all of it crushed under the weight of regulation. 

That’s who we fought the election for.

Now remember what we fought the election for: our values – the Conservative values that we knew could improve people’s lives and make our country better. We believe in responsibility – doing the right thing even if it’s the difficult thing, and understanding our obligations to others. That is why I am so passionate about building a bigger, stronger society.  The idea at the heart of this is something everyone in this room instinctively understands.  That if we want a better country and a stronger society, we must all play our part.  That’s why we’re opening up public services, devolving more power, encouraging a new wave of volunteering, asking people to take more responsibility because responsibility is what the Big Society is all about. 

We believe in real fairness.  Not the phoney fairness we’ve seen in this country for too long, where people who do the wrong thing get rewarded and people who do the right thing, who work hard, pay their taxes, who stay out of trouble get punished.  We mean real fairness – yes, help for those who cannot help themselves but also that sense that reward should be linked to behaviour.  It’s fair that when someone goes to work, they give something of what they earn to support the person who can’t work.  But here’s the deal: the person who can’t work, needs to prove it – and if it turns out they can work but they refuse to: they cannot live a life on benefits.

We also believe in real compassion.With the spending cuts we’ve got to make, we have made the conscious choice to look after the most vulnerable people in our country.  We’ve protected the NHS – and by the way, the Conservatives are the only party in Wales promising to do the same here. We’ve protected schools – with extra funding for children from poorer backgrounds.  We’ve protected the families with the least – with an extra £180 in tax credits in this year alone. And we’ve protected our elderly too – by finally doing what every government promised but never ever delivered and that is restoring the link between earnings and pensions. 

This sort of compassion is in our nature. 

Go to almost any community hall, any neighbourhood association or any charity sale up and down the country and you’ll find members of this party. And just as we show compassion at home, so we show it abroad too. While Labour were doing those dodgy deals with dictators in the desert remember, we – the people of this party – were out volunteering in Rwanda, building schools and teaching English, showing what real compassion means in practice.  I know that for some protecting the aid budget is a controversial decision.  But just think about what it means. It means that in four years’ time, we won’t just have paid down our deficit.  This country will also have vaccinated more of the world’s poorest children than there are people in the whole of England. We’ll have provided access to safe drinking water to more of the world’s poor than there are people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined. Because of what we’re doing, mothers who otherwise would have died agonising deaths in childbirth will actually see their babies go on to be children and grownups. With your hard-earned money, we are saving lives – and everyone in this country should be deeply proud of that.Let’s show that same solidarity in our support for those out on the streets of North Africa and the Middle East today. 

When Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, this party stood by those who wanted to reject Communism and embrace freedom.  And today, this party stands for and stands by those reaching for freedom in the Arab world. On Libya, our strategy is clear.  We will continue to intensify pressure on that regime.  We will continue to state clearly that international justice has a long reach and a long memory, and those who commit crimes against humanity will not go unpunished. We will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by this crisis, and continue to demand access for aid agencies to reach those in need. And we will continue to plan, with our allies, for every eventuality.  

But let me repeat one thing, it is time for Colonel Gaddafi to go.

Now in just over two weeks’ time, George Osborne will present his Budget for Growth.  That’s why today I want to focus on another value that runs deep, really deep in this party.  It’s about the hunger to get on in life.  The spark of initiative.  The courage to make your dream happen.  The hard work to see it through.  I’m talking about enterprise.

 Enterprise is vital for our economy – we all know that. In this country we have got to to undertake a fundamental rebalancing of our economy.  Less debt, more saving. Less borrowing, more investment. Less dependence on financial services, more new industries, exports and trade.  But for we Conservatives, enterprise is about more than money, more than the economics of growth and GDP.  We understand that enterprise is not just about markets it’s also about morals.  We understand that enterprise is not just an economic good, it’s a social good too.  We understand this because we understand what it’s like in a way that our opponents simply don’t.

 Look – I know - all political parties have their fair share of lawyers, lecturers and advisers. I should know and a lot of them work very hard.  But I think one of the great things about our party – the Conservative Party – is that at our roots we are the party of builders and businesswomen; electricians and engineers; roofers and retailers.  At its beating heart this is still a party of start-ups, go-getters, risk-takers.  What drives us is getting things done – and what drives us mad is the bureaucracy, the forms, the nonsense that get in our way.  We’re the party of practical men and women, people with a passion and a mission to build a business and see it grow not just for the money, not for the glory but for the simple reward and deep satisfaction of seeing your efforts pay off.  We are the party of enterprise. And let me tell you – right now, right here today in Britain 2011, we have got the most almighty job to do.  Because for over a decade in this country the enemies of enterprise have had their way.  Taxing.  Regulating.  Smothering. Crushing.  Getting in the way.

