Review: David Cameron's speech

Updated on 08 October 2009

By Channel 4 News

Recap the exclamations and standing ovations of David Cameron's speech to the last Conservative conference before a general election with the Channel 4 News blog.

12:01 PM: channel4news It's the last day of the political conference season, which means it's David Cameron's turn to address his party faithful.
12:02 PM: channel4news He's set to speak after 2pm, and we'll be following all the claims and announcements as they happen.
12:03 PM: channel4news You can let us know what you make of the speech by clicking on the "Make a Comment" link at the top of this blog.
12:08 PM: channel4news Cameron's speech is expected to contrast with the doom and gloom his shadow chancellor, George Osborne, talked about earlier in the week. www.channel4.com
12:08 PM: channel4news "Yes, there is a steep climb ahead. But I tell you this: the view from the summit will be worth it," he is expected to say.
12:16 PM: channel4news WebCameron have released a discussion with a calm-looking David Cameron and a man who has been in his position before, William Hague, talking about the optimum length of a leader's speech and what it should deliver. www.youtube.com
12:21 PM: channel4news But perhaps less pressure today on the Conservative leader than on Gordon Brown's bid to revive his party's fortunes last week, with a flurry of election-style promises. www.channel4.com
12:28 PM: channel4news If you're twiddling your fingers in barely-controlled anticipation of Cameron's speech at 2.15, why not check out Gary Gibbon's blog? He looks at the disconnect (beautiful word) between "Brand Cameron" and "Brand Tory". bit.ly
12:30 PM: channel4news And did any of you watch When Boris Met Dave on More4 last night? This writer thought Johnson incarnation could have made a better stab at a Boris accent.
12:33 PM: channel4news Tory Chairman Eric Pickles - surely a character out of Charles Dickens - has just taken to the stage at the conference.
12:35 PM: channel4news Reading Cameron's speech from the 2007 conference - confected during Brown's post-coronation honeymoon - is like reading a piece from another age.
12:36 PM: channel4news Eric Pickles has just announced that there is "just one more speech to come" and has appeared to reprimand delegates for "having fun" at the conference.
12:40 PM: channel4news Eric Pickles to the conference: "Go back to your constituencies and prepare for... more canvassing, more literature delivering and more hard work."
12:41 PM: channel4news Delegates in Manchester now filing out of the main hall. What's the significance of the blue-sky backdrop, by the way? Blue-skies thinking? Manchester City supporters? It's a beautiful new day?
12:44 PM: channel4news Returning again to the 2007 speech, Cameron refers to the "military covenant", alleging that Gordon Brown's government has broken it- extra resonance, given the touted announcement during his speech this afternoon of General Dannatt's recruitment to the Tory cause.
12:48 PM: channel4news Our political reporters are primed and ready to provide a Twitter-tastic commentary on this afternoon's events. Gary Gibbon, Cathy Newman et al. Why not take the afternoon off, head home, take the phone off the hook, open a bottle of mid-afternoon wine and immerse yourself in our live Tory Conference blog?
12:50 PM: channel4news Are any members of the Bullingdon Club (past or present) reading this blog? If so, we want to know if last night's When Boris Met Dave dramatisation was true to life?
12:51 PM: channel4news This writer was surprised to learn that Poland's foreign minister was one of those inducted into the Bullingdon Club, via the time-honoured ritual of having his room trashed.
1:02 PM: channel4news
1:02 PM: channel4news Video update: Gary Gibbon on what we might hear from Cameron this afternoon.
1:07 PM: FactCheck NEW FactCheck: bad science GCSEs? bit.ly
1:10 PM: channel4news So what else can you expect from the speech? Well, the word is that Cameron isn't going to announce any new policy, but draw together the announcements of the week.
1:11 PM: channel4news It "will be painful", he will say, but he will add: "What I want to talk about today is how good things could be."
1:13 PM: channel4news Samantha Cameron is not expected to follow Sarah Brown's starring role last week in introducing her husband - she'll be watching from the front row, but she has, according to WebCameron, helped cut down the speech.
1:16 PM: FactCheck An hour to go until Cameron's big speech - we'll be keeping an eye on whether his claims stack up
1:17 PM: channel4news Samantha "got very bored during one part of it" Cameron admitted. Well, if you're wife can't tell you, who can?
