Brown - no vision and no leadership

At Prime Minister's Questions, David Cameron accused Mr. Brown of failing to provide the "clear vision" and "strong leadership" that Britain needs.

He said Brown had lost control of his own party, after Wendy Alexander, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, had called for a referendum on Scottish independence.

When Brown refused to back Alexander's position on the referendum, David stressed, "It's not leadership if nobody is following him."

He attacked Brown's Government for "lurching from one relaunch to the next", and dismissed Labour's latest listening exercise as "empty words".

If Brown was serious about listening to the public, David said, he should scrap the early release of prisoners and the planned closures of local Post Offices.

David ended by telling Brown to "give up on the PR and concentrate on being PM."

Brown must fire Darling

David Cameron has called on Mr. Brown to fire Alistair Darling after the Chancellor's mishandling of the Northern Rock crisis.

David said Darling had lost his "credibility" after a string of disasters, including copying the Conservatives' Inheritance Tax plans, losing 25 million people's personal data and being forced into embarrassing u-turns on non-doms and Capital Gains Tax.

David accused Labour of having been "wracked by dithering, delay and indecision" since the Northern Rock crisis began, and said nationalisation was a "disaster for the British taxpayer, a disaster for this Government and a disaster for our country."

The Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, said the nationalisation of Northern Rock was a "monumental failure of Government policy".

And he said Labour should have followed the Conservative plan of a Bank of England led reconstruction.

A sub-prime deal from a sub-Prime Minister

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, David Cameron criticised Gordon Brown for refusing to answer important questions about the "damaging" deal for Northern Rock.

He compared him to "a used car salesman" who refuses to tell you the price and the mileage, and posed a number of vital questions that went unanswered:

- How much taxpayers are liable for

- How long it will take for the bonds to be paid back

- How much the Government paid to Goldman Sachs.

David attacked Labour's proposed rescue package, describing it as a "sub-prime deal from a sub-Prime Minister."

And he questioned Mr. Brown's judgement in taking a plane journey to China with Richard Branson, one of the principal bidders.

The hope of real change

David Cameron's New Year's message:

"I want 2008 to be the year in which we offer the people of this country the hope of real change, by setting out a clear and inspiring vision of what Britain will look like with a Conservative government.

So in place of Labour's hopeless mismanagement of the NHS, we will offer the hope of a health service where we get rid of the top-down centralisation and bureaucracy and make sure that taxpayers' money delivers the high quality service they've paid for and have a right to expect. In the year of the 60th anniversary of the NHS, we will be the party standing up for the NHS against yet more onslaughts from the Labour bureaucracy machine.

In place of Labour's hopeless acceptance of mediocrity in education, which has seen Britain tumble down the world league tables just when we need our children to be doing better than those in other countries, we will offer the hope of a decent education for every child, with immediate action to raise standards and radical reform to end the state monopoly over new school places.

In place of Labour's hopeless surrender to violence on our streets, with overcrowded prisons and police tied up in red tape, we will offer the hope of civilised communities which are safe for everyone, based on radical police reform and more prison places in prisons which actually reduce re-offending.

In place of Labour's hopeless failure on social breakdown which has left Britain with more children growing up in broken homes, higher unemployment and a £100 billion a year bill for social failure, we will offer the hope of real change: to strengthen families, reform welfare, and make British poverty history.

On the economy, on the environment, on defence and fighting terrorism, there are tremendous challenges ahead. In the fight against terrorism, we were reminded last week how hard the road to democracy is. The death of Benazir Bhutto must strengthen, not weaken our resolve to defeat the enemies of freedom.

This will be the year in which we show that there is hope for the future: that there is a clear and credible alternative to this hopeless and incompetent Labour government.

And let us be clear about the reason why.

It is not just that we offer the hope of a strong team of competent ministers to replace these weak, exhausted and second-rate Labour politicians.

It is not just that we offer the hope of a fresh start on policy after so many years of Labour headline-chasing short-term tricks with no real substance behind them.

It is that we offer a clear vision of the Britain we want to see, and a clear idea of how we will govern differently.

My vision for Britain is clear: to give people more opportunity and power over their lives, to make families stronger and society more responsible, and to make Britain safer and greener.

