Something of the trite!

David Cameron today made what was probably the most crucial speech of his political career. It will probably be his last opportunity to lay out his case to a big audience, before Gordon Brown asks for a dissolution. It's become so important as the Conservative lead over Labour has significantly lessened in recent weeks. and the prospects of a hung parliament loom even more starkly. If the latest poll, showing a 2% lead, were repeated at the election, it would be difficult for them to gain a majority, even if they do have a lead in the marginals.

Cameron had two tasks ahead of him as he walked onto the platform at Brighton. Ironic in that this was the very stage where Gordon brown launched Labour's fightback at the October Conference. The first was to rally the Conservative troops, and send them out to try and win the Tories first election since 1992. The second, was to lay out a vision, and to explain why voting Conservative would be in Britain's best interests.

The atmosphere at the Conference was in stark contrast to that at the Manchester Conference, which had a real air of triumphalism about it. Indeed , part of the Conservative problem was that they became complacent, and seemed to believe that all they needed to do was stay together, and victory was assured. This may well account for their reluctance to be clear on policy, outside of generalisations to appear different to the government. They were very wary of making any statements that could cause divisions.

It has, therefore, been to the dismay of all Conservative supporters, to see the healthy fourteen point lead they had in the polls following the Conference season, almost disappear. There have been a number of reasons for this. Despite his best efforts, ever since he became leader Cameron has tried to be a modern leader, with his webcameron site, and allowing cameras into his home. This was a form of politics new to Britain, and was an attempt to make David Cameron seem the ordinary family man, 'Dave' someone you can connect with.

However, Cameron hasn't managed to do this! I don't think this is actually really connected to his background, but more to the fact that because there is an impression that he has been inconsistent on policy, and not come up with a vision for his new 'compassionate Conservatism.'
He has failed to convince the public that his Conservative party is different from the view many have of it as 'the nasty party,' so vividly described by then chair Theresa May in 2002.

In recent weeks, the Conservatives have suffered a number of setbacks. Firstly there was the row over the so called 'marriage tax,' a series of proposals designed to give tax breaks to married couples. Now this is entirely in line with Conservative principles, but that is exactly its problem. It takes us back to a time which the Tories believe existed in the 1950s. It does not fit in with twenty-first century Britain, a country in which the idea of family has changed substantially.

In a recent interview on Radio Four's Woman's Hour, he described marriage as 'the right thing to do,' which although it may well be something he firmly believes in, does not suit our modern age. The emails were substantially against Cameron's stance, and the policy does appear to discriminate against single parents, unmarried couples, and gay couples who are not able to marry, but confined to civil partnerships.

This has been swiftly followed by the seemingly changing policy on budgets cuts. Last October they appeared to be indicating that cuts would need to start immediately, but at the end of January, Cameron, in an interview said there would not be 'swingeing cuts' which seemed to take a step back from this. However, more recently, the policy has firmed up again, and this inconsistency leaves the public uncertain of where the Conservatives stand. This is compounded by their refusal to say exactly what would be cut and by how much.

However, one thing that has done the Conservatives a lot of damage has been the way they have made Gordon Brown the centre of their attacks. They were very quick to jump on the bandwagon over the bullying accusations, but this has spectacularly backfired. The affairs of the charity have been exposed as somewhat dubious, and the unethical behaviour of the head, led to the resignation of all the patrons. Indeed, despite the headlines they tried to squeeze out of this story, today's poll shows that the majority are doubtful of the truth of the story. The misjudgement the leadership made in this area, just ties in with the doubts people are having about the party.

These are exactly the kind of personal attacks people are fed up with from their politicians. Picking apart policy is one thing, but by focussing everything on the Prime Minister, it just seems the Conservatives are lacking ideas, and therefore attempting to make Gordon Brown's personality a factor.

David Cameron has tried very hard to make changes in the Conservative party. He has encouraged many more women and minority candidates in winnable seats to stand, and to be selected. Though recent events in Suffolk and Westminster indicates there is still a way to go. Today he described Britain, accurately as, "(T)olerant, compassionate, brilliant, multi-racial," and that the Tories were now like that.

I may not believe that the Tory party, or David Cameron are ready to run this country, but I am happy to accept that he has tried very hard to make the party more reflective of our society.

