Cameron eyes troublesome 2011
David Cameron has acknowledged that 2011 is going to be a “difficult year” for Britain.
The prime minister attempted to use his new year’s message to present an upbeat picture of the country’s prospects in the next 12 months – but was forced to admit that “a lot of the heavy lifting” will have to happen too.
The first full calendar year of the coalition government is expected to see the spending cuts contained in the comprehensive spending review bite. Union leaders are predicting strikes. Labour’s Ed Miliband called 2011 a “year of consequence” in his own new year’s message.
“2011 is going to be a difficult year, as we take hard but necessary steps to sort things out,” Mr Cameron said.
“The actions we are taking are essential, because they are putting our economy and the country on the right path.”
The prime minister sought to portray the government’s austerity drive as being motivated in the “national interest”.
“If we sort out our problems, and make the most of our many opportunities, we can be one of the international success stories of the new decade,” he added.
“The national interest dictates that we do the right thing, which is to act, not the easy thing, which would be to delay.”
He stressed the government was motivated by necessity rather than “ideological zeal” in implementing the cuts. Critics have accused the Conservatives of rolling back the state by cutting further and faster than necessary.
“I didn’t come into politics to make cuts. Neither did Nick Clegg. But in the end politics is about national interest, not personal political agendas,” he continued.
“This is a government led by people with a practical desire to sort out this country’s problems, not by ideology.”
He described the coalition as an “embodiment” of the spirit of cooperation he hoped to achieve in 2011.
“Of course coalition politics is not always straightforward. We don’t agree on everything. We never said we would,” Mr Cameron admitted.
“But I believe we are bringing a new style of government. A more collegiate approach. One where we’re prepared to argue things out and then act to do what we both believe is in the national interest.
“The political risks are greater this way. But so too are the rewards.”
The Conservatives remain around the 40% mark in the polls, in part benefiting from the collapse in support for their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats. Having briefly polled over 30% during the general election campaign, Mr Clegg’s party are now hovering around the mid-teens.
Mr Cameron remained “optimistic” as he looked ahead, despite having conceded that 2011 was unlikely to be a pleasant one for him, his party or his country.
He concluded: “If 2010 was the year we stopped the rot, we can make 2011 the year that Britain gets back on her feet.”