 There is no shortage of enterprise in this country.  You see it in the 30,000-plus new firms that were started in January this year alone. I see it in the ideas and the energy of all the entrepreneurs I meet- I get to meet some extraordinary people in this job. British people selling curries to India and fashion to France.  The enterprise culture is alive and well in this country now we just need an enterprise government to go with it. So I can announce today that we are taking on the enemies of enterprise.  

The bureaucrats in government departments who concoct those ridiculous rules and regulations that make life impossible, particularly for small firms.  The town hall officials who take forever with those planning decisions that can be make or break for a business - and the investment and jobs that go with it. The public sector procurement managers who think that the answer to everything is a big contract with a big business and who shut out millions of Britain’s small and medium sized companies from a massive potential market. So you want to know my strategy for growth?

When people say ‘spend lots more money’ I say forget it – Labour spent it all.  There’s only one strategy for growth we can have now and that is rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to make it easier for people to start a business to grow a businesses. Back small firms.  Boost enterprise.  Be on the side of everyone in this country who wants to create jobs, and wealth and opportunity. I know there’s an enterprise culture in this country.  I know that we’ve got the people, the ideas, the talent, the energy to make things great.  And I’m going to make sure this government does everything it takes. 

So I can tell you today, the Budget in a few weeks time will tear down the barriers of enterprise and be the most pro-growth Budget this government, this country has seen for a generation.  

For a lot of people there’s one simple barrier – they just don’t have the money.  They’ve got a great idea but they’re out of work so they can’t bring it to life.  That is where our New Enterprise Allowance comes in.  If you’re unemployed and have a sound business plan we’ll give you a package of support worth up to £2000 to get you started.  In the very first month of this scheme up in St Helens in Merseyside over two hundred people came forward.  This is really going to take off – why? Because we know it worked when it happened before.  Go to major department stores in this country and you’ll find Superdry clothes –a British brand that’s gone global and is worth tens of millions of pounds.  And you know how it started? From a market stall in the eighties, by a guy who’d been unemployed for nine weeks, but who got one of Margaret Thatcher’s Enterprise Allowances and the hand up that he needed.

But sometimes it’s not the money to start up that holds enterprise back but the money to keep going – the cash flow.  So many businesses are finding it hard to get credit from banks today.  We’ll we’ve got another £10 billion for small businesses from the banks and my guarantee to you is this: I’m going to watch those banks like a hawk and make sure they deliver for Britain’s small business men and women.  What else is it that’s holding enterprise back? 

I think even baby Florence could tell me this one. She tells me quite a lot of things in her own way. Tax and regulation. So yes, we’re cutting corporation tax from twenty-eight percent to twenty-four percent but there is so much more to do.  Someone joked to me the other day that the biggest growth industry in Britain this past decade has been the people writing the rules. But the problem is, it isn’t a joke.  Every regulator, every official, every bureaucrat in government has got to understand that we cannot afford to keep loading costs onto business because frankly they cannot take any more.  And if I have to pull these people into my office to argue this out myself and get them off the backs of business then believe me, I will do it.   

But you know what, some people think that this is all government needs to do – cut tax and regulation and just get out the way.  I don’t disagree.  An enterprise government is an active government using its power and clout to open up new opportunities for business. Government is one of the biggest customers in the country.  We’ve got billions of pounds of contracts to be won but for too long they’ve gone to the same old big players.  So we’re throwing open the bidding process to every single business in our country – a massive boost for small businesses, because we want them to win at least a quarter of these deals.

 But it’s not just small business we need to get behind.  We’re smashing down the barriers for our big-ticket industries too. Britain’s got a real edge in medical research.  In this country today we’re developing the drugs and treatments that are going to banish some of the world’s diseases and save countless lives. But we cannot be complacent about the advantage we have. That’s why we’re bringing in a new ten per cent tax rate on patent income – to encourage companies not just to innovate here but to invest here, to expand here, to employ here and I’ve personally been on the phone to the heads of some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies to get them to do just that.  And here’s another thing I’ve personally been doing.  And that is selling Britain to the world.