The speech itself was short, lasting just over half an hour, and was notable for a lack of detail, and costings. There were no new initiatives, no big vision of how the Conservative Party would go about making the changes they want to. By making it so short, he was attempting to avoid having to fill in the substance, but it just left us with more questions than answers.

In education, he repeated the plans to encourage small independent schools, based on the Swedish system. However, the education system in Sweden was always much more restrictive, and it is now under scrutiny and as Helena Holmlund and Sandra McNally have said it costs much more than the Tories are claiming, is unnecessary, and 'has not been an amazing success.'

He went back to the 'broken society' mantra, something the Conservatives have been claiming for some time now. But claims that there are 100 knife crimes a day in Britain, which would equate to nearly 40,000 a year. A claim that is grossly inflated, as the last set of crime survey figures show less than 18,000. Whilst these figures are still too high, Cameron's deliberate misreading is not worthy of him, and his Shadow Home Office spokesman, Chris Grayling, recently received a ticking off from the head of the statistics authority for misuse of statistics.

As could be expected the economic situation featured heavily, but as could be expected from David Cameron's old style Conservative Party, the emphasis was on business, not people. There would be cuts in corporation tax, and the hope that business will lead us out of the crisis. However, there was no talk of investment in these businesses, just vague comments about encouraging new ones to be established. He made no attempt to explain how this investment he wants would be encouraged, though I suspect he meant his plan to allow his corporate buddies to buy up bank shares, at cut price rates.

This was the issue with the whole speech. It lacked a coherent structure, for recovery, or for social change. Lots of vague promises, but nothing with any substance behind it. No ideas where the cuts that are needed would be made. No costings for the 'army of health visitors to help mum and dad when the new child arrives.' He spoke of the achievements of Conservative councils, yet an article in the Spectator by Ross Clark spoke about how Essex County Council, David Cameron's flagship, had failed to make statutory payments to residents affected by a relief road. Is this how David Cameron would run a Conservative government? Reneging on its legal responsibilities to Britain's citizens!

David Cameron feels he has a 'patriotic duty' to win the next General Election. Well 'Dave', fortunately it is the people of Britain who will decide, based upon who they think will stand up for them the most, and not you, or Gordon Brown. However, when he uttered this phrase, the delegates, were very slow to applaud. It was almost as if the applause sign had broken down, and someone had to tell them when to clap.

This sort of arrogance is reminiscent of 'Old' Tory, not new. As is their emphasise on the private sector, whilst punishing the public. Their pay freeze will affect all teachers, and all other civil servants above anything but entry level. They will be punishing these hard working men and women by giving them an effective pay cut, and then cutting back substantially on the services that everybody needs. You can airbrush the surface, and make the party look more like Britain today, but underneath, it's still the same old Tories.

As I watched the speech, I was constantly waiting for that big idea. I'm not going to vote Conservative, but I was expecting that something, that meant I could see why people would be prepared to elect David Cameron as the Prime Minister. But the look of contempt throughout on Ken Clarke's face, told me a lot. The vacuousness of the Tory platform is plain to see, and therefore dangerous. On Andrew Marr's show today, George Osborne was saying that an economic plan was not possible, until they were in government, and could talk to the bank of England. How can the British people put their faith iin a party that won't tell them what they are prepared to do for the economy, until they're in power?

They seriously cannot expect the British public to put their faith in such insubstantial ideas? The conservatives have fallen in the polls, because nobody knows what they stand for, only who they stand with. David Cameron repeatedly said he would be frank with us, but all I can say is, that Frank must have gone back to his day job warning us against drugs.

Looming behind David Cameron, throughout was William Hague. Now transposed to being the front man for the campaign, Cameron seems even smaller next to Hague. A man who was leader too soon, at a time when no one would have been able to lead the Conservatives to victory. A man of real substance, sitting there, having to listen to all these vague, insubstantial promises.

Anne Widdecombe once said there was, 'Something of the night!' about a former Conservative leader. I fear that with David Cameron there is, 'Something of the trite,' and that the old fashioned, pro-big business anti-public services Conservative party is what he really represents, and that it is the ordinary people of Britain that will suffer.