Sir Menzies Campbell's Conference speech

Liberal Democrats :
Autumn Conference in Brighton 2007:
Sir Menzies Campbell; Party leader's speech, 20 September 2007

This has been my first autumn conference as Liberal Democrat leader.
And I have enjoyed it - particularly since Tuesday lunchtime.

But while I have enjoyed my first, others will be hoping to enjoy their last.

Labour is preparing to pick a new leader.

You may have read that the Prime Minister is planning a farewell tour for a grateful nation.
The Chris Evans show is on the list.
So is Blue Peter - he’ll be wanting a free badge out of that.

And then there are to be Songs of Praise.
Details are top secret.
But in the best new Labour tradition, they have been leaked.
And this time, I have received a copy.

The hymns are definitely fit for purpose.

To start with, a hymn about new Labour’s current situation:
Oh Hear us when we cry to thee, For Those in Peril on the Sea.

Then, to lift the spirits of the party faithful:
Oh, What a Friend we have in Gordon.

And finally, before the curtain falls, repentance:
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Forgive our Foolish Ways.

Liberal Democrats, we are unique among the major British parties in the way our conference works.
The decisions you made this week mattered.
The debates we’ve had have meant something.
We have demonstrated our belief in liberalism, our commitment to democracy, and our unity of purpose.

Next week its Labour’s turn.
You won’t see any liberalism from them.
There won’t be any democracy.
And there won’t be votes that matter.

Half of them want Blair out.
And the other half don’t want Brown in.

After that it’s the Conservatives’ turn.
See if you can find a policy.
Just one will do.

The Tories are determined to avoid policy decisions at all costs.

They’ve chosen to adopt the oak tree as their new party logo.

For a policy-free party, that seems an entirely appropriate symbol.
It can take an oak tree fifty years to bear any fruit.

There is a serious point here.
Political debate in this country is in danger of losing sight of what matters.
It is in danger of losing its substance.

In the last few weeks Labour has been tearing itself apart.
The Conservatives are concentrating on image and little else.
Despite all the challenges our country is facing, neither of them has anything to say on the issues that matter.

But this week we Liberal Democrats have shown what politics ought to be about.
The issues that matter to people – public services, the environment, crime, taxation - a fairer and more peaceful world.

This country needs a party of principle.
A party that is confident and consistent.
A party that is prepared say this is what we stand for, and this is what we will do.
A party of policy, not of symbolism.
A party of substance, not of spin.

This week we have unveiled the most progressive plan for tax reform this country has seen in decades.
It provides the British people with the politics of substance.

This is about taking the tough decisions that really make a difference to people’s lives.

Taxation is at the heart of good government.
And if a political party cannot or will not tell you how it will tax, then it does not deserve a single vote.

Mr Brown taxes by stealth, never willing to tell us during an election campaign what he will do after the votes are counted.

Nor will David Cameron talk about how much he will tax or how much he will spend.
All he says is that he will “share the proceeds of growth”
That’s a slogan, not a policy.

We Liberal Democrats are different.
Here is exactly what we’ll do.

We will cut national income tax for 28 million working people.

We’ll abolish the 10 pence starting rate.
We’ll cut the basic rate from 22 pence to 20.
We’ll raise the top rate threshold from £38,000 to £50,000

We’ll take over two million of our lowest earners out of income tax altogether.
More than two million people.
Money back in the pockets of the poorest working families.

We will reward ambition and aspiration – not penalise effort.

Let me tell you how we will pay for it.

Not by higher taxes.
We will not raise the overall level of taxation.
But we will reform the tax system so that it is fairer, simpler and greener.

Under our plans, some will pay more.
We are straightforward about this.

The very wealthy will lose their generous pension tax subsidies.
Tax breaks on capital gains will be removed.
Those who can afford to make a greater contribution should do so.

And we will raise environmental taxes too.
All of us should pay tax on the pollution we cause.

