Диссертация (1168845), страница 93
Текст из файла (страница 93)
Mixed wards – down. The number of managers – down. Bureaucratic targets –down. Hospital infections – down.And what’s up? The number of doctors, the number of dentists, the number of midwives, the numberof operations carried out in our NHS.So be in no doubt: this is the party of the NHS and that’s the way it’s going to stay.We made a big decision to go on saving lives abroad too. I know some are sceptical about our aidbudget.
But picture the scene – you’re in a health centre in Kinshasa. See the child with a needle in herarm, being injected with a Yellow Fever vaccine …the difference between living and dying…… how can anyone tell me that’s a waste of money.Since we gathered here in Birmingham on Sunday, British aid money has vaccinated 130 thousandchildren around the world. One hundred and thirty thousand children.You, the Conservative party helped do that, and you should be proud of what you’ve done.Here’s something else this party’s done in government.
Last December I was at a European Council inBrussels. It was three in the morning, there was a treaty on the table that was not in Britain’sinterests…… and twenty five people around that table were telling me to sign it.But I did something that no other British leader has ever done before …I said no – Britain comes first– and I vetoed that EU treaty.We’re doing big, Conservative things.For years people said you’ll never reform public sector pensions, the trade unions won’t stand for it.Well, we’ve done it, and it’s going to cut the cost to the taxpayer almost in half.493For years people said benefits are out of control and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Well, becauseof our welfare cap, no family will be getting more in benefits than the average family earns.For years people asked why we couldn’t get rid of those radical preachers who spout hatred aboutBritain while living off the taxpayer …… well, Theresa May – a great Home Secretary - has done it – and she’s got Abu Hamza on that planeand out of our country to face justice.Be proud of what we’ve done already. Two million of the lowest-paid workers being taken out ofincome tax altogether. Over eighteen million households helped with a freeze in their council tax – andwe’re freezing it all over again next year too.BRITAIN ON THE RISEBig, Conservative things - delivered by this government; made possible by this party.
We can deliver.We can do big things.The Olympics reminded us how great it feels to be successful. But we mustn’t let that warm glow giveus a false sense of security. All around the world, countries are on the rise.Yes, we’ve been hearing about China and India for years …but it’s hard to believe what’s happeningin Brazil, in Indonesia, in Nigeria too.Meanwhile, the old powers are on the slide. What do the countries on the rise have in common?They are lean, fit, obsessed with enterprise, spending money on the future – on education, incredibleinfrastructure and technology.And what do the countries on the slide have in common?They’re fat, sclerotic, over-regulated, spending money on unaffordable welfare systems, huge pensionbills, unreformed public services.I sit in those European Council meetings where we talk endlessly about Greece …… while on the other side of the world, China is moving so fast it’s creating a new economy the size ofGreece every three months.I am not going to stand here as Prime Minister and allow this country to join the slide.
My job – ourjob - is to make sure that in this twenty first century, as in the centuries that came before, our country,Britain, is on the rise. And we here know how that is done.It is the collective result of individual effort and aspiration …… the ideas you have, the businesses you start, the hours you put in.Aspiration is the engine of progress. Countries rise when they allow their people to rise. In this worldwhere brains matter more, where technologies shape our lives, where no-one is owed a living …themost powerful natural resource we have is our people.Not just the scientists, the entrepreneurs, the engineers ... not just the teachers, the parents, the nurses… but all our people: including the poorest, those who’ve never had a job, never had a chance, neverhad hope.That’s why the mission for this government is to build an aspiration nation … to unleash and unlockthe promise in all our people.And for us Conservatives, this is not just an economic mission – it’s also a moral one.
It’s not justabout growth and GDP …… it’s what’s always made our hearts beat faster – aspiration; people rising from the bottom to the top.Line one, rule one of being a Conservative is that it’s not where you’ve come from that counts, it’swhere you’re going.We’ve been led by the daughter of a grocer, the son of a music hall performer ... by a Jew when Jewswere marginalised, by a woman when women were sidelined. We don’t look at the label on the tin; welook at what’s in it.Let me put that another way. We don’t preach about one nation but practise class war …we just getbehind people who want to get on in life.The doers. The risk takers.
The young people who dream of their first pay-cheque, their first car, theirfirst home – and are ready and willing to work hard to get those things.494While the intellectuals of other parties sneer at people who want to get on in life, we here salute you.They call us the party of the better-off … no: we are the party of the want to be better-off, those whostrive to make a better life for themselves and their families – and we should never, ever be ashamed ofsaying so.THE RIGHT IDEASThis party has a heart but we don’t like wearing it on our sleeve.
Conservatives think: let’s just get onwith the job and help people and not bang on about it. It’s not our style. But there’s a problem withthat.It leaves a space for others to twist our ideas and distort who we are: the cartoon Conservatives whodon’t care. My mission from the day I became leader was to change that. Yes, to show theConservative party is for everyone: North or South, black or white, straight or gay.But above all - to show that Conservative methods are not just the way we grow a strong economy, butthe way we build a big society.That Conservative methods are not just good for the strong and the successful but the best way to helpthe poor, and the weak, and the vulnerable.Because it’s not enough to know our ideas are right – we’ve got to explain why they are compassionatetoo.
Because we know what we’re up against.We say we’ve got to get the private sector bigger and the public sector smaller…our opponents call it‘Tory cuts, slashing the state’. No: it’s the best way to create the sustainable jobs people need.We say help people become independent from welfare …our opponents call it: ‘cruel Tories, leavingpeople to fend for themselves.’No: there is only one real route out of poverty and it is work.We say we’ve got to insist on a disciplined, rigorous education for our children … our opponents callit: ‘elitist Tories, old-fashioned and out of touch.’No: a decent education is the only way to give all our children a proper start in this world.The reason we want to reform schools, to cut welfare dependency, to reduce government spending isnot because we’re the same old Tories who want to help the rich... it’s because we’re the Tories whoseideas help everyone - the poorest the most.A strong private sector.
Welfare that works. Schools that teach. These three things are essential tohelping our people rise They are essential to our success in this world.And you know what – Labour will fight them all the way. So these things are not just the battle-groundfor Britain’s future … they are also the battle-lines for the next election – and it is a fight we’ve got towin, for our party and our country.ECONOMYTo help our people rise, then – number one – we need an economy that creates good jobs.
We needbusinesses, of every size, in every type of industry, in every part of the country – investing and takingpeople on.There are some basic things they need to do that. Low interest rates so they can afford to take out aloan.And confidence that it’s worth investing - because the customers will be there, whether at home orabroad. Getting the deficit down is essential for both.That’s why our deficit reduction plan is not an alternative to a growth plan: it’s the very foundation ofour growth plan. It’s the only way we’ll get Britain on the rise. Now I know you are asking whetherthe plan is working. And here’s the truth: the damage was worse than we thought, and it's taking longerthan we hoped.The world economy – especially in the Eurozone – has been much weaker than expected in the pasttwo years.
When some of our big trading partners like Ireland, Spain and Italy are suffering, they buyless from us. That hurts our growth and makes it harder to pay off our debts.But here is the crucial thing you need to know.495Yes it’s worse than we thought, yes it’s taking longer, but we are making progress. Thanks to the gritand resolve of George Osborne, we have cut a quarter off the deficit in the past two years. 25 per cent.That’s helped to keep interest rates at record low levels ...... keeping mortgages low. Leaving more money in your pockets.
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