Can Cameron lead Britain?
Wednesday 3rd October 2007, 8:59AM BST.
Leader David Cameron is hoping the Conservative faithful will come away from the party conference ready to gain victory in a possible snap election.
But do you think he can lead his party to power?
Plans to raise the threshold on inheritance tax and to scrap ID cards are amongst the policies that have already been unveiled at the conference in Blackpool.
The Tories have also promised “tough new border controls” and an annual limit on economic migrants coming to the UK.
Can these proposals boost support for Mr Cameron? Does he get your vote?
Or do doubts about the party’s substance behind the image remain?
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Judging by his bumbling and rather cringe-worthy attempts so far, I very much doubt he can lead the country.
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if he can then there is a strong chance i will become prime minister in 10 years.i’ll show them how it is done
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UNLIKE 1AND2 yes yes yes
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Mr Cameron has been in charge for nearly two years now. Not enough progress has been made if he is to be a credible rival to Labour. Despite all the anger over Iraq, Mr Cameron will not be able to really floor Mr Brown on the issue where it really matters to voters – the economy.
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lets face it…no one can run this properly how it should be run and that is to shake it up and down like and etch-a-sketch and start again, someone needs to take some drastic action before this country goes completely off the rails
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I hope he can! I thought Tony Blair did a very good job under difficult and controversial circumstances, but I do not have the same faith in Gordon Brown.
It sounds like Mr Cameron has some good plans for the economy, but I fear that they might not be implemented to the extent that have been discussed. Talk of reducing corporation tax would be widely welcomed by many (me included!) and the same can be said for income tax. If these taxes are to be cut though, where will the additional money come from? There is talk of removing benefits for ‘job-seekers’ that refuse jobs, but the chances are that this will not happen as the human rights idiots will step in! Stricter immigration rules have been mentioned, but again human rights and EU bureaucracy will probably prevent this from being implemented!
Am I cynical or a realist?
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If the gutless deluded brown wins another term, then it really will be the end, and I will endevour to leave this dump once and for all.
Though how can we get them out when such a large proportion of the electorate are employed by the state or on benefits!
Bring on the revolution!!
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do we really want an alleged cannabis smoker running the country?. he is about as much use as blair was.
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Pete, is something that Mr Cameron did 20 years ago really relevant to his ability to do a good job now? Let be realistic, how many people over the age of 30 have no skeletons in their closet and a totally clean past? At least he was bold and honest enough to admit it!
Andrew, on what grounds do you think that Brown is gutless (its much easier to understand posts where comments are justified!). But I get your point and also am considering leaving the country!
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andrew, gutless brown as you put it has yet to prove himself either way, and as for most employed by the state???, and the rest on benefits ???? sounds like daily dross me 20 plus years ago i knew a few on the benefits plus 3 million but now i know not one. no matter how you dress it up this is the case .there is plenty of work out there and the low paid can have there wages boosted through tax credits there is no excuse for being idle although i do not think there would be a need for tax credits if the minimum wage was set higher.and abolish pension credits increase the pension for the ones now claiming and then abolish the old age pension .
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I think I agree slightly with Andrew Finch, but I’m not sure as I can barely decipher his comment. You need to spend more time making your points Andrew!
I think what he is trying to say is that Gordon Brown has not had enough time in the last 3 months as Prime Minister to prove him self either way (this I agree with)
Yes there are too many on benefits that chose not to work as an easy life claiming benefits is more appealing! However, raising minimum wage will not address this problem. All raising minimum wage does is gives the ones that chose to work at this level more money, but can cripple some businesses due to increased costs. So the answer on this one is not clear.
Tax credits should be abolished leading to a fairer system for all, benefits should be made harder to obtain and keep, and unemployed should be forced to work or they get nothing! Pensions should be more directly linked to the amount paid in over your working life, with benefits/tax benefits claimed deducted from this amount.
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Gordon Brown doesn’t deserve to be PM. I think david Cameron would be a fine PM. Good luck to him.
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i think raising the minimum wage has to be the answer to low wage earners , ok some companies may feel the pinch . we all must realise not all people are capable of achieving high paid or well paid jobs,why should they work any harder than the rest of us for the finer things in life , its good job too as we would be in a pretty bad state with out postmen, bin men cleaners,porters, shop workers etc etc .i employ 2 f/time and 1 p/time staff and yes i could pay a lot more but it would lower my profits it would not how ever put me out of business. and if i was forced to i would .
i believe we should scrap the state pension my own view is its a modern thing and it would be a lot better if people carried on working past 65 and reduce the hours as they age etc and infact im sure peoples lives would be a lot better .i do not believe we have many long term scroungers i think this a daily mail myth just to get the middle classes or would be middle classes a little annoyed .
many things need to be addressed and you can not please all, britain has changed people who were once considered well paid and in my opinion still are ie teachers, fireman , police now in general earn half of a a good corgi plumber, bricklayer etc . you could always bet on the occupations of many home owners but not now , i remember a friend of mine moaning becouse a milkman had bought the house next door at 325k that milkman had bought his councill house sold on 3 times through the property boom and was virtually mortgage free which grieved my friend who keeps on bleating on he has to work for his ? life isnt fair some people benefit through different guv deals and we all benefit some how or another, and i think with many its the british thing if i aint got it or had IT WHY SHOULD THEY which is a very daily mail reader type of thing.
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Cameron is clueless, no chance,Matty do us all a favour and leave.
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Whether or not David Cameron can lead the country is to me, not really the issue.
What is more important is that: We face the real possibility of returning, for a yet ANOTHER term, the SAME colour government.
I really do not think it is good for the country in general to have too many successive terms of ANY one style of government.
Effective long term government is all about checks and balances. It does each particular party good to be in opposition for a while – but not if for too long.
