Fiona Melville

6th Oct 2011

I was all set to tweet the speech on Wednesday from my seat behind the Conservative members of the Cabinet (look how close I was! Sadly I’m not very good at taking pictures…).

But then my phone gave up (as usual) and I realised that despite all my ‘no bigger than it needs to be’ ideas about the state, I was in fact over the moon that there is money for better mobile phone coverage – Orange are rubbish.

When I finally got home, all I thought was this:

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/PlatformTen/status/121675305931902978″]

24 hours later, I am remembering Matthew Parris’ article from, I think, this time last year which postulated that the key to assessing speeches was to wait until you’d done some other things and then come back and see what you remember. So here goes…

I remember the big, punchy announcement that this is a One Nation party running a One Nation Government. That we are recasting our economy and making these cuts for a reason – which is to be in a better position afterwards. That we are ‘consulting’ on proper gay marriage (why we have to consult, I don’t know; just get on with it). That we’re going to change the laws on adoption to make it easier. That we’re going to remain committed to sustainable development (objectors, please note – ‘sustainable’. Which includes social, environmental, infrastructural and all those other things you’re currently worried about. What it does not mean is that you, having moved somewhere lovely, can refuse to let other people live there). That we’re still committed to making the Big Society work (it was great to see the focus given to it in the pre-speeches), and opening up to ideas and leadership from those who aren’t politicians. That we’re committed to ensuring our place in the world, with development, foreign and defence policies working together to promote our interests and that of democracy and freedom. And crucially, and as I’ve said again and again in recent years, that we’re going to have to work hard but if we make the effort it will be worth it.

To be fair, what has stuck with me is probably also a reflection of my own priorities. In delivery terms, in the hall it felt good, easy, intimate, conversational. But I saw some bits on TV last night and it didn’t really – I’m not sure why.

The two things that are the most important, however, are these. That we HAVE to sort out the economy, and that we HAVE to ensure we govern in the interests of all. I wrote a piece for the CWF magazine in which I noted that we cannot continue to have 70 per cent of people believing we are not ‘for them’ or 23 per cent of people thinking we need to be ‘moderated’ by the Lib Dems, and I’ve also heard a stat from YouGov for the IPPR that 42 per cent of people will simply never consider voting for us. This speech really went to town on the second point, and backed up the argument made by George in his speech that fixing the economy is not a simple thing, nor will it be achieved by one government lever. It requires boring, solid, incremental work. But it has to happen, and it will. Because if it doesn’t we cannot deliver our other priority – governing in the best interests of all and delivering services that people need and value.

I’ve been pondering for a while that the government should have cut, in effect, from the bottom up – ie, that they go back to absolute first principles, and identify what is necessary and valued and only preserve those things. I am very fortunate and haven’t really been badly affected by any cuts. I do, however, stick to my conviction that the government should do no more nor no less than is necessary. I’m not sure that giving mobile phone companies more money to improve their coverage is necessary (nor even desirable if you stick my principle of no more, no less) – but it might just be one of those boring, unflashy things that does actually make a difference.

Those boring, unflashy things that provide a solid basis for sustainable, fair and good growth are going to be vital in proving that we govern in the interest of all. It’s not about making announcements and failing to DO anything. It’s about governing properly, making sure we keep our promises, ensuring that we deliver the changes that will prove that we are a One Nation party once more.