Cameron's speech - Tory Conference

Well I have just sat through David Cameron's speech.

Let me start off by saying I am not a Tory party supporter - so it is not a case of whatever Cameron says is gospel . . . I am trying to look at it objectively - if that is at all possible - yes you will have seen my rant yesterday - so I need to also say - for the record I do not support Gordon Brown and Labour either . . .

Firstly what a magnificent setting - a concert hall - and it was packed to the rafters - this allowed him to drop his first gag about this party all playing the same tune.
David Cameron speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham today. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

On face value - I have to say he looks the part - natural / charismatic / credible . . he even seems to have lost any of that chubbiness he had at one stage.

He spoke in a slow and measured manner - he was able on many occasions to bring in examples of real people - a kid who just turned 18 in Afghanistan / a man who lost his wife in an NHS hospital / a woman who lost her husband because he stood up to a group of kids / a man who after 20 years was left in tears because he was losing his business . . . and many more - not just alluding to but producing actual examples - increasing the impact and credibility and then going on to link these examples to failures within the Labour party and Gordon Brown . . it was a sustained attack on Gordon Brown cleverly and subtly brought across. He even wove in the Gurkha victory from the day before and pleaded with Labour to allow these heroes who have fought so long for the UK to allow them this right that they have won to settle in the UK - asking Labour not to appeal this verdict but to give them the honour they deserve. This is clever - because it puts his party on the side of what is right - what is honourable . . .

There was a swipe at Blair - who had said that we now live in a 24hr world - Cameron's reply to this was we are a country not a television station.

His whole speech one can argue was directed at Brown and his assertions that this is no time for a novice - meaning Cameron (although this has been debated as to who he actually meant) - Cameron's argument is simply that we do not need more of the same we need change and that experience is always the excuse of the incumbent. If this was really the case we would never change government (he said he would stop this analogy - as there were balconies in the concert hall - this brought the house down). Cameron went on to say the risk is not change but rather sticking with what you've got and just hoping that it will somehow change for the better. He then stated that the existing experience is what actually caused many of the problems and that they refuse to question and admit this because to do so would be to admit they (the Labour party) had got it wrong.

Not really a lot of headline catchers - things have not already been mentioned - but a good solid performance and in my opinion much much better than Gordon Brown's speech (which was probably his best yet) and he just looks more of the statesman to me.

Would I vote for him - hmmm! I am more of a Lib Dem man - but with Westminster I may have to see what the odds are and vote differently more strategically . . . remember we have our own parliament here in Scotland - so things are very different - Scottish Nationalist Party - now are in the majority in the Scottish parliament - and we voted last year if I am not mistaken - Labour party at all time low in support - a Glasgow East seat where they previously had 15 000+ majority - in other words you could not get a safer seat was lost to the Scottish Nationalist Party = which means that NO seats are safe. (Yes SNP only won by a few hundred - but just look at the % swing!)

Brown will hang on for his full term - too scared to call a general election until I think 2011 and that will then herald the beginning of the Tory era.

David's hairstyles . . . lol

The feet of Conservative leader David Cameron, and his wife Samantha, after delivering his keynote speech at the Conservative party annual conference. Photograph: Stephen Hird/Reuters


Only drawback perhaps was his wife's almost reluctant participation at the end - he went to invite her on stage with him - she did not look comfortable - I know she is reluctant to be a stage prop for him . . . . but she did not look at all comfortable???? He had made a joke - during the speech of knowing entrepreneurs - after all he goes to bed with one every evening . . . Samantha his wife. Did she know something we did not???