 I know some people are disdainful about that.  They see me loading up a plane with businesspeople and say – that’s not statesmanship, that’s salesmanship.  I say this: attack all you want but do you think the Germans and the French and the Americans are all sitting at home waiting for business to fall into their lap?  Of course not – they’re out there selling their goods – and so should we in this country as well and we shouldn’t listen either to those who say we’ve not got much to sell.

 I’ve been to one of the most impressive, massive, hi-tech, large-scale manufacturing plants on the planet and it’s right here in Wales, at Broughton.  There I saw hundred foot wings for the A380 airbus being made by some of the finest engineers wings that are going to take flight in years to come. Yes, of course we need to make more things in this country, but we already have many of the goods and services the world wants to buy.  So let me tell you: while there are contracts to be won, jobs to be created, markets to be defended – I will be there.  If it’s making sure Rolls Royce engines are in the world’s planes, I’ll be there.  If it’s making sure skyscrapers in the Gulf are designed by British architects, I’ll be there.  I’ll be there not just because it’s my job, not just because it’s my duty, - because I but because I passionately believe – no, I know that this country can out-compete, out-perform, out-hustle the best in the world and I’m going to make sure I use every last drop of my energy to make sure that happens for our country. 

 So, let this be our vision: A country not just back in the black but back in business. A big society. A prouder people.  And we know the values that are going to get us there. Responsibility. Real fairness. Compassion. And yes – enterprise. I believe in this country’s future. I’m so confident about what lies ahead. And that confidence doesn’t come from here – it doesn’t come from me it comes from out there – from you.  I’ve met ingenious inventors in our labs and razor-sharp kids in our schools ambitious workers in our offices and factories unbelievably dedicated professionals in our hospitals and our police stations and in all these people collectively – in their initiative, their ideas and ambition – there is the promise of a better future.

 At its best and at its most effective the Conservative Party has always been the one that understands the power and the promise lies not in government but lies with the people. A great man said “set the people free” – and that’s what Winston Churchill did when he had his bonfire of state controls.  A lady said “there was almost nothing that the British people could not do” – and that’s what Margaret Thatcher proved, unleashing a wave of enterprise and initiative across our country. Today let the same confidence ring out from this hall and this party we believe in the British people and our power together to build a better future. 

Together we’ll create the businesses we’ll create the jobs, we’ll create the opportunities, we’ll light the spark of enterprise, we’ll fire our economy, we’ll drive our country forward.  And together we will do it.

A long day!  Meeting of the 1922 this evening and a warm response to the position taken by the shadow cabinet.  Will it be enough or will the Liberals back Labour?  If they do then we as a country will be in serious trouble.  What we need is a stable administration able to govern for four or five years.  A Lib/Lab/SNP/PC/SDLP/DUP agreement = problems.

We as a party have worked in the interest of the country – will the Liberals do the same?

Guto

The following is a speech delivered by Sir John Major in Stoke on Trent to a fundraising dinner for Conservative Target seats in that part of the world.  It is a demolition of the Labour spin machine and an excellent analysis of the reckless lack of judgement shown by Gordon Blair (well they were always a two man team were they not?) since 1997.

I challenge anyone who wants a better future for our country to read this speech and not feel an immediate need to get out there and knock on doors to ensure that this failed Labour administration is soundly beaten on the 6th of May or even the 3rd of June if Gordon Brown bottles the election once more.

Guto

Invited to come – delighted to accept. 

Within weeks there will be a General Election.  Bias in the system means we need a big lead in votes to get a lead in seats.  Nothing can be taken for granted:  it will be hard pounding to get a clear majority.   

When we lost – in 1997 – we had been in Government for 18 years:  it was too long, and many electors thought a fifth successive win would be bad for democracy. 

But it is ironic that in May 1997 the electorate turfed out the only Government in the last 50 years to leave Office with every single economic indicator improving, and elected a Party that has ended up bankrupting the Nation. 

I don’t believe most people yet realise how seriously we are in debt.  The man who promised to end “Boom and Bust” has led us into the biggest Bust for 70 years.  Under Gordon Brown, debt is a runaway train.  During the three hours we are here for dinner this evening, the Government will have borrowed another £60 million and it is we – the taxpayers – who will have to pay it back.  We will – literally – be repaying Labour’s debts for the rest of our lives.    