1:17 PM: Ali Sanjarani I hope he acknowledges the nations suffering as a result of credit crunch and takes the blame for his party as the main opposition,that while it may have been the government policy to bring this harsh economic condition, his party has been taking a knap thus not performing its duties as the main opposition party.
1:21 PM: channel4news If we're to believe advance notices of David Cameron's speech this afternoon, the old "tough love" warhorse is about to make a return to the political arena. "Pain will be worth it," reads a Press Association headline.
1:26 PM: channel4news But after the pain... the gain. We're told David Cameron will go on to offer his personal vision of Britain once the country has passed through the "tough love" crucible.
1:28 PM: channel4news Given that politicians from all the main parties appear to be offering a sort of "one step backwards, two steps forwards" vision of the next few years in Britian, one wonders how the parties will brand their campaigns. Not "Things can only get better," obviously.
1:30 PM: channel4news Perhaps "I can see clearly now, the rain has gone" would be a more fitting musical accompaniment to the middle of the next decade?
1:31 PM: channel4news Anyway, back to the Conservatives in Manchester. An almost palpable... air of lunch at the conference centre. Chinking crockery, animated discussion, gaggles milling in the semi-dark of the conference hall.
1:32 PM: Ali Sanjarani I run a small company and we are behind with the Tax payment. HM Revenue and Custom keeps on sending me theatening letters and when I ask my bank to lend me or provide overdraft facilities, they say that there hasent been money comming in in the recent months. Catch 22, when I don't need to borrow, they offer me a good deal and when I need to don't lend.
1:35 PM: channel4news Is it me or is it the Conservative Conference? The live feed from Manchester has suddenly thrown up some Basement Jaxx musical accompaniment.
1:36 PM: Ali Sanjarani Our government paid banks so that they can lend money to individuals and corporates, and yet if you are a small company, they don't want to know you.
1:38 PM: channel4news Returning to the "I can see clearly now" theme, reports say David Cameron will compare the tough decisions needed to get debt under control to the ascent of a mountain. So "Climb Every Mountain" to introduce the Tory election campaign?
1:40 PM: channel4news Today's Guardian promises that the Conservative leader will draw on biblical references "to offer a more positive vision to the nation after the dire warnings on the state of the nation's finances". Which biblical reference might that be, then? Suggestions on a Twitter to this address.
1:48 PM: channel4news The conference hall is already half full. One can only presume David Cameron is backstage, poring over the Channel 4 News live conference blog.
1:49 PM: channel4news David, if you're reading this, is it true that This Charming Man is your favourite Smiths song?
1:49 PM: antagonise Quotes, @channel4news? How about Jesus Christ, in St. Luke's Gospel, "Lend, hoping for nothing again." #cpc09 #twinge
1:50 PM: channel4news And is it true, as implied by When Boris Met Dave last night, that you liked nothing better when at Oxford than to strum along to the likes of Sade?
1:51 PM: channel4news The assembling conference delegates are now being shown a video feature of a social club for young people - a "Social Action Project for Conference 2009".
1:53 PM: antagonise #CameronQuotes @channel4news: "You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit." (Leviticus 25:35-37)
2:01 PM: channel4news Maroon 5 on the stereo - "I don't believe it's true anymore".
2:02 PM: channel4news More up to date than Labour's selection of the Levellers.
2:04 PM: channel4news Now on to Mr Blue Sky, to match the background to the Tory logo we presume.
2:07 PM: channel4news So the countdown continues - Cameron is due onstage imminently, and the hall is full in anticipation. We'll be bringing you what he has to say and what our team make of the speech over the next hour or so.
2:08 PM: channel4news You can also tell us what you think of the speech using the "Make a Comment" link above, or via Twitter to @channel4news.
2:10 PM: cathynewman Taken my seat in the hall for the big speech
2:12 PM: channel4news RT donatahuggins: They're playing 'Ready or not' in the hall. #cpc09
2:13 PM: cathynewman This music is driving me mad. Why can't political parties play some schubert while we're waiting?
