AFTER Theresa May’s vintage Tory beat-and-beat-again speech on Tuesday to the Tory Party conference, treating migrants as the enemy and rating their contribution to Britain as ‘near zero’, Cameron tried to present a ‘compassionate party’ that welcomed immigrants into the Party Conference.
The difference between the two Tories is tactical. Cameron is not seeking another term as Premier, while May is seeking his job, thus her traditional Tory ‘send them home’ orientation. Cameron however stressed: ‘As you know, I am not going to fight another election as your leader. So I don’t have the luxury of unlimited time.’
He rushed in to attack Corbyn saying: ‘But you only really need to know one thing: he thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a “tragedy”…’ He added: ‘My friends – we cannot let that man inflict his security-threatening, terrorist-sympathising, Britain-hating ideology on the country we love.’ The enemy remains the working class at home.
Cameron’s policy on Syria is unchanged: ‘But the real answer to the refugee crisis lies in helping countries like Syria become places where people actually want to live. That means having a government that’s not terrorising its people – and that’s why Assad must go. In its place, we need a government that can be our ally in the defeat of ISIL …’
British imperialism has decided what is best for the Syrian people, and will shortly be bombing Syria if it can get the support of enough Labour MPs to win the House of Commons vote. For good measure, he added: ‘Some think we can contract that out to America. We shouldn’t. We must play our part too.’
He boasted that Britain has played a vital role in fighting for the interests of US imperialism inside Europe. He said: ‘Who do you think got Europe to open trade talks with America, which would be the biggest trade deal in our history? Who do you think got Europe to agree to sanctions on Iran, which brought that country to the negotiating table? Us. Britain. We did.’ This is why Obama is determined that the UK is the US’ number one ally, but only if it remains in the EU!
Cameron then began to deal with the enemy within: ‘We live in a country where the main opposition party – let’s not forget, the alternative government – believes in nationalising industries without compensation, jacking up taxes to 60 per cent of people’s income, and printing money.’
Cameron then regurgitated Macmillan’s property-owning democracy and Thatcher’s policy of selling off council homes. He said: ‘More than 150 people a day are moving in thanks to our Help to Buy scheme. And in our manifesto, we announced a breakthrough policy: extending the Right to Buy to housing association tenants.’
He announced a deal with housing associations to give their tenants the Right to Buy their home. ‘That will mean the first tenants can start to buy their homes from next year. Yes, as we said in our manifesto, 1.3 million to be given the chance to become homeowners. A promise made. A promise kept.’
The social housing stock is to be entirely eliminated, to create more property owners and a new army of the homeless. He added: ‘So today, I can announce a dramatic shift in housing policy in our country. Those old rules which said to developers: you can build on this site, but only if you build affordable homes for rent… we’re replacing them with new rules… you can build here, and those affordable homes can be available to buy.’ These will be for sale for between £230,000 to £450,000!
Cameron also pledged 500 new free schools and that every school would be an academy adding that schools that preached intolerance would be shut down. ‘No more passive tolerance in Britain. We have passed the laws now I want to see them enforced,’ he declared, launching his witchhunt against Muslim youth.
However, there was no mention of his anti-union laws and the massive cuts in the welfare state ahead. All this is to come directly after the conference is over. The issue for the working class remains that the TUC leaders of the trade unions must be made to call a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers government and socialism.
This is the only way forward for the working class, the youth and the majority of the middle class.
Forward to socialism in Britain!