2026-04-20
1 小时 15 分钟The first Conservative Party conference I attended was in 1946.
You will understand, I know, the humility I feel at following in the footsteps of great men like our leader that year,
Winston Churchill.
Oh, man called by destiny who raised the name of Britain to supreme heights in the history of the free world.
We are coming, I think, to yet another turning point in our long history.
We can go on as we have been going and continue down.
Or we can stop.
And with a decisive act of will, we can say enough.
Let us, all of us here today and others far beyond this whole who believe in our cause, make that act of will.
Let us proclaim our faith in a new and better future for our party and our people.
Let us resolve to heal the wounds of a divided nation and let that act of healing be the prelude to a lasting victory.
So that was Margaret Thatcher.
And it was her first speech to the Conservative Party conference as leader.
And she delivered it on the 10th of October, 1975.
And astute listeners will have recognised that Mrs Thatcher there did not sound like she did later with her deep
masculine voice and her slow, steady elocution.
Because at this point, she hadn't actually had the elocution lessons that gave her that voice.
At this point, and I think I'm right, Aunty Dominic,
in saying this, she had a much shriller, faster, less controlled voice.
And so through the medium of vocal impression,