Prime Minister David Cameron asked the UK to support him in his government’s bid to steer through the difficult times of deficit reduction twice saying, “Your country needs you.”
In his first speech to a Conservative Party Conference as Prime Minister, Cameron talked of citizenship, social responsibility and “The Big Society.”
He criticized Labor’s centralization, saying society is not a spectator sport and telling people they could fix every problem.
“It was the rest of us who swallowed it, hoping that if the government took care of things, perhaps we wouldn’t have to,” he added. “Too many people thought ‘I’ve paid my taxes, the state will just look after everything.’”
Of citizenship, he said, “is not a transaction, in which you put your taxes in and get your services out. It’s a relationship—you’re part of something bigger than yourself … So to get out of the mess we’re in, changing the government is not enough.
“We need to change the way we think about ourselves, and our role in society. Your country needs you.”
He said he could not promise a perfect country, “Just an achievable future of a life more fulfilled and fulfilling for everyone.”
Mr Cameron thanked Nick Clegg, the present Deputy Prime Minister of the coalition and leader of the Liberal Democrats, for not just sitting in government trying to win a few concessions here and there.
“At this time of great national challenge, two parties have come together to help make it happen.”
The government’s ultimate role, he said, is not to take from people but “to give power, to give control, to give everyone the chance to make the most of their own life and make better the lives of others.
“Yes, we will play our part—but the part you play will be even more meaningful. Your country needs you. It takes two. It takes two to build that strong economy.”
In his first speech to a Conservative Party Conference as Prime Minister, Cameron talked of citizenship, social responsibility and “The Big Society.”
He criticized Labor’s centralization, saying society is not a spectator sport and telling people they could fix every problem.
“It was the rest of us who swallowed it, hoping that if the government took care of things, perhaps we wouldn’t have to,” he added. “Too many people thought ‘I’ve paid my taxes, the state will just look after everything.’”
Of citizenship, he said, “is not a transaction, in which you put your taxes in and get your services out. It’s a relationship—you’re part of something bigger than yourself … So to get out of the mess we’re in, changing the government is not enough.
“We need to change the way we think about ourselves, and our role in society. Your country needs you.”
He said he could not promise a perfect country, “Just an achievable future of a life more fulfilled and fulfilling for everyone.”
Mr Cameron thanked Nick Clegg, the present Deputy Prime Minister of the coalition and leader of the Liberal Democrats, for not just sitting in government trying to win a few concessions here and there.
“At this time of great national challenge, two parties have come together to help make it happen.”
The government’s ultimate role, he said, is not to take from people but “to give power, to give control, to give everyone the chance to make the most of their own life and make better the lives of others.
“Yes, we will play our part—but the part you play will be even more meaningful. Your country needs you. It takes two. It takes two to build that strong economy.”
