London: British Prime Minister David Cameron
on Wednesday tried to enthuse the Conservative party and the people
by insisting that things will soon improve economically and
called for the same "drive to succeed" that is seen in Delhi,
Shanghai or Lagos.
Faced with mounting criticism that his government’s plan
to cut deficit by carrying out deep funding cuts, among other
measures, was not succeeding, Cameron urged the people to
stick with his spending cuts plan for a better future.
"When you step off the plane in Delhi or Shanghai or
Lagos, you can feel the energy, the hunger, the drive to
succeed. We need that here. Frankly, there’s too much ‘can’t
do’ sogginess around. We need to be a sharp, focused, can-do
country," he said in his closing speech to the Conservative
party's conference in Manchester, northwest England.
Cameron began the day with yet another indicator of
continuing downturn: latest official figures showed that the
UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent between April and June, less
than the estimated 0.2 per cent.
"Some say that to succeed in this world, we need to
become more like India, or China, or Brazil. I say: we need to
become more like us. The real us. Hard-working, pioneering,
independent, creative, adaptable, optimistic, can-do,? he said
in the address aimed more to the wider public than his
fiscally conservative party delegates.
Cameron added: "That’s the spirit that has made this
United Kingdom what it is: a small country that does great
things; one of the most incredible success stories in the
history of the world. And it's a spirit that's alive and well
today". Exhorting the party faithful and people to reject
pessimism, Cameron noted in his keynote address that "half the
world is booming - let's go and sell to them".
The British premier said there’s so much that’s great
about our country.
"We don’t have to accept that success in this century
automatically belongs to someone else. We just have to
remember the origin of our achievements: the people of
Britain, taking a lead," he said.
Cameron appealed to the party workers to bring on the
"can-do optimism." "Let’s summon the energy and the appetite
to fight for a better future.”
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, October 05, 2011, 23:40