2:13 PM: channel4news People are still filing in to the tune of "Shout to the top", but space is running out in the packed hall.
2:15 PM: channel4news And now Coldplay "How long before I get in?...How long do I have to climb, Up on the side of this mountain of mine?" It's on message - keeping on the mountain climbing theme.
2:17 PM: channel4news Samantha's taking her seat - we must be close.
2:18 PM: channel4news The Tory first lady is surrounded by cameras in her grey dress with white dots.
2:18 PM: channel4news The lights dim, and we're off.
2:18 PM: channel4news The now traditional for party conferences pre-speech motivational video is rolling.
2:19 PM: channel4news "Broken society" flashes up on the screen - it's one of Cameron's totem phrases, and we'll look out for it appearing in the speech itself.
2:19 PM: cathynewman Lots of clouds in opening video
2:19 PM: channel4news RT MediaCoach: #cpc09 Cameron's Speech William Hague to play the Sarah Brown role this week.
2:20 PM: channel4news A slightly surreal picture of Gordon Brown breaking up preceeds the "time for change" message. It's a familiar picture from a couple of years ago, but in a different colour.
2:20 PM: cathynewman Ah here's the blue sky
2:21 PM: channel4news The crowd is clapping along to the music now. Anticipation building.
2:21 PM: channel4news William Hague is up first - it must bring back memories for him.
2:21 PM: cathynewman William hague warm up act reinforces him as de facto deputy leader...
2:22 PM: channel4news Hague's welcoming the shadow cabinet on stage, as they file in from a back door.
2:22 PM: cathynewman Shadow cabinet still looks incredibly male-dominated...
2:23 PM: Geoff BBC Parliament is playing the same ten second loop of music over and over with a shot of the conference hall.They also blanked out all the videos that were shown at the conference. Very annoying. Must copyright issues?
2:23 PM: cathynewman Blimey bono a surprise!
2:23 PM: Ed Fraser A Labour source tells me Gordon Brown will not be "glued to the telly" watching the speech this afternoon. He has a series of meetings instead!
2:24 PM: cathynewman Bet gordon's not happy about that...bono was his special chum
2:24 PM: channel4news Bono's on screen delivering a message to the conference.
2:24 PM: Geoff It looked like a darkened room.
2:24 PM: Benjamin Cohen Why on earth is Bono sending a video message
2:24 PM: cathynewman I really want to straighten his sunglasses
2:25 PM: channel4news Bono's talking about aid and trade with Africa. We've become so used to seeing him with Labour politicians.
2:25 PM: Ed Fraser Adam Boulton talking all over Bono?! BBC Not running it either Nick Robinson in deep conversation with Andrew Neil instead. Anyone rather hear from Bono?
2:26 PM: channel4news And now we're recapping three years of Cameron leadership - does he look older for it? Perhaps.
2:27 PM: channel4news Images of Cameron facing Blair at PMQs in the Commons - a hint that he's been leader for longer than Brown or Clegg.
2:28 PM: channel4news Obama gets a mention - WebCameron clip of Cameron after they met, in case we forget they have.
2:28 PM: channel4news Now PMQs against Brown - "how long are we going to have to wait before the past makes way for the future."
2:29 PM: cathynewman Is boris the new mo mowlam? He just got a round of applause even before cameron takes to the stage
2:30 PM: channel4news Lots of cheers for references to election wins, including Boris', and the polls.
2:30 PM: channel4news And here he is, on stage.
2:30 PM: channel4news A standing ovation for the leader before he's even started.
2:31 PM: channel4news "I want to get straight to the point" he starts.
2:31 PM: channel4news We all know how bad it can get, he says. We will have to confront irresponsibility.
2:32 PM: channel4news I am ready to be tested, he says, and so are the British people.
2:32 PM: channel4news RT MichaelWhite: #cpc09 straight into tough talk and easy targets
2:33 PM: channel4news Troops in Afghanistan get an early mention: "I know what they want – and deserve - from their government. A ruthless, relentless focus on fighting, winning and coming home."
2:34 PM: cathynewman Cameron to set up war cabinet if wins power
2:34 PM: channel4news Plug for Liam Fox as defence secretary. "We need a strategy that is credible, and do-able," he says, promising a war cabinet.