The shocking reality is that – if we win the next election – David Cameron will face a far worse problem in 2010 than Margaret Thatcher faced in 1979.  Let me be blunt:  whatever the result of the election, nearly everybody in the country is going to see the quality of their life reduced.

Nor – as he does – can Gordon Brown blame anyone but himself.  For him to do so – with no acknowledgement of his failure – beggers belief.

This is, of course, very New Labour.  Self-preservation first.  And the truth nowhere in sight.

Of course there has been an international dimension.  But most of our problems are home grown.  Even without the financial crisis:

-        We would still be in recession. 

-        Debt would still be at record levels. 

-        Unemployment would still be blighting too many lives.

-        Our banking system would still have been poorly regulated.

-        Our pension system would still have been wrecked. 

-        Our education system would still need reform. 

-        Our health system would still be unable to cope. 

-        Our civil liberties would still have been compromised.

-        And our prison system would still be overflowing with prisoners who need not be there, whilst others who should be there are given early release.    

All that is pure New Labour Britain:  this is their legacy.  Not the Americans.  Not the speculators.  Not even the Bankers.  None of it can be blamed on anyone else.  Only on Labour:  they have damaged the lifestyle of millions for years to come.

For nearly everyone, their security in life is:  job;  home;  pension.  After twelve years of Labour, none of them is secure.  Jobs lost.  Homes fallen in value.  And Gordon Brown killed final salary-related pensions with a tax, and damaged personal pensions with economic mis-management.  He is responsible for a generation of poor pensioners.  Labour cannot be trusted to put this right:  no-one trusts the mugger to set the broken bones.

At the moment, there is a dangerous gap between politicians and public.  There is a lack of trust:  only the unvarnished truth at all times will correct this.  And politicians seem to talk a different language to the public.  We need to put that right.  Because we are a serious political Party we talk a great deal about the economy, or reducing debt, or becoming competitive – all of which are important – but we should recognise also that to millions of people that is simply abstract economics. 

It is why politics often seems so remote.  We should focus more on the hopes and fears people have in their daily lives.  Most of these are family orientated:

• Can I get back into work?
• Can I get the right school for my child?
• How quickly can / will I get treatment for an illness?
• Can I pay the mortgage – or get on the housing ladder?
• How can I get help with care for an elderly or sick relative; or care for a child that is damaged and has special needs?
• Can I get away from this sink estate?

These are the worries that keep people awake at night, and dominate their lives.  We need to think on this personal level.

I recommend a note on the desk of every MP.  It should read:  how does what I am about to do affect the people of this country?  That should be their first thought:  not “Is this popular?”  Or “Will it win votes?”.

We must end the culture of promises that can’t be kept.  The British people aren’t stupid.  They know we can’t go on living in a financial never-never land.  So – tell them the truth.  Tell them what Labour has done.  And what we must now do. 

Two years from now –when the legacy of New Labour will be at its worst ­– people must understand that the blame rests with the policies of Blair and Brown – not the remedies of Cameron and Osborne.    

As ever, Labour will try and shift the blame.  We mustn’t let them get away with that.  The blame must rest squarely where it belongs.  So, let us tell the truth about them with the same vehemence with which they lie about us.

After great crises often come great changes.  Gordon Brown is right about one thing – the world has changed.  Necessity compels us to cut our cloth according to our means.  With wise policy, we can turn this crisis into worthwhile policy. 

What can be done?

We could simply top-slice budgets, with everyone bearing an equal share of the pain.  That is easy to do – but a mistake.

Or we could prioritise. 

We could re-shape Government, reduce it in size, be selective about what Government does, cut out whole functions, abolish unnecessary bodies, cut quangos, end the billions wasted on consultancies, on rebranding, and on fake schemes that serve only as political window-dressing. 

We must wean the nation off the belief that good Government means high public spending on everything.  We must spend on priorities, but compassionate policies do not necessarily mean big Government.  Smaller Government is necessary for financial reasons:  but it is also desirable.  We are over-governed.  Tories should not be defensive about dismantling the intrusive power of the State. 

We should never accept that big is better.  Big Government inhibits and confines;  it weakens ambition;  it cuts back on opportunity;  it undermines enterprise.  Often, it is anti-libertarian.  For many people – unfamiliar with Government and perhaps unsophisticated about it – it induces wariness, even fear, of The Man in Whitehall.  Yet – in a free society – The Man in Whitehall – civil servant and politician – is the servant of the nation, not its master.  So it must be again. 