Checks and balances only really occur if a change of goverment style occurs reasonably frequently.
- And – maybe that’s why the US only allows two successive terms for the Presidency.
As a 60 year old ….I am VERY concerned for the medium term future of this country. At the moment – it does not look good – for a number of reasons – which Cameron, or anyone – will NOT resolve overnight.
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Iv’e said on another link that any British person who professes to be reasonably intelligent and then say’s that they support Brown and New Labour (an oxymoron in itself)is not a very nice person and is far from intelligent. Presumably then they also support the raiding and wrecking of pension schemes of 125,000 ordinary men and women workers. They support the building of millions of new homes for immigrants, they condone the wicked lies, deciet and agression in the illegal war against Iraq.
They support the breaking of the promise to hold a referendum on the EU, they support the falsification of party accounts to cover up the £15000000 recieved from ? sources which Jack Dromey, the Treasurer knew nothing about. They support the closure of District General Hospitals and Accident and Emergency Departments, they support the redundancy of 13,000 nurses in the NHS in order to balance the books, they support the annual petrol and fuel increases that have pushed prices up enormously, they support the decrease in the establishment of the Britsh Army, they support the totally uncontrollable masses of immigrants swamping our country and generally, they support the lies, chicanery, spin and downright dishonesty of New Labour. I support neither the Conservatives or any other party but I am open to pursuation and it would not be one of the big three.
Even the words “New Labour” sends a shiver up my back and, human nature being what it is, my strong feelings border on hatred of it and those who support it.
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New Labour and ‘New’ Conservative are almost identical.
As for Cameron -He just reminds me of Tony Blair of ten years ago.
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Les, the purpose of making comments on this website as I understand it is to debate hot topics of the day. You asking me to leave the site serves no purpose to anyone. I might not agree with askericdotcom or Andrew Finch but I respect their opinions!
Andrew, I agree with your idea of making people work past the current retirement age and making them part time. This could also help with other social issues with the elderly becoming lonely and isolated in older age. As for the amount of benefit scroungers, its a difficult thing to accurately quantify but its not difficult to make an educated judgement just by opening your eyes a little and looking at the figures. As for your milkman, Well done to him.. its people like him that made Britain Great (he actually got off his butt and did something!).
I dont read the Daily Mail, usually the Times or Independant (and the Shropshire Star of course) ;)
Mr askericdotcom Sir, I think you make an intersting point and am inclined to agree, but would resticting the number of consecutive terms go against the democracy we enjoy in this country?
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Of course Cameron could lead this country. We would be free of the sleaze, pretence and cloth cap pretence that rich labour politicians claim when they really are just as much capitalists and and conservatives as the opposition party. At least with the Conservatives this pretence doesn’t exist.
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Matty.
Sir,
Of course, ANY such restriction is a step against democracy.
BUT “stepping away from democracy” is what seems to be happening to us right NOW in this country.
We are in real danger of becoming, by stealth, a police state, with a one party government.
This, in my view is happening largely because there IS NO effective opposition in Parliament.
Where ARE the REAL statesmen that you used to see 30,40 years ago? -People with real backbone and stature, who would put up effective argument and defence for, and against the real issues of the day?
We really DO need a change. NOW.
It can’t go on as it is. But – I do agree – it shouldn’t be achieved by yet more repressive legislation.
And finally – to the question – can Cameron lead the country? –
I ask you all – Do we really have a choice ??
More of the same thing yet again ?? or time for a change to , as I say – get some checks and balances in place before it’s TOO late.
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It is a fair comment that Dame Thathcher’s Greatest political achievement was “New Labour” AKA Mr T.Blair.Our former P.M. had 4 years to position himself as a credible alternative to a discredited government.The current conservative leader has not had this oppotunity. His inexperience was demonstrated in July, whilst his constituents where trying to save their belongings from floods their elected representative was highlighting social issues of Africa.Mr Brown has serious issues of media fueled identity.The one eyed Scotsman has more in common with a former ginger haired welshman who never lead the Labour party in government.It is ironic that Mr Browns continuation of a previous governments economic poicy should have rewarded such benefit to our nation ;that I myself have fiscally exploited.(This is not obviously a complaint!) What is of a concern is that there is an inevitable turn of econonic climate and there is in my oppinion no clear direction or choice as to what to follow in government. What I do understand is that Mr Brown has waited a substantively politically long time to govern and is considered in media terms as “Ugly” His behaviour since appointment has been viewed as credible ( foot and mouth ect).What I think is most probable and probably in the best interests of the country in the present economic climate is that Mr Brown continues with possibly a reduced majority until a suitable alternative be found. Mr Cameron has more affinity with royalty than the working man or management classes,given his priviledged background and social associations. This is a fact he struggles to refute.(What does a man who’s priviledged education and marriage to a related royal seriously offer the multitude of the British populus ?)Mr Camerons only attractive feature in politics are in my oppinion his photgraphic qualities.I would prefer Mr Hague as a more credible alternative to the current government and believe ultimately that Mr Hagues “churchillian” qualities shall one day direct our country!
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the only person to enter the houses of parlament with good intentions was Guy Fawlkes!
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Well said Mr Andy!
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viewed through the prsim of the last two months the following is quite funny.
“Mr Cameron will not be able to really floor Mr Brown on the issue where it really matters to voters – the economy.”
I suspect post Northern Rock and with acredit crunch biting tighter every day, Mr Cameron will easiliy beat up Mr Brown on the economy AND on competence.
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Judgeing by the way he has stood so quietly by when Blair gave away £9 Billion “non-negotiable” EU refund (enough to pay for the Olympics EVERY year)and the stout way he demanded a Referendum, and meekly stood back as Brown has signed away our nation, then I feel he is unfit to run a Kindergarten.
Future PM? You must be joking!
Brian Howett
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