I’ve just got back to Dudley from the conference in Manchester.

It was a much better conference than I had expected, with Gordon and his government focused on helping the British people through the economic problems that are making things so difficult for ordinary families at the moment.

The highlight for me had to be Gordon’s speech yesterday afternoon.

Unexpectedly introduced by his wife Sarah, Gordon set out the sense of purpose the country needs to see and explained the dangers of electing a Conservative government led by David Cameron.

He not only showed why he is the best person to take the government through the difficult economic circumstances and the global financial turmoil we’re facing, but also set out the vision and idea needed to build the fairer Britain that we all want to see.

In terms of new policies, he promised: · prescription charges abolished next year for people fighting cancer · more free nursery places to two year olds · financial help to get a million families online · guaranteed catch up tuition for any child who falls behind in primary school · legislation that enshrines in law our commitment to end child poverty He showed how “every single blow we have struck for fairness and for the future has been opposed by the Conservatives” saying that if they had been in power, there would have been no paternity leave, no New Deal, no Bank of England independence, no Sure Start, no devolution, no civil partnerships, no minimum wage, no new investment in the NHS, no new nurses, no new police and no new schools.

He showed how their response to the chaos of the financial markets is to argue for more deregulation and to stand aside leaving people defenceless when what they need is a government on their side.

Faced with the global financial turmoil that is driving up prices and threatening family finances, he said that if the Tories had been in a position to implement their beliefs there would have been “no rescue of Northern Rock, no action on speculation, no protection for mortgages, doing nothing to stop banks going under.”

You can watch the speech for yourself on the internet at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49L6RHuknsw Please let me know what you think of the speech and the policies announce by emailing me at austini@parliament.uk.