And we must lift our eyes beyond domestic concerns, to see clearly our role in the wider world.  Wealth is moving to the East:  unless we re-create a competitive economy, that will continue.  The choice is simple:  we either reform, or we become less relevant, less well-off and a political and economic backwater.

David Cameron has referred often to the “broken society”, and we all know what he means by that.  We have to sustain the family unit.  Cut crime.  End the culture of dependency.  Improve social mobility.  Last year, fewer homes were built than at any time since the 1940s.  That is truly shocking:  it leaves people trapped – and often without work – in poor communities. 

We need to move from a celebrity-drenched culture to an opportunity society.  And, for everyone’s sake, we need to give talent and genius free rein and promote excellence in education by levelling up, not levelling down.  And we should dismantle the Nanny society in which adults are treated like children and children are treated like adults.

We need to move away from a Government obsessed by presentation and short-term popularity, to one obsessed by serious policies and long-term results.  It’s time to say goodbye to this sound-bite society.  We should say to the electorate – these are our objectives and this is how we will achieve them.  The Agenda is huge and, in our complex world, none of it will be easy to deliver.  But we Conservatives have done it before, and now need to do it again. 

At the next election, New Labour will have yet another Big Lie.  They always do.  It’s in their electioneering DNA. 

In 1997, they told electors we would abolish the State Pension.  They knew this was a lie. 

In 2001, they claimed to have “saved the British economy”.  Another lie:  we Tories created the most competitive economy in Europe.  Labour wrecked it. 

In 2005, they said we would slash public services.  Yet another lie.  And now – as we know from leaked documents – they are themselves planning cuts of nearly 10%.

When I hear such barefaced deceit by Labour, I sometimes wonder if they have any self-recognition at all?  Have they lost all touch with reality?  Or is the truth a constant stranger to their political soul? 

In 2010, when the failures of their own record in Government have been so woefully exposed, we can be sure they will resort to attacking our personalities and policies – indeed they are already doing so.  Because they cannot defend what they have done, they will attack what they say we will do.  It’s an old tactic. 

So be ready for - at least – three Big Lies.

First, the old chestnut that “ruthless, heartless Tories don’t care”:  they say we will cut schools and hospitals first.  Why on earth would we do that?  Our children go to those schools.  We use these hospitals.  It is we – not Labour – who will cut the size of the State – precisely to protect the most vital services. 

As for Tories not caring – look at Charities and Community Services up and down the UK:  who are they supported by in every town and village?  Conservative volunteers.

Second, that “all Tories are toffs – they don’t know anything about ordinary people”.  What inverted snobbery – and what a grotesque travesty of the truth.  How many of you here this evening live a carefree and leisurely life?  How many of you have not – at one time or another – faced problems with bills, mortgages and family crises?  Of course you have – we all have.  As a boy, I look back with such affection on my own privileged upbringing – full of all the luxuries life offered in a multi-occupied, multi-racial house in Brixton.  This class-based politics, setting citizen against citizen, is just beneath contempt. 

Third, Judgement.  Gordon Brown has already set this kite flying, in his Party Conference speech.

Let me quote:

“I say the test for a Government is the quality of its judgement”.

Quite so Gordon.  So let’s take a look at the quality of some of Labour’s judgements over the last 12 years:

-         Was it good judgement – or even legal – to go to war in Iraq?

-         Was it good judgement to move into Afghanistan with no clear military objective?

-         Was it good judgement to under-equip our troops – both in Iraq and Afghanistan?

-         Was it good judgement to go on such a reckless public spending spree that we have become one of the most indebted nations in the world?

-         Was it good judgement to sell our Gold reserves at the very bottom of the market?

-         Was it good judgement to force through 24 hour drinking, which has led to an increase in drunkenness and inner city crime?

-         Was it good judgement to pile so much paperwork on the police that they spend more time form-filling and less time protecting our neighbourhoods?

If judgement is the test – Labour have failed spectacularly.

Over twelve years, New Labour have debased Parliament;  undermined an independent Civil Service;  taken us to war on a false premise;  embellished that error by linking Iraq to the 9/11 attack on New York for which there is not a shred of evidence;  affronted civil liberties in an over-reaction to the terrorist threat;  and made a mockery of the criminal justice system.

