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Thank you.
The last two years have
not been easy but we have not shirked our responsibility or the difficult
decisions that have had to be made in dealing with the terrible debt left by
the last Labour Government.
We inherited a mess far
worse than we originally thought. Our ability to grow has been hit by the
crisis in the Eurozone where countries that lacked the political will to deal
with their debts have fallen prey to the markets. Unsustainable interest rates
have sunk countries like Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and even Spain. While
British yields were tracking those of Spain and Italy when we came to power our
clear plan to cut the debt has kept Britain safe from the European debt storm.
Thanks to George Osborne we now have amongst the lowest interest rates in the
G20. This is not just good for the Government but ensures low mortgage interest
rates for families and homeowners the length and breadth of the country. Without
our tough action we would need a bailout: instead we are arguing about how much
we should contribute to the funds available to the IMF! Our country is
strengthened by the tough action taken by this Government.
Contrast this sensible
approach with the loony ideas of Ed Balls and Ed Miliband. Ed Balls argues that
the way out of a debt storm is to borrow more, ramp up spending and add even
more debt! He doesn’t want to reduce the debt but increase it! They say 2 Eds
are better than one but in this case we’d be better off with none! They want to
take us back to the mad, bad days of the 1970s when Labour kept borrowing until
the money ran out and Britain, yes Britain, had to accept a bailout from the
IMF. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. Under a Conservative Government,
Britain will always stand on its own two feet. We are a haven in the storm,
free from the whims of the markets and government by bureaucrats.
Many countries in
Europe no longer control their own financial destiny. The will of their people
is ignored as they are governed by Eurocrats. Conservatives will never allow
our country’s fate to be determined by bureaucrats in Brussels. Conservatives
have always firmly opposed the Euro and Britain will never enter the Euro while
I am Prime Minister.
Thanks to the work of
Iain Duncan Smith we will soon have a benefits system which makes work pay. No
more languishing on benefits without the will to get up and get back into
society. Those who play the system will have to shape up and get back to work
or face the consequences. We will not accept the situation under Labour where
the less you did the more you were paid. For too long this country has done a
disservice to those on benefits, allowing their talents to waste away while
those in work strived to pay for not only their own family but the shirkers
next door. This government will not shirk the tough decisions. We are in
government to make a difference.
I don’t get out of bed
each day and think, ”What will the papers say if I do this or don’t do that?” I
have a vision for this country where those who are willing to work hard and
make a difference are rewarded while those who play the system face hard
consequences.
All Labour can offer is
a return to the bad old ways of the 1970s when things got worse not better: out
of control Trade Unions; out of control borrowing; out of control spending. We
sorted it out before and we are doing the same now. It hasn’t been easy, it
wasn’t easy in the 1980s but after the pain came an extraordinary explosion of
growth for every level of society: growth in wealth, incomes and well-being.
I benefited from this
but so did many others: council tenants were able to own their own homes, a
policy we have revived thanks to Grant Shapps, our new Chairman; a policy sadly
forgotten under Labour. We have announced plans to build more homes without
adding to the debt, boosting the construction sector and getting Britain back
to work. This government has freed up planning regulations, creating a planning
system that helps rather than hinders and is truly fit for the 21st
Century. Our changes to the planning system will boost growth without ruining
the countryside. We are the controllers of our own destiny and the only limit
is our own political will to change.
I have travelled the world sealing crucial
deals for British business which will create jobs back here in Britain. These
were in no way connected to my mates.
There have been cuts to
our Armed Services: a decision I personally regret but due to the billions of
wasted Labour pounds that left a black hole in the defence budget. Under this Government we are sorting the mess out, securing Britain’s future. There was no
money left but a Conservative Government will never hurt our country’s ability
to defend itself. The army will be leaner, meaner but still one of the best
equipped, most capable and admired armies in the world. Discussions are
underway to renew Trident, keeping our country safe well into the 21st
Century and ensuring we remain a big player on the world stage.
Our brave troops will
be withdrawing from Afghanistan leaving a safer, fairer country where girls can
go to school alongside their brothers. There are still problems but through training
the Afghan army I believe we will never again see the country as an
international haven for the world’s worst terrorists. Thanks to the work of
Theresa May the same is true of our own country. Under Labour the preaching of
hate was deemed acceptable. Never again will Abu Hamza and his cronies be able
to take over the streets of London and preach intolerance. We stand firm
against hate, terrorism and those who seek to attack our way of life. Those are
Conservative values.
With an ageing
population we have had to take tough decisions on the NHS and pensions. These changes
will ensure we can continue to pay our way in the world and not leave a legacy
of debt for our children. The pensions system will be fairer as a result and
pensioners can be safe in the knowledge that there will always be a safety net
to look after those who have done the right thing and worked hard to save for
their retirement. The NHS will offer the world’s best healthcare, combining the
best of public and private practices. A health service truly fit for the 21st
Century, controlled by those who know best: GPs, free from the unnecessary,
centralised bureaucracy of Labour.
In education Michael
Gove has established a raft of new Free Schools, at a fraction of the cost of
those new schools built under Labour, putting parents at the heart of their
child’s education. Existing high-performing schools have been set free from
bureaucracy by our extended Academies programme, allowing talented teachers to
teach children as they see fit, not by ticking boxes. Renewed rigour in the
exam system will allow the best to rise to the top and ensure fairness for all.
We have begun to fix
the broken system we inherited from Labour. It has not been easy but I’m sure
in the years to come you will see Britain growing again and delivering
sustained prosperity for all, not just those at the very top.
