Tory faithful told: You must change
Change was the key message put out by senior Conservatives today, as they began their first party conference with David Cameron in charge.
The Tory leader, David Davis, William Hague and Francis Maude all used their opening speeches in Bournemouth to stress to the party faithful that although they might not like it, the party had to modernise.
The conference itself has received a makeover, with the addition of a juice bar just one example of Mr Cameron’s influence, and the new party logo – an oak tree – is everywhere.
“I have great ambitions for our future. And I want the party I love to serve the country I love in helping Britain be the best that it can. We need to change in order to have that chance,” Mr Cameron told delegates this afternoon.
“You cannot shape the future if you’re stuck in the past. You knew that, and that’s why you voted for change – although perhaps there was more than you’d expected.”
Earlier, former Tory leader William Hague gave his full backing to the drive for change, saying he would give Mr Cameron “the most unwavering support”.
“If we want to make a difference we need to change with Britain. The British people want a change of government. They need us to change, because they need us to win. All of us have work to do, so let us now perform it,” he said.
Shadow home secretary David Davis – who came second in the race to become Tory leader last December – also gave his support to the modernising drive.
“If we’re going to have any chance of changing perceptions we have to change our preoccupations.the battle is no longer about defeating the government, it is now about winning the people,” he told delegates.
“We have to talk about things that matter to ordinary voters.”
Delegates seem happy with Mr Cameron’s performance so far, and gave him a standing ovation at the beginning and end of his speech today. But there are concerns that he may be straying too far from traditional Tory policies.
“He’s definitely trying to set out a new idea for the Conservatives but he’s got to make sure he can keep the core vote on side,” delegate Peter Gutteridge told politics.co.uk.
“That’s one of the things he is going to do this week.We’ve had a lot of marketing so far, now we’ve got to start having some substance.”
However, Doris Pim from Havant seemed unfased by Mr Cameron’s lack of detailed policies, saying: “He can’t promise anything, he’s not in a position to.He doesn’t know what he’s going to find if he gets elected.
“But you can see the way he’s going and that’s all we can expect at the moment and we can build on that.”