Yes – It means taxing aviation properly.
Yes - It means fuel duty going up with inflation.
And yes - It means paying more for the cars that pollute the most.

If we are serious about the environment, only action will suffice.

The truth is, we still have a chance to affect the course of climate change.
But in ten years it may be too late.

Climate change is the greatest moral and practical challenge we face.
We must act.
Not in the future - not just when new technology becomes available - but now.

Our tax reforms are not about posturing on the environment.
We’ve seen enough of that over the last year.
This is about taking the decisions that will help us live up to our responsibilities – at home and abroad.

We are the only party prepared to take those decisions necessary to create a greener Britain.
And necessary to create a fairer Britain.

Income tax cuts for hard working people.
The polluter paying the price.
Taxing wealth, not work.

Now this is the politics of substance.
It’s fairness in action.
It’s environmentalism in action.
It’s liberalism in action.

And this country has never been in more need of our liberal values.

Like many of you I was optimistic in 1997.
Not just because 18 years of Conservative rule were over.
But because there was a feeling of hope and a promise of change.
A promise of inclusive politics where people and ideas mattered.
The opportunity to renew Britain.
To restore public services.
To bring back trust and faith in government.
To create a new progressive politics.

But Labour has squandered that opportunity.
After three election victories, Labour has failed.

The gap between rich and poor is wider than at any point under Margaret Thatcher.
We have higher taxes, but little improvement in public services.
Millions of pensioners remain consigned to poverty: two thirds of them women.
Hard-working families are crippled by debt.
Carbon emissions are rising.
And now hospital wards are closing, doctors and nurses are losing their jobs.
This is the domestic legacy of the Blair-Brown Government.

And Labour has put our civil liberties under threat.

Labour believes that terrorism should be tackled by taking away personal freedoms.

Let me be very clear – Terrorism is a threat to everything that liberals stand for - individual freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

We support this government when it provides the police and security services with powers and resources when these are truly justified.
It was, after all, the Liberal Democrats who won the argument for the creation of the new criminal offence of acts preparatory to terrorism.

But a strong and safe society can only be created if communities work together to tackle these threats.

Excessive powers - and the excessive use of powers - alienate the very communities we need on our side.

Terrorism thrives where civil liberties are denied.

That is why Liberal Democrats, under my leadership, will fight to maintain the principles of the Human Rights Act.
That is why Liberal Democrats, under my leadership, will fight for the independence of judges and the rule of law.
That is why Liberal Democrats, under my leadership, will fight against any acceptance of torture.

And if the proposal comes back – and it will – we will fight to ensure that the government cannot imprison people for ninety days without trial or charge.

When tackling terrorism, we must recognise that how we act abroad is as important as how we act at home.

We should all be proud of the contribution the United Kingdom has made to democracy, to the values of tolerance and diversity, to the spread of the rule of law.

But in a few short years, Britain’s reputation has been tarnished.

In foreign policy, the Prime Minister has elevated belief over evidence, conviction over judgement, and instinct over understanding.

Put quite simply, he has presided over a foreign policy which is neither ethical nor effective.

Week after week in Parliament, the Prime Minister has had to lead tributes to the members of the armed forces who have been killed in action.

Since Parliament last sat in July, another 29 have died.
We must never forget the price that we ask the men and women of our armed forces to pay.

In Iraq we are approaching a state of civil war.
Hundreds dying every week.
Terrorism taking root.

And all the while, Guantanamo Bay stands as a shameful affront to justice and the rule of law.

Secret prisons, rendition, the suspicion of torture.

How can those who operate outside the rule of law argue credibly for its observance in Iraq?

We Liberal Democrats will not shrink from our responsibility to challenge the government for the consequences of its decisions.

Security is not being gained, it is being lost.
Terrorism is not being defeated, it is being invigorated.
Freedom is not being spread, it is being undermined.

On the Middle East lets us be clear.

