Tuesday 27 April 2010

Suggested opening statement for GB in the debate

Elections are fought over the future, not the past.

Yet when you see me, you see the image of the current Labour government, and many of you can find faults with it. We have made some unpopular decisions. And that is because actually doing this job, running the country, is full of compromise, frustrated intent and blocked opportunity.

Manifestos, while they are the best way we have of setting out our stalls, do not define what will happen in the five years between elections; people and events do.

That is why it's desperately important that the party you elect into government is more than special interests, focus group policies and dog-whistle soundbites. What Britain needs in its political leadership is principle and strength, not someone who will merely exploit your prejudices to get his hands on power.

So please elect the party you believe can respond best to a rapidly changing country and world. Don't be swayed by bought and paid for newspaper headlines, or the rich supporting their own narrow self-interest. And don't be swayed by calls for change without substance, change for change's sake. Look instead for fairness and decency backed with experience.

I'm not a made-for-TV Prime Minister. I'm the real thing.