Cameron's best bits
By Tony Grew - 6th October 2010
It weighed in at more than 6,000 words and mentioned the big society 10 times.
Here are the highlights of David Cameron's speech to conference this afternoon.
Prime minister
"It is an honour and a privilege to stand here, before the party I lead, before the country I love, as the Conservative prime minister of the United Kingdom."
The wilderness years
"Let's remember where we've come from. Three defeats. Thirteen party conferences – 4,757 days in the wilderness. Remember what they said about us? They called us a dead parrot. They said we had ceased to be. That we were an ex-party. Turns out we really were only resting – and here we are."
Back on our feet
"I want to say a big thank you to those who led this party before me. William Hague got us back on our feet. Iain Duncan Smith helped us get back our heart. Michael Howard gave us back our confidence. I know that I am standing here as prime minister because they stood up for this party in good times and bad, and I will always remember that."
The Lady
"And it is impossible to pay tribute to previous leaders of this party, without mentioning the greatest peacetime prime minister of the 20th century.
"Next week, Margaret Thatcher celebrates her 85th birthday. She'll be doing it in Downing Street, and I know everyone in this hall will want to wish her well."
Harry Beckough
"Harry joined our party in 1929 to fight Stafford Cripps. Since then, across 81 years and 21 elections, Harry has been with us.
"When Churchill warned of an iron curtain, Harry was with us. When this country had never had it so good, Harry was with us. When a lady refused to turn, Harry was with us. I tell you something – this is a party for all generations."
Five hectic days in May
"My daughter Nancy asked at breakfast one morning: "Daddy, why are you spending so much time with this man Nick Leg?"
Face to face
"Nick and I didn't agree about everything. He wanted clearer pledges on PR. I wanted them on the family.
When I told him what I really thought of the European parliament, he said: "My God, it's worse than I thought.'"
Afghanistan
"We are not in Afghanistan to build a perfect democracy. No dreamy ideas. Just hard-headed national security – pure and simple."
The troops
"For those who have served; for those who bear the scars; and for those who will never come home, this country has gratitude beyond words."
Nuclear weapons
"We will always keep our ultimate insurance policy, we will renew our nuclear deterrent based on the Trident missile system."
The Union
"I want to make something else clear. When I say I am prime minister of the United Kingdom, I really mean it. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – we're weaker apart, stronger together, so together is the way we must always stay."
Angela Merkel
"But there is another side to life as prime minister. Like being made to watch the England football team lose 4-1 to Germany, in the company of the German chancellor.
"It's a form of punishment I wouldn't wish on anyone. I have to say, she is one of the politest people I have ever met – every time their players scored another goal, she would turn to me and say: "I really am terribly sorry."
"It's brought a whole new element to Anglo-German diplomatic relations: whatever you do, don't mention the score."
Labour's legacy
"The mess this country is in – it's not all because of Labour. Of course, they must take some of the blame. Alright - they need to take a lot of the blame.
"Let me just get this off my chest. They left us with massive debts, the highest deficit, overstretched armed forces, demoralised public services, endless ridiculous rules and regulations and quangos and bureaucracy and nonsense.
"They left us a legacy of spinning, smearing, briefing, back-biting, half-truths and cover-ups, patronising, old-fashioned, top-down, wasteful, centralising, inefficient, ineffective, unaccountable politics, 10p tax and 90 days detention, an election bottled and a referendum denied, gold sold at half price and council tax doubled, bad news buried and Mandelson resurrected, pension funds destroyed and foreign prisoners not deported, Gurkhas kept out and extremist preachers allowed in.
"Yes, they deserve some blame, and we'll never let them forget it."
Under Labour
"Too many people thought: "I've paid my taxes, the state will look after everything."
"But citizenship isn't a transaction in which you put your taxes in and get your services out. It's a relationship – you're part of something bigger than you, and it matters what you think and feel and do."
People power
"It's the spirit of activism, dynamism, people taking the initiative, working together to get things done.
"Sometimes that spirit gets taken a little too far. I got a letter from a six-year-old girl called Niamh with a pound coin stuck to it. And there was a note from her mum, which said: 'Dear Mr Cameron ... after hearing about the budget, Niamh wanted to send you her tooth fairy money to help.'
"There we are, George – nearly there."
Big society
"It's about government helping to build a nation of doers and go-getters, where people step forward not sit back, where people come together to make life better.
"Of course the cynics and the defeatists will say it can't be done, that we're stuck in some inevitable decline. But that's what they said in the 70s. They were wrong then – and we'll prove them wrong again."
The future
"More money in your pocket. More investment in our businesses. Growing industries, better jobs, stronger prospects for our young people. And the thing you can't measure but you just know it when you see it, the sense that our country is moving forwards once again."
The doers
"It will be the doers and grafters, the inventors and the entrepreneurs who get this economy going."
Wealth creation
"Yes, it will be the wealth creators – and no, those aren't dirty words.
"When you think of a wealth creator, don't think of the tycoon in a glass tower. Think of the man who gets up and leaves the house before dawn to go out and clean windows.
"Think of the woman who sits up late into the night trying to make the figures add up to make sure she can pay her staff.
"I can't tell you how much I admire people who leave the comfort of a regular wage to strike out on their own."
Labour conference
"Neil Kinnock was everywhere. He even said he'd got his party back. Well Neil, you can keep it."
Cameronism
"Social change is where this coalition has its beating, radical heart. This is what drives us. To change forever the way this country is run."
Comrade Pickles
"On 11 May, a great shadow was cast over the empire of the quangocrats, the bureaucrats and the power-hoarders.
"He is the enemy of the bureaucratic state. Public chum number one. The big man on the side of the people."
Benefit culture
"To that single mother, we can now say, we're on your side, we will help you, we will end that injustice in the system. If you can work and you refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of others."
"Those with broader shoulders should bear a greater load."
Holding the radical centre
"Let's leave Labour defending the status quo, the vested interests, the unions, the quangocrats, the elites, the establishment.
"We are the radicals now, breaking apart the old system with a massive transfer for power, from the state to citizens, politicians to people, government to society. That is the power shift this country needs today."
Balls
"Ed Balls, the man who used to be in charge of education in our country, said one of the dangers of our schools policy was that it would create "winners".
"Winners? We can't have that. The danger that your child might go to school and turn out to be a winner. Anti-aspiration. Anti-success. Anti-parents who just want the best for their children. What an unbelievable attitude from this Labour generation."
Step up
"Society is not a spectator sport. This is your country. It's time to believe it. It's time to step up and own it."
It takes two
"Your country needs you. It takes two. It takes two to build that strong economy. We'll balance the budget, we'll boost enterprise, but you start those businesses that lead us to growth.
"It takes two to build that big society. We'll reform public services, we'll devolve power, but you step forward to seize the opportunity."
People power
"I know the British people and they are not passengers – they are drivers. I've seen the courage of our soldiers, the spirit of our entrepreneurs, the patience of our teachers, the dedication of our doctors, the compassion of our care workers, the wisdom of our elderly, the love of our parents, the hopes of our children."
"So come on – let's pull together. Let's come together. Let's work, together, in the national interest."
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