He Finally Turned Up The Volume

Remember the quiet man who never quite managed to turn up the volume? Well he did it today, and with astonishing style. Iain Duncan Smith's speech on Britain's broken society earlier today was brilliant in almost every way. Over the years since he has departed from the top job in the Party he has gained something. His speech was patriotic and passionate, compassionate and tough, with little traces of humour scattered here and there. It was so good, in fact, that I'm considering renewing my membership.

Last week at that conference, do you know what they were doing off that platform all week? They were saying that they wanted a general election. Do you know why they said they wanted an election? Surprise surprise, because they said they believed they could win it. Do you know why they said they wanted to win it? Because they wanted to destroy the Tory Party once and for all. Why? The difference between us and the Labour Party is this: they want power to destroy us. We must want power to rebuild Britain and to care for British people.

He also talked about patriotism as an inspiration, in a manner in which Churchill would truly be proud. All quotable, but it must be heard to be fully appreciated.

The speech was so good, in fact, that even the UK Daily Pundit, who only the other day said he didn't predict a Tory victory until 2017, said:

Will Ian's impassioned plea to mend Britain's broken society make the headlines? No. The conference will be remembered for pledges on tax cuts. But from what I've seen today at least one thing is certain: The Conservative Party is alive and kicking. And whenever the election is called, I doubt it will be the one-sided contest the polls suggest.

Before this conference, people were saying that the Conservatives lacked something to stand for. Today, the Quiet Man gave the Tories something to stand for: for "a fair deal; for giving people a chance, and giving them a second chance."