Dan Hannan

I'm really looking forward to Dan Hannan being guest speaker at the South West Surrey Conservative Association Gala Dinner this Thursday. His verbal assault on Gordon Brown in the European Parliament as shown on Iain Dale's blog and Dan's own blog is tremendous. It is the best three minute indictment of Gordon Brown I have seen. It reinforces for me the danger of George Osborne accepting the Brown agenda of 'we need high taxes in the current climate to cope with the recession.'

Conservatives believe that it is the private, wealth-creating sector that pulls us out of recession, not the public sector. The public sector is essential, necessary, to be applauded...but it will never be the driver of recovery. It can never be the driver of recovery. The private sector needs to be nurtured at this time of crisis to help create jobs and therefore create the wealth that will create jobs in the public sector. The private sector must lead. This is the clear blue water between Labour and Conservatives. Dan Hannan understands this. I think George Osborne does. He just needs to express it more forcefully.