The quiet giant!

Over the weekend fellow Conservatives from all over converged on the dynamic Cardiff, sadly due to pressing commitments I was unable to join them in person – but was there in spirit and followed most the goings on, specially the speeches.

The Prime Minster, as the tradition goes, delivered the closing speech of the two day conference and also as usual, it was an empowering speech. It sent the delegates home with three messages. The first was a confirmation that AV (the Alternative Vote) as Nick Clegg described it: “is a miserable little compromise” – which only three countries in the world use to elect their governments and one (Australia) is dropping it. AV is an unfair and complicated system. And that does not justify us throwing out a perfectly sound democratic method (FPTP) which is based on a fundamental British belief – one person one vote – that has been the beacon of our democracy and copied by many the world over for centuries.

Secondly, it was time for Gaddafi to listen to his people and step down.

The third and the core of the speech was “fighting the enemies of enterprises” and the launch of a campaign to help and encourage Britain to return to enterprising where she is naturally at home as a nation of small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The star of the weekend has to be George Osborne; he did a sterling job re-explaining why the country needs the tough economic decisions and their outcomes thus far. He also promised – without jeopardising the recovery plans – to send some financial relief the public’s way in his next budget in two weeks time. However, the most unspoken message was his understanding of the pain many of us have endured and will continue to feel in the coming month, and his resolve and determination to bring Britain to the shores of financial safety, growth and future prosperity.

Labour has always accused the Chancellor of not having a plan B – although it’s rich coming from the party who have nothing to offer but a blank sheet of paper. Nevertheless, Osborne has proved that he is a man with his finger firmly on the pulse of the street, a nose for the latest happenings and the flexibly to change as and when needed for the good of our nation. He is also a quite man, a charming and a droll man but most of all a compassionate man.

In my opinion, mostly by the left, Osborne is underestimated – but I also have the feeling that’s the way he likes it and wants it to stay – at least for now!