We do not underestimate the difficulties for Israel – in dealing with Hezbollah or a government in the Palestinian territories led by Hamas.

Hamas must recognise the state of Israel.
It must renounce violence.
And it must accept existing peace accords.
These remain the necessary conditions for the development of long term peace.

But there will be no peace in the Middle East while the Palestinians are subject to daily humiliation, settlements are expanded on the West Bank and the Palestinian people have no viable homeland they can call their own.

As long as this continues, Israel's legal and moral right to live in peace behind secure and recognized borders will be undermined.

And what, more recently, did Lebanon teach us?

Hezbollah’s actions in kidnapping two Israeli soldiers were an outrage.
So too was their shelling of innocent civilians in Israel.

But the disproportionate response - the systematic destruction of roads, houses and bridges, the death and uprooting of so many innocent citizens - all of this has served to strengthen Hezbollah, not weaken it.

We Liberal Democrats led the call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
But the Prime Minister was silent.
Yet again, Blair’s Britain was out of step with everyone but the Bush administration.

But our country’s reputation can be recovered.

It can be recovered by a British government that works through international institutions and is unflinching in its support for the rule of law.

I hope that at last our government recognises the depth of the crisis in Darfur.

Hundreds of thousands dead - millions displaced - desperate for aid and in fear for their lives.

You remember, in Rwanda the world looked the other way.
It must not do so again.
Britain must not do so again.

And now Mr Cameron expresses his reservations about Britain’s foreign policy.
Well I say to that – Where were you?
Where were you when what was needed was not reservation but votes?
I’ll tell you where you were.
You, Mr Cameron, were in the government lobby backing military action against Iraq.

You should apologise for supporting that war.

Now let me say a word about two important issues that have faced our country in recent times.


Right now, British farmers are in crisis over foot and mouth.


The necessary restrictions imposed following the outbreak have come at the worst possible time.


We will continue to back necessary action to eradicate this disease.


But we will also urge the government to get the balance right.


We must get Britain’s farmers back in business as soon as possible.


Because there’s no point killing off foot and mouth if we kill off our farming industry in the process.


And I also want to mention Northern Rock.


One of the most alarming features of the last week has been the complete collapse of trust in a leading bank - and perhaps the banking system in general.


There have been people queuing in the streets, panicked by worries about their savings.


In the short-term that panic has been stopped.


But the underlying problem of excessive debt and reckless lending has not been addressed.


And, for this, responsibility must rest with Gordon Brown, who has minimised the problem despite repeated warnings – not least from our Shadow Chancellor, and Deputy Leader, Vince Cable.


The fact that David Cameron inflamed the situation with rash words is further evidence of what we already knew:


The Conservatives are not fit to govern.


Look at their record.


They criticise the government’s handling of the war in Iraq.


But it was their votes that made that war possible.


They protest against a “broken society”.


But it was their policies - under Margaret Thatcher - that widened inequalities and shattered social cohesion.


They talk about the environment.


But they have not made one single policy commitment.


The Tories have had a bucketful of proposals put to them in recent months.


We’ve had the Clarke Commission, the Duncan Smith Commission, the Dorrell Commission, the Gummer Commission, and – of course – the Redwood Commission.


Would you believe it?


Advice from the Vulcan First Officer.


Ideas straight from the bridge of the Starship Free Enterprise.


Policies, Dave – but not as we know them.


But for all the working groups, leaked reports, and photo opportunities, the Tories still don’t know what their policies would be.


They shy away from making the hard choices that are necessary for government.


Because they are suffering from an identity crisis.


You know there’s really a very good case for the Tories having identity cards.


How else will they know who they are?


When they meet a hoodie, they don’t know whether to hug ‘em –


Or hang ‘em.


What our country needs is a political party that’s prepared to take the lead and speak the truth.


Because Britain needs a competition of ideas, not the stifling of debate and the undermining of accountability.


