That nice David Cameron is about to make his keynote speech to conference. Here is an as-live comment on what he says:
14.31 A video montage of DC's best TV appearances. Too long. Way too long.
14.32 Still watching the video presentation. Now it’s showing a montage accompanied by Jamie Cullum-esque tat music, entitled "It's a New Day." All I can think of are D:ream and things only getting better.
14.33 Wow we are hearing the full version of "It's A New Day." Even ads on TV only last 30 seconds ...
14.34 Yep. Still going. Even I will be happy to see DC after this musical torture.
14.35 Will this EVER END?
14.35 Finally. Cameron gets a standing ovation as he approaches the podium. Oh he keeps stopping to greet people. Get to the bloody stage!
14.36 Yep. Still standing ovation. The Tories love em.
14.37 20 second pause from DC - has he lost his speech?
14.37 “It’s been a great week - even Boris got all the way to Tuesday before he put his foot in it! He has been doing an amazing job building up our support. We love it when he goes off message unlike New Labour.
14.38 We are back in the centre ground. The NHS is one of our priorities. 1/3 of candidates are women. They are changing the way we think about politics. We converted a church into a community centre - social action by us.
14.39 We are the party open to new ideas. Joke about Tebbit.
14.40 There is a new job I am after - so I got on my bike and am looking for work. Lets talk about what I believe in. Lets deal with substance. I have lots of it really. It’s not producing a ten-point plan. It’s about knowing what you believe.
14.41 It is social responsibility. Ask what we can do together. Announcing policy is not substance - take time to think things through. It’s about character judgement consistency. Getting it right for the long term.
1442 Oliver Letwin is clever. That is why I asked him to think deeply about things. He is doing a great job.
Lets talk about tax. We all know a low tax economy is strong but some people want some pie-in-the-sky tax cuts. That isn’t substance. The old policies are not coming back and we are not going back
1443 We will not take risks with the economy - we believe in sound money and stability comes first. George Osborne is fab. We need more pensions, deregulation, investment in skills, a modern transport system and more to promote British business. Globalisation. India China Brazil. Get out there and fly the flag for British business.
1445 NHS. Vitally important to every family including mine. Vital. The creation of the NHS is one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. Noble but simple idea. Expression of our values as a nation, social solidarity. The people proud and attached to it. I relied on them day after day. I know the problems. Waiting. It can be frustrating. Inspiration. The nurses, the doctors, huge army of support staff. For me, it is not a question of saying the NHS will be safe in my hands. My family is so often in the hands of the NHS and I want them to be safe.
1447 TB said his priority was education, education, education. Mine is three letters N H S.
We will always support it but the money must be spent well.
1448 Where has all the Labour money gone in the NHS? 24 hours to save the NHS? More like 24 ways to administer it. They changed loads of stuff. And it was all crap. People working in the NHS are bewildered.
1449 Shambolic. Waste of time and money. Beds and wards closing, nurses and doctors are unhappy.
1450 The waste of money is nothing next to the waste of energy. No more pointless reorganisation of our health service.
1451 Our changes are based on social responsibility. Far greater professional responsibility in our NHS. The world of healthcare is more than GPs and hospitals. As we get older we will need the other services. Carers, occupational therapists. Social services are vital let’s back them.
1452 Next week we launch a campaign on the NHS. Get out on the streets and send the governmentt a message. You have mismanaged the NHS stop the cuts and sort it out.
1453 I believe in the NHS. Standing up for your beliefs is substance. Not everything Labour did was bad, we need to keep good stuff like Bank of England index and minimum wage stays, we might even increase it sometime. That is real substance, putting your country first.
1454 The TB of 12 years ago we all remember, and then he let people down. Let us not think that people will jump from new Labour into our arms it will take long hard patient work. We have to win peoples trust. It will be hard but we can do it
1455 For too long the decisions are made in the wrong place, on the sofa in TB office. We have to end this arrogant style of government in Britain.
1456 I will restore proper cabinet government. I want to be PM of Britain not a President. Progress is never free - always a price. Making it all sound painless is spin we have to be different.
1457 We have got to tell the people the price of progress and before the election, that is substance. I am passionate about the environment. I love the outdoors. I am quite keen on trees but I won’t be hugging them.
1458 We are reaching a tipping point. The tools are within our grasp to deal with this. It is going to be pain and sacrifice. Al Gore’s movie is great. There is a price for progress on climate change.
1459 Windmills can help and save money but they are not enough govt must show leadership create a price for carbon in our economy. things that produce more carbon get more expensive. The point is that climate change is our social responsibility.