2:35 PM: channel4news Troops will have the equipment they need he pledges.
2:35 PM: cathynewman Cameron "announces" what we found out yesterday: general dannatt will join tory benches in lords.
2:35 PM: channel4news And here it is - the trailed announcement that General Sir Richard Dannatt will be part of a Tory government.
2:36 PM: Geoff There is a webcast on the Conservatives site if anyone wants to avoid BBC and Sky interruptions:
2:36 PM: Geoff www.conservatives.com
2:36 PM: Mr A Martin To talk of 'winning' in the context of Afghanistan is arrogance behond belief. There's no winners from this mess.
2:36 PM: channel4news Standing ovation for our troops.
2:36 PM: cathynewman Dannatt gets massive applause
2:37 PM: Ed Fraser Who in charge of the military then Lord Dannatt or Dr Fox?
2:37 PM: cathynewman Cameron says tories are "party of the nhs". Ouch that must hurt labour
2:37 PM: channel4news RT bailsbails: Cameron went in with Afghan a bit too soon I think #cpc09
2:37 PM: channel4news We've changed, says Cameron - "More women candidates, campaigning on the environment, the party of the NHS."
2:38 PM: channel4news We've won the argument on the Economy, he says.
2:38 PM: cathynewman Thought for a minute he'd called eric pickles a chump not a chum
2:38 PM: channel4news From Jon Snow: He’s opened well, undoubtedly Afghanistan and concern for those fighting there and the families who wait at home should be his first concern…

Brown almost failed to mention them and did not do so in such compassionate terms.

However both parties have now given the fighting men a standing ovation. But the equipment issue seems to be becoming overly party political. His Dannattry may back fire on him - the General is regarded by his peers as a (loose canon).
2:39 PM: channel4news He refers to the death of his eldest son this year, and says his wife is "what sustains me most". www.channel4.com
2:40 PM: cathynewman Cameron says family, community, country is his DNA
2:40 PM: channel4news "I have some simple beliefs," he says. "Above all, the importance of family."
2:40 PM: channel4news RT @MarkReckons Cameron looking tearful as he talks about his son Ivan. Genuinely moving. #cpc09
2:41 PM: channel4news I want every child to have the chances that I had, he says.
2:42 PM: channel4news He said it - society's broken. As is politics and the economy, he says.
2:43 PM: channel4news Not everything Labour did is wrong, he says, but there is not a government solution for every issue an initiative.
2:43 PM: cathynewman Cameron gets a laugh criticising laws so bureaucratic even the attorney general can't obey them
2:43 PM: channel4news RT @alextomo C - wants every child to have the chances he had (presumably doesn't mean entry to Eton).
2:44 PM: channel4news From Jon Snow: Loved his reference to the John Prescott of the Conservative Party, Eric Pickles: ‘"my chum and your chum".

Chum I haven't heard in a bit - but then neither had I heard the word "chump" in a long long time until Mandelson says he used it at Labour's conference…
2:44 PM: channel4news RT @benjamincohen Cameron: laws so complicated even the attorney general can't keep them!
2:44 PM: FactCheck Cameron says national debt doubling - depends how you measure it #cpc09
2:45 PM: channel4news "The clearest sign of big government irresponsibility is the enormous size of our debt," he says.
2:45 PM: malcolm boughen Praise for devolution, minimum wage and civil partnerships
2:46 PM: channel4news For me the only option, we must pay down the deficit.
2:47 PM: channel4news Video update: the grand opening.
2:47 PM: Matt Conservatives supporting devolution. Oh my!
2:47 PM: channel4news RT: @PlaceFarm: Are any Tories tweeting on #cpc09 or is twitter really so left wing?
2:47 PM: channel4news
2:48 PM: channel4news Some similar claims from Cameron - "Next year, Gordon Brown will spend more money on the interest on our debt than on schools."
2:48 PM: channel4news Tough choices - the only responsible thing to do he says.
2:49 PM: channel4news
2:49 PM: channel4news Video update: Cameron on his family.
2:50 PM: channel4news He's turned to the "difficult decision" to raise the pensions age.