So I’m glad that Gordon Brown wishes to make judgement an issue at the next election.  Indeed, further on in his Party Conference speech, he entreats us all to do the same:

Again, I quote:

“A Party that makes the wrong choices on the most critical decisions …. should not be given the chance to be in Government”. 

Alas – for our country – New Labour have been given three chances too many.   They came in when the coffers were full, and – true to form – like every Labour Government we’ve ever known – they will leave the coffers empty.

The poet Philip Larkin once wrote:  "Most things are not meant."  Labour did not mean to damage our national wellbeing, but they have.  They did not mean to damage our personal liberty, but they have.  They did not mean to undermine Parliament:  but they have.  Larkin was right:  "Most things are not meant", but his poem is even more prescient than you may think.  It is entitled:  "Going, Going".  Let us hope it is not long before this Labour Government is finally gone gone – and for good good.

The following is a copy of a letter sent to a local resident who wanted to know whether I would support a referendum on leaving the European Union.  I have removed his name and one paragraph to ensure that there is no way in which the individual can be recognised.  What do you feel about this issue?

Dear Mr ________,

Thank you for your e-mail.  From your message I would hazard a guess that you are an individual who would appreciate an honest response to a simple question.  As such I have to state that I would not advocate a referendum on our continued membership of the European Union.  I state this despite having a strong record on the European issue dating back to the mid 1990’s.

I was, for several years, a Council Member of Business for Sterling.  I sincerely believe that this business based campaign kept the UK out of the Euro and thus the worst aspects of monetary union.  In Business for Sterling we never advocated withdrawal since far too many businesses depend on being able to trade freely without any barriers with the two dozen and more countries which comprise the EU.  We should not, as a trading nation, create barriers or problems for our business community in their dealings with our main export market.  Business for Sterling did more to create a two speed Europe than any political party but it would not have happened if we had advocated withdrawal.

Following the winding-up of Business for Sterling I became a member of the think tank Open Europe.  We advocated a vote on the EU constitution by every means available to us.  Open Europe supported the Irish ‘no’ campaign in both referendums held in that country – with differing results as you know.  We held ten UK constituency postal ballots in order to show that there was a demand for a vote on the Treaty.  My efforts ensured that the Welsh constituency chosen was Aberconwy where we won a 90% ‘no’ vote on a 37% turnout.  The Labour Government did not listen.

As a Conservative candidate I would have supported fully a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.  However, it is now ratified and advocating a Lisbon Treaty referendum would now be no more than a quixotic exercise in futility.

I believe strongly in the need to re-define our relationship with the EU.  I would be delighted to see the current two speed EU develop into a three or four speed Europe with some countries moving to an ‘even closer union’ but without the current insistence on taking everybody else with them on the journey.  I believe that a strong Conservative mandate would give William Hague and David Cameron the platform to negotiate a new relationship with Europe with some powers currently vested in Brussels being returned to the UK. 

I have a confidence in the UK being able to negotiate as effectively as the Irish and the Czechs did over Lisbon.  The Irish, a state of 4 million, saw their ‘no’ vote win them concessions on neutrality and the status of the Irish commissioner whilst the Czechs, a nation of 10m, had the audacity to insist on being excluded from regulations relating to property rights which would have seen Sudetenland Germans lay claim to property rights lost after the second World War.  As one of the main economies of the EU and a key treading partner of all the largest states I simply do not accept the UKIP view that we do not have the ability to change things for our own benefit.  Mrs Thatcher did so over our rebate (now surrendered by Labour) and John Major kept us out of the Social Chapter (again surrendered by Labour).  It can be done!  

In Aberconwy your choice is clear.  You can vote for me and have an assurance that I will support every move to bring a more flexible two speed EU into existence through diplomacy and, dare I say it, deals in the corridors of Brussels.  By voting for me, however, you will not elect an MP who will advocate an in/out referendum because I do not believe it to be the right thing to do. 

In terms of a in/out vote your choice will therefore be UKIP or the BNP.  Plaid, the Liberals and Labour are all committed to further integration.  I suspect that you would not vote for the racist BNP thus you are left with UKIP.  I am 100% certain that a vote for UKIP will not give you a referendum on leaving the EU since there is no chance of UKIP winning any representation at Westminster. 