1500 In politics is much easier to take the steps that are painful if we work together. We asked TB to put a climate change bill in the Queen’s speech. Come on Tony, do something.
1501 Let us face the tension in the party between aspiration and opportunity, a key part of which is home ownership. Conservation is also important but if we want new homes they have to be built somewhere. Do not pretend there is a pain free solution to suit everyone. We must be on the side of the next generation. Build more homes for young people.
1502 The PM has the ultimate responsibility. I would have to turn my words about climate change into action as PM. But security is the most serious responsibility. I went to meet the troops, some only 18, fighting a ferocious enemy.
1503 Makes me feel humble. Our job in Afghanistan is to keep Britain safe. The armed forces are doing vital work. We are proud.
1504 They are asking for more equipment and for decent treatment of their families at home. Luckily Liam Fox is in their corner fighting for them.
1505 Brize Norton RAF base is in my constituency. Things are bad there, while servicemen pay tax while working overseas. We need to do more for them.
1506 If we win the next election I will be in charge of facing terrorism. It is very different from the IRA. These people are prepared to do anything including suicide. Defeating them is about hearts and minds but it cannot be appeased it must be defeated.
1507 I will always listen to the police and security services and not play politics with terrorism. The govt is getting some things wrong. ID cards won’t stop dangerous people but better border control might.
1509 We need wire tap evidence in court. People who threaten our security should be tried - that is the British way of doing things.
1510 It is all the fault of the human rights act. I want to abolish it and bring in a British bill of rights.
1511 Gun crime and knife crime are up, too much disorder on the streets. All we get from Labour is lots of legislation. We need more prisons, no early release. Last week TB attacked me on hoodies. In that he gave up saying we need to be tough on the causes of crime. We need to tackle broken families and drugs and alcohol we can only solve crime by mending broken lives.
1512 David Davis as shadow Home Secretary makes us the only party to be tough on crime and its causes.
1513 Foreign policy. I don’t need lessons on the special relationship, my grandfather was on the beaches of Normandy. Thatcher and Reagan. I never doubted what side I was on fighting communism.
1514 Steadfast not slavish to America. TB disagrees. I will be a British PM with a British foreign policy.
1515 It is not anti American to question the administration - ask John Mc Cain. I am a liberal conservative. We cannot stand by and watch genocide in Darfur. I am sceptical of grand schemes to remake the world we need to be more humble. Same with stronger society at home.
1516 There are communities where different ethnic backgrounds never meet or talk in this country. It is by contact that we overcome defence and share common values. The most basic contact is talking to eachother that’s why new people must learn English.
1517 Faith schools. I feel strongly like lots of people. I support them. All faiths want them. Islam is one of the great religions and Muslims make a fantastic contribution to our country. A new generation of Muslim faith schools need to be part of society and not separate from it. We think faith schools must admit some kids from other faiths. The Church of England is setting an example by having 25% of pupils from other faiths. All other faiths should do the same.
1518 Every child must know what it means to be British. Our language, history and institutions. Real substance means addressing this openly and frankly. Isn’t David Willetts great?
1519 Labour thinks equality means treating everyone the same. We think it means individual children, what is right for them. That should mean more setting and streaming and clear rules on behaviour. Right and wrong - kids need to know the difference.
1521 Save special schools. It is people not government who create wealth. Our role today is to roll forward the frontiers of society.
1522 Families are really important . All our policies will help families.
1523 Childcare is vital for parents especially single ones. Try and imagine being a single mum all day every day. Then try to imagine getting a job. Britain has got the most expensive childcare in Europe.
1524 Why should you only get help if you use formal childcare? What about grandparents? Time to stop telling people how to use childcare and let them use what they want.
1525 Marriage should be backed it is vital, what really matters is it is about commitment.
1526 I think it means something to everyone I am proud that we supported civil partnerships.
1527 Supporting marriage is more than tax breaks. Flexible working arrangements, childcare and marriage guidance are important, too.
1528 Family, community, society, the environment and quality of life drive me in politics. I want all of us to be optimistic about the future. TB said Britain is a young country as usual he was wrong we are an old country and we have got a proud past but bright future.
1529 We must be the party that says the world is not going to the dogs we must lift people’s sights and raise their hopes.
We are reaching out for what we can achieve and for Britain the best is yet to come.”
1530 Standing ovation
1531 Samantha on stage. He gets a kiss on the cheek. Bit awkward.
Ming-like waving to the crowd.
1534 Still ovating. That is enough for now.
DC used the word substance ten times.