2:50 PM: Matt Why does the public sector workers on low wages have to fork out for private sector problems. Answer me this Dave
2:51 PM: channel4news Pensioners don't want pity, he says, they want dignity and security in old age.
2:51 PM: channel4news And there's the sweetner - raising the basic state pension in line with earnings every year.
2:52 PM: channel4news And now to the topic that was hardly mentioned by his shadow chancellor on Tuesday - economic growth.
2:52 PM: channel4news It's not big government, it's new businesses and industries that will bring about growth, he says.
2:53 PM: channel4news "Self-belief is infectious and I want it to spread again throughout our country," he says. "We must be the people who release Britain's potential."
2:53 PM: cathynewman Cameron says tories will be the people to 'release britain's potential'
2:54 PM: channel4news "Quick word" for Gordon on financial regulation - "You want to keep it the same. We say it needs to change."
2:54 PM: channel4news Back to talking about society: "What kind of society do we hope to build?"
2:54 PM: cathynewman Cameron wants the football world cup in britain in 2018
2:55 PM: channel4news Backing for sports, including the bid for the football world cup.
2:55 PM: channel4news "Big government has all too often helped cause" social problems by "undermining the personal and social responsibility", he says.
2:55 PM: Matt World cup. I'm sceptical we can pull that off
2:56 PM: RosiePark @channel4news It's been a lovely sunny day in Manchester today, but I can actually see a dark storm cloud forming...
2:56 PM: channel4news Cameron: "30 years ago this party won an election fighting against 98 per cent tax rates for the richest. I want us to show even more anger about 98 per cent tax rates for the very poorest in our country!"
2:57 PM: channel4news A standing ovation ensues...
2:57 PM: channel4news It continues to ensue...
2:57 PM: channel4news Cameron: "In the great fight we will have to achieve social justice in Britain, there is one person we can really rely on."
2:57 PM: channel4news Who might it be? Iain Duncan Smith!
2:57 PM: cathynewman big applause for cameron saying he wants tories to be as angry about high taxes for poor as party was 30 yrs ago about high taxes for rich
2:58 PM: channel4news From Jon Snow:

His reference to Gordon Brown’s regulatory system having brought about the banking crisis is a little risky.
It was the Tories who argued for even lighter regulation.

One month before the crunch, John Redwood’s regulatory commission, which Cameron set up, argued for still less regulation in the mortgage industry.
2:58 PM: channel4news Applauserama takes hold of the hall yet again.
2:58 PM: cathynewman Iain duncan smith gets government job if tories win next election
2:58 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Labour has the arrogance to think they are the ones to fight poverty and deprivation."
2:59 PM: channel4news Cameron to Labour: "Don't you dare lecture us on poverty!"
2:59 PM: channel4news Standing ovation. Everyone up on their fight. Down with poverty!
2:59 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We will start with what is most important to me... Britain's families"
2:59 PM: channel4news
2:59 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I believe a stable, loving home is the most precious gift any child can have."
3:00 PM: channel4news Video update: Cameron on the debt crisis
3:00 PM: cathynewman Cameron angrily accuses labour of making the poorest poorer and gets standing ovation...
3:00 PM: channel4news Cameron: "By recognising marriage and civil partnerships, by abolishing the couple penalty in benefits, we can make it that little bit easier."
3:00 PM: channel4news Cameron: "SureStart will stay, and we will improve it. We will keep flexible working and extend it."
3:01 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We will transform Britain's army of health visitors who do so much to help our families."
3:01 PM: chrisglasman @channel4news 96% tax rate? One for Channel4 News' Fact Checker I think...
3:01 PM: channel4news Clapplause...
3:01 PM: channel4news Cameron: "But making our country more family-friendly is not just about what the government does... It's about what we all do."
3:01 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Why do so many magazines and websites and music videos make children insecure?"
3:02 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We give our children more and more rights, yet seem to trust our teachers less and less."
3:02 PM: channel4news Camera homes in on Michael Gove...
3:02 PM: channel4news Cameron: "It's about everyone taking responsibililty."
3:02 PM: Benjamin Cohen Cameron: Iain DuncanSmith be in gov to mend society. But he said samesex partners non-biological parent rights should be downgraded bit.ly
3:02 PM: channel4news Cameron: "But we cannot expect families to behave responsibly when the welfare system seems to work in the opposite direction."
