By sticking to the plan, we can make Britain a great success story

By sticking to the plan, we can make Britain a great success story
written by David Cameron

Today I spoke about the economy to a business audience in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Some extracts of the speech below, I welcome your thoughts:

"The challenges on the economy are huge and there is a long way to go. But I believe already there are signs that our plan is beginning to work. The biggest deficit in peacetime history is already down by a quarter. Interest rates are at near record lows and exports are starting to turn around too.

"Over the past three years our exported goods to the fastest growing parts of the world have been soaring – Brazil, up by half; India, more than half; China, almost doubled; Russia, up by 133 per cent.

"These increases in British exports mean British businesses getting new orders and that means jobs right here back at home. The number of people on out-of-work benefits has fallen and there are one million extra private-sector jobs over the last two and a half years.

"There are also more people in work than ever before in our history. And today, we welcome the news from British Telecom, from BT, that they’re creating another thousand new jobs, including 400 apprenticeships, as part of their £2.5 billion investment in broadband where Britain has the fastest broadband roll-out scheme anywhere in the developed world.

"Most importantly of all, our economy which was previously so badly unbalanced now has private-sector employment levels rising in every part of the country and they are rising fastest right here in the North of England. Within one year of this government, we had a faster rate of new business creation than at any time in our history. Today we have more than a quarter of a million new private-sector businesses, the biggest increase in private enterprises on record with more than three quarters of these new businesses created outside London. It is a new generated private sector that we need for our country.

"These signs of progress are just the beginning of a long, hard road to a better Britain. But the very moment when we’re just getting some of those signs that we can turn our economy around and make our country a success is the very moment to hold fast to the path that we have set. And, yes, the path ahead is tough, but be in no doubt; the decision we make now will set the course of our economic future for years to come. And while some would falter and plunge us back into the abyss, we will stick to the course.

"I know some people thinkit is somehow stubborn to stick to a plan, and that somehow this is just about making numbers add up without a carefor what it means to people affected by the changes we make. As far as I’m concerned, nothing could be further from the truth.
"My motives, my beliefs, my passion for sticking to this plan are exactly about doing the right thing to help families and to help businesses up and down our country, because the truth is this: if we want good jobs for our children, we will not get them if we are burdened with debt and outcompeted by India and China. If we want good public services, we won’t be able to afford them if our economy is weak and we’re spending half of the budget on debt interest.
"If we want to look after people with dignity in their old age, we won’t be able to do that if we are squandering billions of pounds on welfare for people who could work but don’t. If we want to help people into work and if we want to break the cycle of poverty that affects too many familieswe’ve seen that ever-increasing working-age welfare is not the answer. If we want to help with the cost of living, then that means cutting spending to keep taxes down.
"When I stood on the steps of Downing Street for the very first time, I said I believe the best days for Britain lie ahead of us, not behind us. I still believe that. And by sticking to the plan, we can prove it to be true. By sticking to the plan, we can together make Britain a great success story in this vital global race."