And we will inaugurate a new era in government: government for the post-bureaucratic age, where we devolve power to people and communities because we understand that a government that tries to control everything ends up not being able to run anything

I sense that Britain feels it's time for a change. There probably won't be a General Election this year but we will behave and work as though there is. And in doing so prove that you can once again trust a Conservative government to take this country forward.

We must show from the very beginning of and throughout this year that we can set the agenda with our new thinking and clear understanding of what people want for themselves and their family.

We have made good progress in the last two years. But I know it's not enough. Government is an immense responsibility and the public are right to look very closely at what we stand for and what we promise.

2007 was the year that Gordon Brown was finally found out. There has been no fresh start, no big vision, nothing but serial incompetence and a series of political calculations culminating in a cancelled general election.

When the election finally does come, I want people to know that the Conservative vision of opportunity, responsibility and security, delivered by a government for the post-bureaucratic age, will bring hope after the disappointment, failure and waste of this hopeless Labour government."

270,000 teachers not in teaching

New figures show that over a quarter of a million qualified teachers are no longer in teaching.

Michael Gove, the Shadow Children's Secretary, pointed the finger at Labour for forcing teachers out of the profession:

"I fear that a combination of classroom bureaucracy, Government micromanagement and poor discipline in too many schools has encouraged a drift away from teaching."

And he laid out plans to stop talent going to waste:

"We need to free teachers to inspire and give them the tools to enforce discipline so that schools have access to the widest range of talent."

Defence Secretary is a full-time job

David Cameron wrote to Gordon Brown on Friday to urge him to reconsider his decision to make the Defence Secretary a part-time post.

In the light of comments from five former military chiefs criticising the Prime Minister's decision, David wrote:

"At a time when our Forces are engaged in two highly dangerous missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the need for the Defence Secretary to be able to concentrate full-time on his role is surely a matter of plain common sense."

And David stressed to Gordon Brown the need to appoint someone who could devote his total attention to the role, "unencumbered by other responsibilities within Government."

The Prime Minister has made Des Browne, the current Defence Secretary, Scottish secretary as well.

The foundations of our security

He spoke about the many threats posed by failed states, and said a Conservative Government would be guided by 2 clear principles when it came to defence:

- Putting national security first - by promoting national cohesion, strengthening border protection, giving proper support to the army and ending the division between domestic and foreign security policy

- And replacing the doctrine of liberal interventionism with that of liberal conservatism - "You have to be hard-headed and practical in the pursuit of your values."

David also talked about his belief that "international co-operation should take place between like-minded political parties, as well as countries," and highlighted the co-operation between his Conservatives and Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat Party.

Brown must honour referendum promise

David Cameron has called on Gordon Brown to honour his promise to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, David quoted the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee's report which described the new EU Treaty as 'substantially equivalent' to the EU Constitution.

And he said the findings of this Labour-led Committee meant Ministers should stop arguing the EU Treaty was different from the EU Constitution and using that as an excuse not to hold a referendum.

He ended by calling on Brown to honour the promise he made in the 2005 General Election manifesto:

"You will remember telling the BBC the weekend before you became Prime Minister that 'the manifesto is what we put to the public. We've got to honour that manifesto. That is an issue of trust for me with the electorate'. This is indeed a matter of trust with the electorate. So, will you now honour the promise you made to the British people to hold a referendum?"

Brown's "humiliating retreat"

David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of "weakness" after his refusal to call an election and let the public vote for change.

Following the Prime Minister's disclosure to the BBC that he had decided against going to the country, David said that this was a "humiliating retreat".

"The prime minister - having marched his cabinet to the top of the hill - has now lost his nerve and is marching them back down again."

He accused Gordon Brown of political opportunism and stressed there was a very good reason for an election: Gordon Brown lacks a democratic mandate to rule this country.

"At the last election Tony Blair said he would serve a full term. In fact (not least because of Mr Brown's plotting and scheming), he served for just two years. That's why I have called upon Mr Brown to hold a general election from the moment he moved to No 10."

Writing in The Sunday Times, David said the party conference season had shown the contrast between "an exhausted Labour government with no new ideas for Britain's future and a revitalised Conservative party with a clear and intellectually coherent plan for real change."

Cameron: 'It's Time for Change'

David Cameron today (7th September) set out his programme for government and stressed the Conservatives are ready to fight an election, whenever it may be.