3:03 PM: channel4news Cameron: "There are 2 million children growing up in Britain in homes where nobody works... We have to break this cycle of welfare dependency."
3:04 PM: channel4news Cameron's gone a bit... digital. The feed from Manchester has broken up - and just when it was getting exciting - a personal anecdote.
3:04 PM: benjamincohen Cameron reads second letter from a voter. Good case study of someone forced to claim incapacity benefits
3:04 PM: channel4news Cameron: "If you really cannot work, we will look after you. But if you can work, you should work. You should not live off the hard work of others."
3:05 PM: channel4news Cameron: "There's one thing that matters more than anything - that the people I love are healthy and well."
3:05 PM: channel4news Cameron now returning to a theme he has broached in earlier speeches, about his own family's reliance in the past on the health service.
3:05 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: My family owes a lot to NHS. Real commitment there, "it's a lot better to the alternative"
3:05 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We will never change the idea at the heart of our NHS, that healthcare is available to everyone based on need, not the ability to pay."
3:06 PM: channel4news But the NHS has got to change, says the Conservative leader.
3:06 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Labour have tried to run the NHS like a machine - but it is a living, breathing institution made up of people."
3:06 PM: channel4news Cameron: "This Andrew Lansley's reforms we will give the NHS back to people."
3:06 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: NHS must change, for too many people it's not good enough. Maybe if NHS IT always worked, it would be better? (see tweets passim)
3:07 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We will give doctors back their professional responsibility, but in exchange they will be subject to patient accountability."
3:07 PM: channel4news Cameron: "This party is the party of the NHS - today, tomorrow, now, always" (He means the Tories)
3:07 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: This party is party of NHS, now, today and always
3:07 PM: channel4news Cameron: "That instinct to protect the people we love is so strong."
3:07 PM: channel4news Cameron touches on the sorry tale of Fiona Pilkingston, the mother who, with her disabled daughter, was driven to suicide by "those vile thugs that bullied her".
3:08 PM: channel4news Cameron: "She could only see one way out - she put her daughter in her care, drove to a lay-by, and set it on fire."
3:08 PM: channel4news Cameron: "By ending their lives, she was keeping them safe."
3:08 PM: benjamincohen Cameron reference to Fiona Pilkington who was bullied to death by thugs -killed her self & her disabled daughter, Cameron looks teary eyed
3:08 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Just think about what we have allowed to happen in our country."
3:08 PM: channel4news Cameron: "It was about the breakdown of all those things that are meant to keep us safe."
3:09 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Every part of our criminal justice system is failing under the weight of big government targets and bureaucracy."
3:09 PM: channel4news Cameron: "The prisons are not rehabilitating offenders because they are focused on meeting 33 different performance indicators. This all needs to change" Applause ensues.
3:09 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: 33 different performance indicators for prison service, needs to change.
3:09 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I'm not going to stand here and promise you a country where nothing bad ever happens."
3:10 PM: benjamincohen Apparently Cameron sounds posher when he's agree according to a lot of Tweeters
3:10 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We cannot rebuild social responsibility from on high. But the least we can do is pledge to all those people who are scared... that with a Conservative government... we will be there to protect you."
3:10 PM: benjamincohen Cameron is making sure he name checks everyone in the Shadow cabinet #cpc09
3:10 PM: channel4news Cameron: "This party knows only too well the pain and the grief that terrorism can bring."
3:10 PM: malcolm boughen The party of the NHS
3:11 PM: channel4news Cameron goes on to refer to the Brighton bombing in 1984 - he cites Margaret Tebbit and others, "who still bear the scares of that night".
3:11 PM: channel4news Cameron: "To build a responsible society, we need to teach our children properly."
3:12 PM: channel4news "When I watch my daughter skip across the playground to start her first term... I want to know that every available penny of the edcation budget is following her into the classroom."
3:12 PM: channel4news Cameron: "This is my child, this is my money... Give the money to the headteacher and stop wasting it in Whitehall."
3:12 PM: channel4news Cameron: "But it's not just about the money, it's about values."
3:13 PM: channel4news Cameron: "We know that competitive sport is important."
