David Davis's Speech

David Davis is not a brilliant orator but his speech (this will download a .wmv file) to conference was great. It was, as is to be expected, as conservative a speech as can be imagined with lots of time spent on old Prime Ministers, celebrating the value of freedom and the qualities of Britain. However, it was also a deeply Cameroon speech which went through the need for the party to change with new circumstances and defend the environment. His speech was the point I was making last night incarnate; it was talking about conservative truths but how they must be applied to the new challenges of a changing society. That Davis made such a speech when he could so easily have got away with faint praise or retreated into sniping since last year was an enormous credit to his character.