I apologise for the length of this response.  I do share many of your frustrations and concerns with the nature of the current European Union.  I feel strongly that we need a much more flexible Europe for the benefit of all the component nations.  However, I do not advocate leaving the EU and would not want to be in a similar position to countries such as Iceland, Norway or Switzerland where they have to accept all EU regulations in order to trade with the EU without having any influence on the decision making process.

I have a real confidence that a Conservative delegation led by David Cameron and William Hague will be able to show that many of the worst developments of the past 12 years in our relations with the EU have not been a result of some wicked pact amongst the other countries but simply poor negotiations undertaken by a craven New Labour Government that was in thrall to the vision of Europe sold to the Trade Unions by Jacques Delors in the mid 1990’s.

Yours sincerely,

Guto Bebb

The expectation is that the Czech Republic will ratify the Lisbon Treaty within days.  When this happens the Conservative Party need to be ready to state with some clarity where we stand on the European issue.  Will there be a retrospective referendum on Lisbon?  Will we re-examine our relationship with the EU in detail?

Last night an interesting post appeared on the Conservative Home site written by Tim Montgomerie.  I found it to be an interesting commentary on what could prove to be a more effective way of dealing with the ambitions of the anti-democratic EU elite than a difficult post ratification referendum on Lisbon.

As a former member of the Council of Business for Sterling in Wales and a member of Open Europe (who campaign for a more democratic and less centralised EU) I have always held strong views about the EU 'project' but have seen the option of voting for UKIP as nothing more than a desperate protest vote.  Will the proposals outlined within the Conservative Home site provide a policy on the EU which will both satisfy the need to reduce the influence of the european institutions whilst also keeping those who want a referendum on Lisbon on side?  I'm not sure but would appreciate your views.

Guto   

Labour were at it again at their conference attacking mainstream Poltical Parties in Eastern Europe in order to try and score cheap and nasty political points against the Conservative Party.  The letter, re-produced below in full, is a pretty comprehensive demolition of the childish jibes of Miliband.  Read the letter and then ask yourself a simple question; who would you prefer to have speaking fro Britain on the World Stage?  William Hague or the 'novice' David Miliband?

Dear David, 

I was appalled by some of your remarks in the speech you gave to the Labour Party conference. I do not understand why the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom should choose to recycle false Soviet propaganda, apparently for the cheapest party political purposes.

As Foreign Secretary you must surely know the true facts and historical circumstances. You must know that to describe the Latvian forces who fought the Soviets as ‘Waffen SS’ is misleading. As you ought to know, the American Displaced Persons Commission declared in 1950 that ‘the Waffen-SS units of the Baltic States (the Baltic Legions) are to be seen as units that stood apart and were different from the German SS in terms of goals, ideologies, operations and constitution, and the Commission does not, therefore, consider them to be a movement that is hostile to the government of the United States’. You should also be aware of the fact that, far from being treated as war criminals, those Latvians who became British prisoners of war were allowed to settle in the United Kingdomby the Labour Government of the time. I am very surprised that you appear to think that you have better judgement in this matter than Clement Attlee.

You must know that TB/LNNK form part of the coalition Government in Latvia. You must know that the majority of Latvia’s political parties, the majority of parties forming Latvia’s current Government including the Prime Minister’s party, have attended the commemoration of Latvians who fought in the Second World War. Your remarks are a slur on the reputation of a country that is a good friend to Britain and a close ally in NATO and the EU. There is a real danger that you could damage relations with Latviaand other countries who suffered under totalitarian Communist rule. More broadly, by endorsing Soviet propaganda as fact you implicitly denigrate the oppression of tens of millions of Eastern Europeans under Communism and abet those who still try to justify the crimes of the Soviet era. I suggest that you withdraw your remarks immediately and apologise to TB/LNNK and the Latvian Government.

My colleague Eric Pickles’ record of combating anti-Semitism and other forms of racism speaks for itself. Your allegation that he defended the Waffen-SS is contemptible and I hope you will have the good grace to apologise to him.

I was also shocked that you chose to repeat smears made against Michal Kaminski without any apparent effort to check the facts. Had you done so, you would have known that Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, has said that his remarks have been misrepresented, that it is a gross slur to suggest that Michal Kaminski has a neo-Nazi past and that Mr Kaminski has a noted record for denouncing the elements of anti-Semitism that still linger in Poland. Did you not wonder why, if your allegations were true, the Israeli Government welcomed Michal Kaminski on an official visit to that country last month? I strongly suggest you apologise to Michal Kaminski for your disgraceful remarks. 

