CONFERENCE NEWS
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Are the Conservatives up
to this same challenge?
Of course not.
You can’t bring about a change of direction for Britain when you’re determined to emulate Tony Blair.
And you are no liberal when you plan to abolish Britain’s human rights laws.
You know what disappoints me about Mr Cameron?
Just when the rest of the country is turning its back on Blairism -
The spin, the photo-opportunities, the sound-bites, and the gimmicks -
The Tory leader wants to be the same.
We know real politics is about providing solutions.
As the Conservative leader shrinks from that challenge the Liberal Democrats are here to meet it.
Think about where we were a year ago.
People were writing us off.
They said three party politics was dead.
But you cannot write off liberalism.
You cannot write off the Liberal Democrats.
And what about the nonsense that we had to choose between social liberalism and economic liberalism.
All of that has stopped.
Because we have shown our determination to harness the market to deliver social justice.
Other parties may need to reposition or reinvent themselves.
But we are consistent in our views and our values.
And we are consistent in our beliefs.
We believe in liberalism.
We believe in democracy.
And on my watch our party is clear where we stand.
Clear on crime.
Clear on tax.
Clear on the environment.
We are not a pressure group.
We are a party of influence and power.
Everything we do from now to the next election should be to make us ready for the challenge that election will bring.
That means credible policy - action we could implement in Government.
Action that will make a practical difference to people’s lives.
Action that encourages social mobility and opportunity.
Action that’s based on the enduring values of liberal democracy.
And we have set the agenda.
Robust green, environmental solutions that would help Britain live up to its responsibilities to the next generation.
Robust, credible economic policies that aren’t about high taxes but about fair taxes.
Robust practical responses to crime – honesty in sentencing, making prison work, and community justice too.
Because together, we can cut crime.
But this is the challenge I want to set for us all over the next year.
On health, welfare and education we will be debating new ideas.
At the heart of these proposals will be our unswerving commitment to reduce poverty and inequality.
You can’t call yourself a Liberal Democrat unless you share that commitment.
The country cries out for sustainable, high quality local services in health, education and welfare.
We must establish a society in which the chances of an individual are not determined by their background or who their parents were.
A society in which everyone who has the potential, and is prepared to work hard can achieve success.
A society that looks after those who are less fortunate.
A society that is compassionate and generous.
That provides opportunity and encourages ambition.
But I tell you this.
Our approach to the public services will not be to throw money about.
The Liberal Democrats are not a tax and spend party.
We are a save and spend party.
We were right - in the 1990s – to argue for higher taxation for public services because the Tories had stripped our public services to the bone.
We were right - in 2001 – to argue for higher taxation for public services because Gordon Brown had stuck to Tory spending limits and little had changed.
And now taxes have gone up and some investment has been made.
And yes, there have been some improvements.
But so much of that investment has been wasted.
Taxpayers’ money wasted on initiatives that get headlines, but have no practical effect.
Taxpayers’ money wasted on a merry-go-round of reorganisation that leaves doctors, nurses and teachers tied up in red-tape, filling out forms and waiting for the next ministerial gimmick.
Taxpayers money wasted on this government’s Whitehall directed, target driven, wrong-headed, dogmatic obsession with command and control of the public services – yes, and control of peoples lives too.
So I say the tax burden doesn’t need to rise.
I say that we need to spend the public’s money better.
Our green tax switch is the first detailed plan by any major political party to shift the burden of tax away from people to pollution.
By increasing green taxes we can change the behaviour of polluters at a time when action to combat climate change has never been more needed.
And by increasing green taxes and abolishing generous tax subsidies that benefit the rich, we can afford to cut taxes for lower and middle income families.
And remember what that means.
By abolishing the 10 pence starting rate.
By cutting the basic rate from 22 pence to 20.
And by raising the top rate threshold from £38,000 to £50,000, we will cut the national income tax bill of 28 million people.
More than two million of the poorest tax payers will come out of national income tax altogether.
Don’t whisper it softly - shout it out loudly – Liberal Democrats would cut national income tax for those who need it most.
People keep asking me what my objectives for the next elections are.
So let me tell you now.
More votes, more seats, more influence.
And at these next elections – on May 3rd - that is what this party must aim for.
More votes across the country.
More seats in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.
And more influence in more councils across Britain.
But this is setting a tough target for ourselves - for we start from a high base.
So be under no illusions.
If we don’t work as hard as we can between now and May, we will not succeed.
There can be no room for complacency.
May is a crucial test for us, and we will only pass it if every Liberal Democrat joins with me to take our message out across the country.
And when we’re out there we’re going to be telling people exactly where we stand.
That our party is the party of freedom, fairness and the environment.
That we’re the only party campaigning to scrap the unfair council tax.
That our five steps to a safer Britain can cut crime and free people from fear.
That we’re the only party serious about the environment.
And tell them too about our record.
That across Britain - in government - we have delivered.
That across Britain - in government - we have kept our promises.
In Watford – graffiti being cleaned up by those who made the mess in the first place.
In Cardiff – faster response to out of hours calls to GPs.
And in Newcastle and Liverpool - crime falling.
We can be particularly proud of our record for fairness in national government in Scotland.
Fairness for young people – by abolishing tuition fees.
Fairness for the elderly – by giving free personal care.
And fairness for all voters beset by decades of inefficient Labour local government, with proportional representation in local elections for the first time this May – when every vote will count.
So whether you’re fighting elections in Scotland or Wales or fighting elections in England, make sure you tell the Liberal Democrat message.
Governing is an honour.
And it’s an honour that we should never take for granted.
When we leave Harrogate let us campaign as we have never campaigned before.
Let us work hard to win every extra vote and every extra seat.
For every extra vote and every extra seat will make our country and our communities freer, fairer and greener.
I tell you this now.
I’m not content to lead a party whose sole purpose is opposition.
Our clear direction must be government.
We want to govern, not because we think we were born to it like the Conservatives.
We want to govern, not because we want to control people’s lives like Labour.
We want to govern to give power back to the people.
And our ambition is to create a different kind of government.
A government elected by a system where every vote counts.
Government that frees people to make their own choices.
Government that’s compassionate and dedicated to the people it serves.
Government that safeguards the environment for the next generation.
Government fit for Britain in the 21st century.
Real democracy.
Liberal democracy.
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