But on so many of the major political issues there is a two-party consensus – comfortable, cosy and complacent.


On the environment, taxes, pensions, nuclear power, tuition fees, Iraq.


And that’s a consensus that we alone can break:


That we must break.


That doesn’t mean parties should never cooperate with each other.


In Scotland the Liberal Democrats have campaigned consistently for more powers for the Scottish Parliament.


Just yesterday, Nicol Stephen met the Labour and Conservative leaders in Scotland to discuss how devolution might be strengthened.


But how those powers would be used would – I can tell you – be a matter for vigorous debate between the parties.


That’s the difference between the constructive cooperation we support and the cosy consensus that we oppose.


And you know, we’ve always been at our best when we have opposed that consensus.


When David Steel spoke out against apartheid in the House of Commons, they shouted him down.


When Paddy Ashdown argued for intervention in Bosnia, they shouted him down.


And when Charles Kennedy argued against the war in Iraq, they shouted him down too.


But Steel, Ashdown and Kennedy were right.


So when they tried to shout me down –


On extradition, on rendition – on the scandal of Guantanamo Bay –


I would not be silenced.


I will not be silenced.


The Liberal Democrats will never be silenced.


And I don’t intend to be silenced on the issue of Europe either.


The Government will not show leadership on Europe and the Conservatives wilfully distort the public debate.


So it falls to us to make the overwhelming case for the European Union.


A Union that has provided peace and prosperity.


A Union that promotes human rights and democratic values.


A Union that is needed today to tackle the threats of climate change and international terrorism.


I will lead the public debate in defence of the European Union.


David Cameron and his Europhobe allies wish to restrict the British people to a choice on a narrow question about the draft European Treaty.


But if there is to be a referendum it shouldn’t be restricted to that question.


It must be a decision about the EU as a whole.



Let’s have an honest debate on the European Union followed by a real choice for the British people.


That means a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.


We would ask the British people the real question – whether they wish to remain in the European Union or not.


I will proudly lead the Liberal Democrats at the forefront of that debate.


So I will not be silenced on Europe and I will not be silenced in defence of our liberal values - or silent when others seek to undermine them.


Liberalism requires tolerance.


But that does not mean indifference in the face of intolerance from others.


Because freedom is indivisible and absolute - .


That’s why I speak out against intolerance and extremism wherever and whenever they threaten our freedom.


If a woman is forced into a marriage that she does not want –


If a sportsman is barracked because of the colour of his skin -


If a person is bullied because they’re gay -


Then I stand with them.


I have spent my whole life speaking out against bigotry.


You can’t be a part-time liberal.


Discrimination and intimidation have no place in a liberal society.


And on the matter of faith, let’s be clear.


A truly liberal society guarantees the freedom of all religions, but it accepts the tyranny of none.


People must be free to live without threat or fear.


To say the things, write the words and live the lives they choose.


Does that offend some people?


Yes, of course.


But the price of freedom is the risk of offence –


And, for me, that price is always worth paying.


What does that mean for us?


We, the Liberal Democrats, must be the voice of those who are not heard -


Of those who are marginalised


And of those who are rejected –


Over the past few months I have travelled throughout this country.


I have had the privilege to meet – in private visits - some of the most extraordinary and courageous people:


People from all walks of life.


I met Jamal - a young musician who wants to go to university but is frustrated and angry at the prospect of being deep in debt.


I learned from him and his friends of the terrible waste of talent and the alienation of so many young people.


I met Anne, a 20 year old woman in prison for drug offences.


She’s had little formal education.


Yet she’s studying to take GCSEs and wants to enrol with the Open University.


I learned from her that if prisoners get proper education and training it will help them to find work on their release.


That’s the way to cut reoffending.


I met Jane – a 26 year old former addict, in a shelter for the homeless.


She has beaten her addiction.


She now hopes to get custody of her four young children.


I learned from her how important it is for the homeless to regain their self-respect and to feel that they are in control of their own lives.