It is true that it is unwise for people in glass houses to throw stones. So how do you justify that fact that in the last European Parliament Labour MEPs sat alongside an MEP from the Polish Self-Defence Party, whose leader has praised Adolf Hitler, and the Italian MEP Giulietto Chiesa, who has promoted the conspiracy theory that the CIA was responsible for 9/11? Does it not cause you some unease that while so many of our allies in the European Parliament were active in the struggle for democracy east of the Iron Curtain so many of your allies were Communist Party members at the time, including two Polish MEPs named by the official Institute of Polish National Remembrance as collaborators with the secret police?

Democratic politics is at its best when it is a civilised and constructive debate between different points of view. It is deeply regrettable that you have listened to those who prefer the politics of slur and smear. Your duty as the country’s Foreign Secretary is to support our nation’s good relations with our allies. By putting your immediate partisan interests before that duty you have fallen short in that responsibility.

Yours sincerely,

The Rt Hon William Hague MP

I'm very open about my views about the European Union.  I was an active member of the Council of Business for Sterling in Wales and later played a key role in attracting the 'I Want a Referendum' campaign to the Aberconwy Constituency.

I'm opposed to the idea of the UK joining the Single Currency and feel a sense of betrayal at the way in which the Liberal Democrats colluded with the Labour Government to stop the people of this country having a vote on the Lisbon Treaty.  I was even in Ireland during the referendum held by the Irish State which resulted in a substantial no vote.  As with any vote opposing further powers to the European Union the Irish have been told to think again and come back with the response demanded by the anti-democratic European elite.

However, I have always been confident that my view of an Europe of co-operating states can be achieved best through working within the Conservative Party.  I understand the views of those who voted for UKIP and I met plenty of local residents who intended to vote for that party at the Euro elections in May but I feel that they are wrong.  A single issue party will not, ultimately, change the way in which Europe works.  The Conservative Party can.

A key promise made by David Cameron when he stood for the leadership of the Conservative Party was to leave the European Peoples Party group in the European Parliament.  Not before time.  The EPP is a right of center grouping in the Christian Democrat tradition.  I would agree with them on many economic issues and some social issues but they are a Federalist Grouping.  On the most important issue facing Europe the views of the Conservative mainstream are completely at odds with the views of the European Peoples Party.  If the Conservative Party were to be serious about communicating a new agenda for an Europe of co-operating nation states than we simple had to leave the EPP.  And that is what David Cameron has delivered. 

People often question the willingness of David Cameron to take difficult decisions that go against the grain of the London media elite or the BBC.  People asked whether he was willing to shake the Conservative europhiles from their complacent acceptance of the European agenda once elected to Brussels.  In his decision to leave the EPP and form a new, Eurosceptic alliance (The European Conservatives and Reformists) David Cameron has shown leadership, integrity and political courage.

The new grouping has been met with outrage by the few remaining Europhiles masquerading as Conservatives in the European Parliament and with smear any inaccurate attacks on our partners by the media elite of the UK.  Articles have appeared in many national newspapers accusing the Conservative and Reformists Group of everything from being stridently homophobic to being crudely and violently prejudiced against the Jewish people.  These accusations have been made by the usual rent a quote Labour MP Dennis McShane and many other hardened europhiles.  Unfortunately one of the most vocal has been Edward McMillan Scott MEP who has been thrown out of the Conservative Group following his personal and vicious attempts to smear the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists, Michael Kaminski MEP. 

In a full rebuttal of the claims made by the awful McShane and McMillan-Scott, the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists has written eloquently for the ConservativeHome website.  I would ask readers to consider his arguments before accepting the media narrative peddled in the UK by the BBC, The Guardian and others.

As for the people in Aberconwy who voted UKIP and questioned David Cameron and his willingness to make the correct decision regardless of the media response - this episode should give you confidence.  

GUTO BEBB      

New development

William Hague has written to Edward McMillan-Scott providing him with conditions for acceptance back to the Conservative and Reformists Group.  They are reightly harsh and I suspect that a man who stood on a platform of leaving the EPP only in May will not have the character to accept that he was wrong, ill-informed and frankly devious in his comments about Michael Kaminski.