4.45pm ToryDiary: Cameron talks compassion but should he have talked growth?
1.45pm WATCH:
Noon ConHomeUSA: Today's top Republican and American political news
11.30am WATCH:
10.45am Iain Martin's Conference Diary: Wednesday
ToryDiary previews Cameron's big speech: We must ALL repay our debts
READ THE FOURTH AND FINAL EDITION OF CONSERVATIVEHOME'S PARTY CONFERENCE NEWSPAPER.
On our super-sized Columnists' page today:
Robert Halfon MP on Comment: Cutting the 50p tax rate must NOT be a priority for modern compassionate conservatives
Local Government: Labour quick to defend pilgrims
WATCH:
Cameron set to reassure the country today whilst urging people to pay off household debts
"In a delicate balancing act, he will try in his closing speech to the Conservative party conference on Wednesday to re-energise the country by insisting that despite the pessimism over the economy, politics and society, "the country's best days are not behind us". "Let's bring on the can-do optimism," he will say before claiming that his "leadership is about unleashing your leadership". But despite the efforts to lift the mood of the country, Cameron will also provide a frank admission that the economy is not going to be fixed quickly. At one point he will even urge households to clear their debts: "The only way out of a debt crisis is to deal with your debts. That means households – all of us – paying off the credit card and store card bills." - Guardian
Simon Jenkins tells Cameron to "stop the gimmicks" and "start learning from Thatcher"
"Cameron shares with Thatcher in her ascendancy the boon of luck. He has enjoyed a successful small war, an implausible opponent and an economy that, from here on, could hardly get worse. He is well liked and has kept his authority even in a hung parliament. But by now he ought to be governing better. The least his colleagues can do is tell him to stop globetrotting and get down to reading his briefs. That is how the lady won elections" - Guardian
Danny Finkelstein says Cameron should choose leadership over the Big Society – he doubts that he will however
"Offering people the chance to lead will never prove politically attractive, for reasons that Ed Miliband came close to putting his finger on without (bless him) actually doing so. Voters wanted change at the election because they believe that they are being duped — putting in hard work, paying taxes and not getting enough back; indeed, seeing other people waltz off with the reward that should be theirs. Most people see the Big Society policy that you can be the leader as suggesting that they will be asked to put in even more. Not just pay taxes, but run their local swimming pool. I’ve got a job, they say, how would I find time? I am going to put you in charge, says Mr Cameron. Hang on, reply the voters, the point is that we put you in charge" - Times (£)
Cameron will call for the Human Rights Act to be scrapped after the furore over a cat
"The Prime Minister will throw his weight behind Theresa May, the Home Secretary, a day after Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, all but accused her of peddling myths about human rights legislation. The dispute shattered what had been an orderly Tory conference, exposed deep coalition divisions and threatened to overshadow Mr Cameron’s keynote speech today. It was sparked when Mrs May used her conference address to invoke a cat called Maya as she sought to ridicule the constraints that human rights law placed on the Government. “We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act. The illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat” - Times (£)
>Yesterday on ConHome:
Clarke and May's "cat spat" as the Home Secretary's claims are disputed by Clarke
"Mr Clarke told 400 guests and party members: “These are British cases and British judges that she is complaining about. I cannot believe that anyone has had deportation refused on the basis of owning a cat" - Telegraph
The Guardian editorial says May should be "confronting her party's prejudices not confirming them" - Guardian
Quentin Letts is reassured by "the old war-horse" Ken Clarke
"Ken’s sheer experience is reassuring. His tummy. The sing-song voice. His chuckling admission that he is faintly surprised to find himself in office at this age. Towards the end of his speech Mr Clarke said: ‘We must give strong, confident and principled government. In office you’ve got to make a worthwhile difference.’ That sounded to me like a coded ‘pull your finger out’ to Cabinet colleagues" - Daily Mail
Accusations of 'nanny state' as Cameron backs a Danish style 'fat tax'
"Mr Cameron said drastic action was needed because by 2050 more than half of the population is predicted to be obese – so fat their health is in danger. But many of his backbenchers will criticise the move as an example of the ‘nanny state’ his party is supposed to oppose. Mr Cameron’s intervention overshadowed the Manchester conference speech by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in which he announced plans to ban foreign doctors who cannot speak English" - Daily Mail
Lansley defends his NHS reforms, emphasising his market-led patient voucher scheme
"The voucher system is being trialled with 1,300 patients; the Department of Health is expected to consider the evidence before expanding the scheme. "Budgets that will give them more control over how their needs are met, allowing them to choose support and services that suit them and their families," Lansley said. "Truly, putting patients at the heart of care." Lansley's crowd-pleaser, briefed in advance of his speech, was that doctors who wanted to work in the NHS would have to prove they were able to speak a good standard of English" - Guardian
Doctors (and nurses too argues the Telegraph) must be able to speak English, says Lansley - Telegraph
After wowing the Tory conference, Boris hints at long running arguments with the government
"Interviewed on BBC's Newsnight last night, he said: "I think there are people in the Treasury who understand that the arguments in favour of higher taxes are not very well made out." Mr Johnson promised cheering conference delegates that he will protect London from Government-imposed spending cuts, as the Mayor's close allies said that while his immediate ambition is to be re-elected, it will not stop him making an early return to the House of Commons to be in position to contest the party leadership. But Mr Johnson ruled out becoming an MP again before 2016 if he is re-elected as Mayor. "There is not a snowball's chance in Hades," he told Newsnight. He added that "when seeking a mandate, that would be wrong" - Independent
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Boris praises Londoners for their reaction to the riots, and thanks the nation for its contribution to the Olympics
Boris Johnson would support a referendum on the EU
"On Tuesday evening in Manchester, Johnson noted that there hadn't been a referendum on Europe since 1975. "There hasn't been a vote. It seems to me that if a reasonable question could be framed and put to the people of this country, I think it is not a bad idea"- Guardian I Daily Mail
Elizabeth Truss MP on the campaign started by 22 MPs for a truly meritocratic and liberal economy
"Popular attitudes, too, can be changed: in many emerging economies, markets are now seen as a liberation, not an evil. Let us rename the abuse of public contracts as “rent-seeking” or “cronyism”. Let us show how regulation can often be a way of the big boys keeping the small fry out of the market. People already support large salaries for those who work hard to create value. A real free market supplies the human desire to see merit triumph. And it is only when Britain loves the market again, and when we are able to freely compete with each other, that we will truly be able to compete with the world" - Telegraph
Conference in Brief:
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