In a keynote speech, he outlined the changes made as a Party over the last two years, and laid out his belief in family, responsibility and opportunity.

He promised the political programme of his Government would be based on his desire to "give people more freedom and control over their lives".

And he concluded, "Gordon Brown just doesn't get it. When I look at him one phrase comes into my mind: "Oh ye of little faith." He has little faith in anyone but himself, little faith in the people of this country, the doctors, the nurses, the teachers, the police officers, any of us at all."

"I do have faith, faith in the men and women of Britain who make this country great and will make it greater still if we give them more power and control over their lives. Those are our values, that is our agenda, and this is our time."

"It's time for change. This will be the choice at the election: state control from Labour; freedom with the Conservatives. And we will say to the British people - choose freedom."

What kind of society do we want to be?

In a speech at Brize Norton, Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron outlined his concerns about our broken society.

He said: "The brutal and callous murder of Rhys Jones has shocked us all. It must not be allowed to become just another testimony of despair that shocks a nation one night and is then forgotten.

"Yes, some new steps may need to be taken. And, yes, my party stands ready to help in any way it can to make any changes that will actually make a difference. We'll never curb guns and drugs unless we secure our borders, which is why we need a proper border police force. We'll never make the public safe and the criminal scared unless our criminal justice system sends out an unambiguous message about punishment and deterrence. We'll never beat the criminal and secure our streets unless we free the Police from the paperwork, red tape and targets that have made them form writers rather than crime fighters. That's why police reform is so vital. And none of these things will make any difference if we don't build the prisons and train the necessary staff to run them.

"But in putting forward what I've called the three dimensional approach - measures on criminal justice, measures on policing and measures to strengthen society - let us recognise once and for all that it is the last of these three - changing our society and, frankly, changing our culture - that matters the most and where change is so desperately needed. Yes, strengthening families, strengthening communities, changing culture is the hardest, the most long-term and sometimes the most intangible of the three, but it is so much the most important."

David Cameron added: "So today I say that we should ask not just what we expect from our government in response to these dreadful crimes - but what do we expect from ourselves and from society? Just as the Military Covenant sets out what we - society - must do for our military, so today we should consider our obligations in tackling crime and building a stronger society. We need a Social Covenant.

"I'm not talking about a new set of words to express our national values. I'm talking about something more powerful than words. A national recognition that it is not just up to the Government to take responsibility for the state of our nation, it is up to all of us. To me this is what social responsibility is all about.

"And so we should ask, particularly of Government: not just have they acted swiftly in response to the latest crisis, but how do they discharge their responsibilities over the longer term? What values do they champion? What steps are they taking to create a culture of respect and responsibility? And this is where government has been found so wanting. All too often good behaviour is matched with punishment, poor behaviour with rewards. It is time for us to recognise that we cannot go on as we are."

Mr Cameron continued: "I don't know who killed Rhys Jones. But I do know this: no child in this country should be riding around on a BMX bike with a gun shooting other children. So if we are serious about saying we've had enough of all this. If we mean it when we say we won't put up with this any more. Let's be clear about what that means. It means fathers who run away from their responsibilities, who don't stick around to give their sons the discipline they need, should be treated like the selfish people they are. It means parents who don't know where their kids are and what they're up to at night should not just be helped to do their job properly - and God knows there's enough help available - they should be shamed into doing it."

He added: "But it's not just about parents. It's about our culture too. Magazines that see the glorification of 'getting wasted' as a circulation boost. Music businesses that grow fat on the profits of exploiting black youth. Movie and video game directors who push the boundaries of acceptable violence, and the regulators who meekly give in to them. You all have a responsibility. We can't change our society unless you change your ways.

"So what is it to be? Will these children have died in vain, soon to become another set of statistics on the road to an atomised and failing society? Or can we resolve today to choose hope over fear, to choose order over chaos, to choose to stop the cycle of violence and stop the pointless, tragic loss of life?

"This is not about politics, it's not about elections, it's about the kind of society we want to be and the choice is entirely in our own hands. All politicians have to offer are words - and even worse, mine are about the long term. But I profoundly believe that until we start thinking about our government, our society and our responsibilities in a new and different way we will not serve the interests of those who suffer so much today."