3:13 PM: cathynewman I have to report a guy in front of me is fast asleep...
3:13 PM: channel4news Cameron cites the example of private education - he promises state education will also offer the things that parents want.
3:13 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: calls for discipline, setting and sport but says u find it private schools. At JFS, the great comprehensive I went to had that
3:14 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Big government has totally failed in state education, and with Michael Gove we'll get the radical change that Britain's parents want."
3:14 PM: channel4news Cameras focus in on Michael Gove - again.
3:14 PM: cathynewman Cameron promises radical change for schools. Guy in front woke up momentarily but is fast asleep again now
3:14 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I am passionate about our union - and I will never do anything that puts it at risk."
3:14 PM: cathynewman Cameron says he's passionate about the union
3:15 PM: cathynewman Cameron's losing his voice...like me...
3:15 PM: channel4news Cameron's name-checking his way through his shadow cabinet - Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg did the same, though perhaps this lot are more recognisable.
3:15 PM: benjamincohen Cameron proud of fighting in every part of the UK which is unique
3:15 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Britishness is an emotional connection to a way of life, an attitude, a set of institutions."
3:16 PM: channel4news "To be British is to be open-minded... if you've got something to offer, then this is a place you can call home."
3:16 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: Brits don't care about who u are & where you are from. But calls for limits on immigration #cpc09
3:16 PM: channel4news Cameron: "But... we need limits on mass immigration."
3:16 PM: channel4news Cameron: "To be British is to be generous" - he cites the example of Comic Relief, which raised more than ever, despite the recession.
3:16 PM: channel4news "I'm proud that we have said we'll ringe-fence the budget for international development."
3:16 PM: channel4news Cameron: "To be British is to be sceptical of authority and sceptical of the powers that be."
3:17 PM: channel4news Cameron promises to sweep away the "rotten edifice" of the surveillance society.
3:17 PM: channel4news Cameron: "And to be British is to have an instinctive love of our countryside and our natural world."
3:17 PM: benjamincohen Cameron :ring fence the budget for international development. Yay- my other half works for DFID so mortgage safe if they win #cpc09
3:18 PM: channel4news Cameron says global cooperation on climate change requires leadership - what we need at the December Copenhagen summit
3:18 PM: cathynewman Climate change gets a passing mention. What happened to dave the polar explorer?
3:18 PM: channel4news Cameron says thay today our parliament is in a serious state of decline.
3:18 PM: channel4news "The expenses scandal made it a laughing stock."
3:18 PM: cathynewman Expenses scandal turned parliament into a laughing stock, cameron says
3:19 PM: channel4news Cameron: "This is not over -we are just starting the job of building the new politics we need in Britain."
3:19 PM: cathynewman Cameron promises big shake up of politics
3:19 PM: channel4news "We need to redistribute power and responsibility - it is your community, so you should have control over it."
3:20 PM: channel4news Cameron: calls for decentralisation, transparency and accountability in the European Union. Applause.
3:20 PM: channel4news Cameron notes that progressive left-wingers have in recent years fallen blindly in love with the EU.
3:20 PM: channel4news Gary Gibbon's blog: I still think, just on the atmospherics, this is a little bit flat. blogs.channel4.com
3:20 PM: cathynewman Tories would fight to get back 'powers the eu shouldn't have'. Referendum on that if he doesn't get his way??
3:20 PM: channel4news Cameron offers a reform plan for Europe: let us return to democratic and accountable politics those powers the EU should not have.
3:21 PM: channel4news Applause again for William Hague, "the man who will be our new foreign secretary".
3:21 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: EU is undemocratic. Good for climate change etc, but return to democratic politics for others. Hague will make it happen #cpc09
3:21 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Family, community, country, recognising that what holds a society together is responsibility."
3:22 PM: channel4news Cameron: the problems we face are big and urgent - mending our broken society.
3:22 PM: channel4news Cameron: we must fix "our broken politics" otherwise we will never reform public services.
3:22 PM: channel4news There's the broken society again.
3:22 PM: cathynewman Family, community, society the 3 key themes of cameron's speech
3:22 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I know that whatever plans you make in opposition, it is the unpredictable events that come to dominate a government."
