David Cameron's Speech To Conference

Straight from the horse's mouth ....

What Cameron said: "I have always believed in Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. And when Labour came forward with plans to replace Trident, I am proud of the fact that we marched our members of parliament through those division lobbies to make sure that vote was won."

Translation: I’ll criticise Russia and Iran for retaining/pursuing nuclear weapons, but we’re going to keep ours, thank you very much, even if it costs £70 billion. I want to keep the power to kill millions of people on my orders.

What Cameron said: "We need to scrap that early release scheme in prisons; 24,000 released on our streets that David Davis spoke about yesterday."

Translation: We imprison more people per capita in England and Wales than anywhere in Western Europe, and we’re going to imprison even more people.

What Cameron said: "This Party never wants to punish of hold back the aspirations of people who want to get on in life and have a good life. And what we must be in the Party of sensible, Green leadership, and that is exactly what we are going to stay."

Translation: I’m going to talk about climate change for 360 words out of 9000 in my speech. Sensible leadership means avoiding taxing out of town parking at supermarkets. Sensible leadership doesn’t involve telling Britons they have to start consuming less energy, less resources, and less oil.

What Cameron said: "We need business to be responsible in the way they market to children, treat their employees, in the way they encourage family life - all of those things will help us to get tax and regulation down for the long term good of our economy."

Translation: We won’t regulate business on marketing to children, or on employee rights, or family-friendly practices, we’re just going to ask them very nicely. Asking nicely didn’t work in the US South over segregation, nor when the suffragettes said pretty please, can we have the vote.

What Cameron said: "There's a man in my constituency called John Brooks and he's got cancer. He spent 40 years working for the same company, paying into his pension fund, it was a blanket factory in Witney. He was told his pension fund was copper bottomed and guaranteed - the business went bust, the pension scheme went bust and he was left with nothing."

Translation: see above on asking companies nicely nicely and no need for pension regulation.

What Cameron said: "Nothing matters more in terms of opportunity and our economy and our future than education. Falling down the European leagues in terms of educational performance. 23,000 young people leaving school without any qualifications whatsoever, we are not doing enough to prepare young people for this world of freedom."

Translation: We won’t follow the example of Finland, ranked #1 in the OECD in literacy among 15-year olds, as the Finnish system is fully comprehensive, and I’m hostage to my party on the issue of grammar schools. Besides, those wacky Finns also have free school meals to all pupils, and there are no university fees.

What Cameron said: "The government has got its academy programme. It's a good programme. But I feel that Gordon Brown is putting his foot on the brake when he should be putting his foot on the accelerator and we should be making it easier for these new schools."

Translation: I want more and more of our education system dependent upon £1m and £2m donations from people who gain a say over curriculum and hiring of staff.

What Cameron said: "The way we'll get a really personalised NHS is make the changes that are necessary. Giving people a real choice of GP's, giving GP's control over their budgets and allowing GP's to choose between whatever hospital they like. Public or private or voluntary not just some limited list."

Translation: I will expand private healthcare in Britain.

What Cameron said: "All of the Shadow Cabinet here they can tell the same story of young people who come to our surgeries, they show you their salary, they talk about local house prices and they just say I don't see how I can achieve that dream. And George showed how we going to cut stamp duty to show that we're on their side and we will help mend the housing ladder and get on their side."

Translation: Stamp duty is only levied on homes above £125 000. Stamp duty is currently charged at 1% of the sale price of properties worth between £125,000 and £250,000. If you’re earning £22 000, even on 4 times your income, and a £20 000 deposit saved up, you can afford a house or flat valued at £108 000, so you won’t have to pay stamp duty. I'm not talking to first time buyers in most of the country, I'm talking to first time buyers in the East of England, London and the South-East (where 73% of the stamp duty is collected).