09/04/2005 00:00
TW
0

I wanted to write to you the readers of Mallorca Daily Bulletin about the general election, and to encourage you to vote for the Conservative Party.
Even though you may not live in Britain, I understand how important your links to this country are. Labour may have restricted your right to vote, by introducing the 15 year limit, but you care about Britain's future. And I know that many of you share my hopes and aspirations for our country.

Sandra and I live in Kent. From my kitchen I can see container ships going along the Channel. And it reminds me that Britain's greatness is built on our trade, on our openness, on our integrity, on our companies that can take on and beat the best in the world.

For me, the most moving experience of recent weeks has been learning about the quiet heroism of Private Johnson Beharry VC. And it's not just for his bravery – which humbles all of us who have never served in combat. That a young man from Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean, with deep and long–standing ties to Britain, should become the first living recipient of the Victoria Cross in 36 years says something remarkable about Britain too. It reminds us that Britain is bigger than the area bounded by the shores of this island and that, for many people beyond our shores, British values stand for something in the world.

I am deeply proud of being British. I'm proud of our history, and our traditions. I'm proud of the contribution our country has made to the world. And I'm confident that Britain can make an even greater contribution in the years ahead. I'm proud of our past and I want to be proud of our future.

Governments cannot do everything – but if they govern with the right values then they can make a real difference. The Britain I believe in will reward people who do the right thing: the people who work hard, and pay their dues. Governments should reward parents who raise children to respect others, reward professionals who follow their vocation, reward businessmen and women who take risks to guarantee our future prosperity. After eight years of broken promises from Mr Blair and his Government, it's time for urgent action on the things that really matter to people: more police; cleaner hospitals; school discipline; lower taxes and controlled immigration.

Our plans may be practical, but our vision reaches to the sky: a country run, at long last, according to a guide that no philosopher, no politician, no economist could ever match – the decent, common sense values of the British people.

If these are your values too, wherever you live, if you are entitled to vote at this election you can help us put them into effect.