I met Michael, a 29 year old British soldier who had suffered terrible injuries in a mortar attack in Iraq.


He was determined to get fit again and rejoin his unit.


I learned from him at first hand what our young men and women are going through in Iraq.


He told me he was lucky – two days before he was hit, one of his best friends had been killed by a single small piece of shrapnel.


That’s the price being paid for a war that should never have been.


These are inspiring people:


People with the spirit and determination to beat the odds.


But for every success there are too many stories of shattered dreams and frustrated ambitions.


There are too many forgotten people in Brown’s Britain.


People who don’t make the headlines.


People whose opinions no-one ever seeks.


You know, facts and figures about social exclusion are okay for studies and reports.


But it’s in the reality of peoples’ lives that the pain of their stories is written.


These people don’t just feel shut out, discounted, cast aside.


They are shut out, they are discounted – they are cast aside.


Well, I tell you it’s not good enough.


So when people ask me what I feel about the state of Britain today, I say I’m angry:


Deeply angry.


Things have to change if we want our country to be one truly united Britain.


Whether you are black or white, male or female, rich or poor, gay or straight, sick or healthy, young or old.


Government must stand for the interests of all, but the vested interests of none.


People will have confidence in Westminster when it provides open, honest and transparent government.


And you know, that’s not just about listening to people:


We’ve had that already.


Labour’s Big Conversation.


The Tories’ “Stand up, Speak up”.


But there’s no point talking to people when they’re just not listening.


Well, we Liberal Democrats offer something different.


Our mission is to change the British political landscape, once and for all:


To throw open the doors of government and let the people in.


No more sleazy patronage, no more dodgy dossiers, no more abandoned investigations into secret arms deals – in fact, no more secret arms deals, full stop!


And on the constitution, not piecemeal change or pick and mix proposals.


But a commitment to fair votes, and an end to the lottery of first past the post.


Real freedom of information, and an end to government efforts to undermine it.


A wholly elected House of Lords, and an end to politics based on the power of patronage.


And at the foundation of it all a Bill of Rights –


A Bill of Rights to reclaim the civil liberties stolen from us by this Labour government.


A Bill of Rights to anchor freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of association within our law.


And I am prepared to go further still.


Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world today.


So I want a Bill of Rights that puts the protection of the environment at the very heart of Britain’s constitution:


We should guarantee the right of every citizen to clean water, pure air and unpolluted land.


You know, I joined this party because I believe in freedom.


Not just the intellectual freedom of politicians and academics, but freedom in its most practical sense.


The freedom we get from good health, decent education and a clean environment.


And the Liberal Democrat challenge is to show how we can extend that freedom to every citizen in this country.


Some people have the good fortune to be born into opportunity.


But for millions of others life is a great deal tougher.


In London - the capital of one of the richest nations in the world - just six miles separate Hampstead from Hackney.


But they might as well be in different countries.


If you live in Hackney you are four times as likely to suffer from long-term unemployment as your neighbour in Hampstead.


If you live in Hackney you are twice as likely to be permanently sick or disabled.


And if you live in Hackney you are four times as likely to have no qualifications at all.


Who’d have thought it, that after a decade of Labour government - a Labour government - the gap between rich and poor in this country would be wider than it was when Labour came to office?


Who’d have thought that after a decade of Labour government social mobility would be in decline?


And who’d have thought that our country would languish - shamefully - at the bottom of the UNICEF league table for the well-being of children.


That’s the record of Gordon Brown and the Labour government.


And you know what:


The people out there know it.


The one and half million families across this country who are waiting for social housing: they know it.


The millions of older people who struggle to get by on inadequate pensions: they know it.


The parents who worry that their background determines the quality of their childrens’ education and their future prospects: they know it too.


You know we’ve had a decade hearing from Labour about education, education, education.


But let me educate them.


