David Cameron on the Conservative Party Conference

Sep 29 2008 by Emma McKinney, Birmingham Mail

WHERE better to have the largest conference we’ve had in recent times than in what is, outside of the capital, Britain’s economic powerhouse and most visited city.

We haven’t been to Birmingham since the tradition started of hosting conferences in seaside resorts, but this is actually the Conservative Party’s eighth conference here.

There won’t be long to wait for number nine though, everyone has enjoyed being here so much that we intend to return soon.

We don’t want to just turn up, consume an estimated 45,000 cups of your coffee, and have a load of private members-only meetings.

In everything we’ve done in the last few years we’ve tried to open the party out to local people, whether it be through open primaries to select our candidates, or regular town-hall style meetings where I answer unscripted questions from local people.

That’s why this year, in a first for a political party, we’ve brought the conference to Birmingham by opening some of the main events to people without conference passes.

Conference Extra includes a summit this morning on issues facing the elderly, and an event tomorrow morning looking at environmental challenges.

Birmingham residents are also welcome to attend the hundreds of fringe events that are being held outside of the conference zone, and watch what’s going on in the main hall by checking out the live video feed on the new-look conservatives.com.

We’ve even given a number of independent Birmingham-based bloggers VIP passes for the conference so that they can see it for themselves and report back to their readers.

But we’re not just here talking about our plan for change, we’re rolling up our sleeves and bringing about the kind of change we want to see.

Our party has been involved in a social action project in Welsh House Farm estate for several months, and already hundreds of party members attending conference have been taking time out to get stuck in to renovating the outdoor sport area and youth centre.

I know that with the long-term commitment from local community activists like Simon and Rachel Jay, Guy Hordern and parliamentary candidate Deirdre Alden, this is just the start of something special.

Our candidates around the country are getting involved in social action projects like this because we have a positive bottom-up view of society, in contrast to Labour’s depersonalised, distrusting, top-down approach.

And what better – and sadder – example of that approach is there than their crazy decision to close fifty post offices after one of their so-called consultations.

Our first session of the conference was devoted to the past, present and future of Birmingham, and it showed how this great city shares a lot of history with our great party.

With the Conservative-led Council spearheading regeneration in the city and a diverse and dynamic team of parliamentary candidates, I hope we will share a great future together too.