3:23 PM: channel4news Cameron: "You can never prove you are ready for everything that will come your way as prime minister."
3:23 PM: cathynewman Character and judgment count for more than policies and manifesto cameron says
3:23 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I've seen what happens when you take every decision and turn it into a political calculation - that was, that is, Gordon Brown."
3:23 PM: benjamincohen Cameron: Brown turns every decision into a massive political calculation #cpc09
3:24 PM: channel4news "In a Conservative Britain, if you strive to earn a wage, you will be better off... if you start your own business, we will be right behind you... If you risk your safety to stop a crime, we will stand by you..." - David Cameron
3:24 PM: channel4news Cameron: "And if you risk your life to fight for your country, we will always honour you."
3:25 PM: channel4news Cameron: "Ask me what a Conservative government will stand for and it is this - if you take responsibility we will reward you, and if you cannot we will look after you."
3:25 PM: channel4news Cameron says that there are reasons to believe - yes, it will be a steep climb, but the view from the summit will be worth it.
3:26 PM: channel4news It's the Climb Every Mountain approach, as prediced on this blog two hours ago.
3:26 PM: channel4news Cameron now going big on the vision thing: "I see a country..." - shades of Martin Luther King, perhaps.
3:26 PM: channel4news Cameron: "I see a country where the poorest children go to the best schools - birth should never be a barrier."
3:27 PM: malcolm boughen Very different from Mrs T - the anti-politics politician
3:27 PM: channel4news Cameron: "When we look back we will say... that it was the businesswoman, the police officer, the father, the teacher, that made it happen. You made it happen!"
3:27 PM: channel4news Standing ovation, clapplause, movement, silent "thank yous".
3:28 PM: channel4news Cameron steps down from the podium, brings up his wife, kisses her, exchanges a joke (I wonder which joke it was?). And now they're playing I'm A Believer on the PA system.
3:29 PM: channel4news The clapping is moving inexorably to the rhythm of the music.
3:29 PM: channel4news Cameron and wife moves into walkabout mode. George Osborne seen clapping - uneasily? - in time with the Monkees classic.
3:29 PM: channel4news "I really enjoyed giving that speech," Cameron tells a member of the crowd.
3:30 PM: Ed Fraser The Monkeys - who'd have thought?
3:30 PM: channel4news Samantha and David move up the stairs (have you ever noticed how politicians usually skip up the stairs?)
3:31 PM: channel4news Say what you like about the rhetoric, the music at this conference has been, well, eclectic. They're now playing Bryan Ferry's Let's Stick Together.
3:31 PM: jockstrap @channel4news thatchers plan worked ther eis no scoiety!
3:31 PM: channel4news Apparently bookies stopped taking bets on the colour of David Cameron's conference speech tie well before 2.15. The most popular prediction was blue.
3:32 PM: channel4news Cameron and wife now sweep out of the conference centre into the blazing Mancunian sunlight.
3:32 PM: channel4news
3:33 PM: channel4news Video update: Cameron on the EU: "Let’s work together on the things where the EU can really help"
3:33 PM: channel4news The conference hall is now emptying. I thought George Osborne might have hung around for some more music, but no...
3:35 PM: channel4news On the assumption that the entire membership of the Conservative shadow cabinet has now gone backstage and is reading this live blog, could one of you inform me: what is David Cameron's favourite Smiths song?
3:35 PM: channel4news Dancing on the Street has just ended - is this the final musical contribution to the afternoon? It's a very gradual fade-out. Perhaps the DJ will slip in a crafty Things Can Only Get Better?
3:38 PM: channel4news The oratory, the rhetoric, the promises, the "economy with the truth" - all now passed. If you're still watching, check out our Snowclouds, FactChecks, Twitters and analyses of what's been said. Until next year, happy voting.
3:41 PM: Geoff I'm on the 8th floor in Manchester city centre, looking out south and can confirm it is sunny with autumn shades. Winter approaching for Labour?
3:41 PM: channel4news The team will also be back on Channel 4 News at 7 with their verdict of the speech. And if you get withdrawal symptoms now the conference season is finished, you can recap all our coverage online. www.channel4.com

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Review: David Cameron's speech

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