Not a traditionalist

Brief excerpts from David Cameron’s victory speech as Conservative Party leader.

I want us to give this country a modern compassionate Conservatism that is right for our times and right for our country.

I said when I launched my campaign that we needed to change in order to win. Now that I’ve won we will change.

We will change the way we look. Nine out of ten Conservative MPs, like me, are white men. We need to change the scandalous under-representation of women in the Conservative Party and we’ll do that.

We need to change the way we feel. No more grumbling about modern Britain. I love this country as it is not as it was and I believe our best days lie ahead. We need to change the way we think. It’s not enough just to talk about tackling problems in our inner cities—we have to have all of the right ideas for turning those communities around.

[There then follows a long list of public services he plans to improve. It is demoralizing that in Britain the main business of the national government is providing services to people.]

The sixth and the final challenge is at the heart of all the others, it is having social action to ensure social justice, and a stronger society.

To those watching at home, if you have a passion for positive politics, come and join us. If you want to build a modern, compassionate Conservative Party, come and join us. If you want me and all of us to be a voice for hope, for optimism and for change, come and join us. In this modern, compassionate Conservative Party, everyone is invited. Thank you.

A reader writes:

Please, have some pity, I just ate lunch!

One minute later, this came in from another reader:

Mr. Auster—I had no idea Karl Rove was moonlighting as a campaign consultant for the Tories. But then again, I didn’t see anything about “family values don’t stop at the English Channel,” or hear Mr. Cameron giving part of his address in Spanish. I mean, I am sure there are “jobs British citizens will not do” that need filling.

I want to vomit every time I hear any politician, but especially a supposedly conservative politician, use the word “compassion.” Apparently these stupid heads don’t understand that “compassion” is the business of religious organizations and private charities, not the government.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 09, 2005 02:19 PM | Send