At the Conservative Conference in 2005,
I took the opportunity to address
Conference, as follows:
Chairman, Conference,
We aspire to lead this nation. What
have we to offer by way of hope? What
vision do we have for the future of
this once great nation? What picture
can we paint to hold up before the
people?
Let me paint you a picture:
At the base of this picture, running
the whole length of the canvas, and
supporting the whole of the rest of the
picture, is the Christian heritage of
many centuries, which underpins the
system of government and the value
system which enables us to call our
nation civilised. We have been
systematically destroying this heritage
for many years now, and are in very
grave danger of losing all in our way
of life that we value and cherish.
In the centre of the picture is the
family – with its colours spreading out
into every corner of the canvas. The
family gives each individual a sense of
identity and value, and is the place
where we learn to live as part of a
wider society.
And filling the rest of the picture is
a multitude of individuals of every
size, shape and colour, under the
banner which reads, ‘Everyone is part
of the picture’. In this nation, each
and every person has a part to play and
a contribution to make. Without any
one, we are all the poorer.
THIS is the vision that we need to hold
up before the nation. A vision of
truth and hope.