After ten years these are the facts:


Fewer than one in five of the most disadvantaged children get five good GCSEs;


Less than one in five of the most disadvantaged children go onto higher education;


And in this country today, 1.2 million young people are not in education or employment or training.


This is unacceptable in 21st century Britain.


Under the Liberal Democrat pupil premium - the money follows the pupil.


Extra money for the most disadvantaged children.


Our schools given incentives - our children given chances.


The pupil premium will help to ensure that educational opportunity extends throughout our society.


Because the state of the country is a reflection on us all.


And where opportunity is denied freedom is denied too.

Nearly sixty years ago that great Liberal William Beveridge identified ‘Five Giants’ which had to be tackled:

Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.

The language is out of date but the challenges posed in the twenty-first century are every bit as compelling.

Having led the fight against the Five Giants, we Liberal Democrats should now lead the fight for Five Freedoms.

Opportunity, good health, personal security, prosperity for all and a clean environment.

First, the freedom born of opportunity.

In this country today, a child’s opportunity is shaped by background and parental income to a degree that is unacceptable.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

We should invest in the most disadvantaged pupils -

And give a fair deal to students.

We should ensure that graduates leave university with high hopes, not huge debts.

Second, the freedom born of good health.

Labour has centralised, reorganised and disrupted the National Health Service – our National Health Service.

And created a culture of boom and bust.

More doctors and nurses trained than ever before – but without jobs for them to go to.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

We can ensure that local people have the power to meet local health problems with local health solutions.

We can take back our NHS.

Third, the freedom born of personal security.

Over the last ten years, Labour has created more than three thousand new criminal offences.

And yet public confidence in the criminal justice system is at an all time low.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

We can have more police officers and get them out on the streets.

We can make prisoners work to compensate their victims.

And we can have better education and training in prison to cut re-offending rates.

Fourth, the freedom born of prosperity for all.

Gordon Brown used his last budget to increase taxes on the lowest earners in order to fund tax cuts for the better off.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

We will close the tax loopholes that favour the super-rich.

We will cut the standard rate of national income tax to its lowest level for nearly a century.

We will shift the burden of taxation from people to pollution.

And the average family will see their taxes cut by one thousand pounds a year.

And Fifth, the freedom born of a clean environment.

You know, the need for action has never been more urgent:

I’ve seen at first hand the devastation that flooding can cause.

In Hull, Cheltenham, and Toll Bar – I’ve seen it.

it’s a disgrace that this government pays no more than lip service to fighting climate change.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We would take action now.

By raising green taxes, by investing in renewables – by making Britain carbon neutral.

And – as we have done this week - by ruling out further investment in nuclear power stations - on environmental, on security and on financial grounds too.

There you have it - Five Freedoms for a liberal society.

Opportunity, health, security, prosperity and – above all - the environment.

These are the five freedoms for which we will fight.

And I relish the prospect of that fight.

Let me tell you this.

I will lead this party into the next election with energy, ambition and determination.

Because the stakes for this party have never been higher.

And liberalism has never been needed more than it is today.

So whenever people ask you:

“Why vote Liberal Democrat?” tell them this:

We alone are prepared to break the cosy consensus of British politics and face up to the challenges confronting our society.

To create a country that is free, fair and green.

Free in thought, expression and conscience.

Free from the disadvantage and discouragement that still blight the prospects of far too many of our people.

And free from the growing threat of climate change.

Only we can achieve that free, fair and green society.

Because only we believe in it –

Only we will work for it –

Only we will fight for it.

The Liberal Democrats versus Labour and the Tories.

Today, our party is not only the real alternative:

It is the only alternative.

Not two against one.

But one against two.

I joined this party because, like you, I wanted change.

I joined this party because, like you, I wanted opportunity – opportunity for all.

I joined this party because I wanted a different kind of politics –yes, and a different kind of country too:

This is what Liberal Democrats stand for.

This is what I offer.

source: Liberal Democrats website