The Conservative Leader David Cameron dropped by the Key Marginal Constituency of Stevenage to visit the Lister Hospital earlier today. This is one of the areas the tories will need to win if they hope to turn the Commons Blue.
When Mr Cameron had finished visiting new Mothers in the state of the art maternity ward, Mr Cameron spent a few minutes on mic with yours truly.
The interview was conducted for talkSPORT. This is a transcript. Please use freely when crediting talkSPORT radio
SD - Mr Cameron, lets kick off on a health related issue, we are at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage after all, and ask you about your top-down targets. The Labour Party are saying that potentially under a Conservative Government, cancer patients wouldn't get the same quality of treatment that they get now.
DC - Well cancer patients under a Conservative Government would get a better deal, because we want to make sure cancer patients see specialist quickly, and sometimes, two weeks frankly is too long, but also we'd go further than that and say because we're not going to impose the national insurance increase, there'd be a £200,000,000 fund to make sure that patients get the cancer drugs they need. We've seen too many cases recently of people, you know, mortgaging their homes, borrowing money to get cancer drugs that their doctors want them to have. In a Conservative government, they would get those drugs. When it comes to treating cancer patients, it's not just about the first meeting with a Consultant, it's about the drugs you need, it's about the chemotheraphy, it's about the radiotherapy. It's making sure that everything happens to make sure you get the treatment you need, and we as a country do better than we do now, where are cancer outcomes are actually, you know amongst some of the worst in Europe, whereas they should be amongst the best in Europe.
SD - Moving away from health for the second, to the fortunes of the parties, the positions in the polls, the Times coming out for the Tories, the Guardian coming out for the Lib Dems. Do these sorts of things really make any difference?
DC - Well obviously it's great to have the support of a leading newspaper like the Times, a very authoratative newspaper, but in the end, what really matters is the millions of voters in Britain when they go to the polls on Thursday, and I think what the Conservatives are demonstrating is we've got momentum, because we've fought the most energetic campaign, the most positive campaign, and the key point I think to make is if people want change, if they want a new Prime Minister, a new team, a new government on Friday, rolling up it's sleeves and starting work, that's what the Conservatives can give. Labour is just more of the same. The Liberals are a vote for great uncertainty, and frankly flakiness. The Conservatives can get us moving.
SD - What has it been like for you on this election campaign? You're all over the country from dawn till dusk. I'm surprised you're still standing. How do you cope with it?
DC - Well I had a good night's sleep last night, I even managed to sleep in my own bed rather than in a hotel. I just find that you know, this is such an important election for our country, and the prospect of taking the country in a different and better direction is a huge tonic, and I've got bags of energy. I'm looking forward to these last five days of charging round the country, and really putting the case to people that this is the time to vote for the chance that the country needs, and so I've got loads of energy. The debates were important, but now we're in the last stage, and I think we come out of those debates with people looking very positively at what the Conservatives offer.
SD - If you'll forgive the informality, lets look at "Dave" the person. There is a chance that next Friday, you could be Prime Minister of this country, and nobody would assume you were prejudging the voters in telling us how that makes you feel personally. Are you excited? How do you feel? What sort of thoughts run through your head at night?
DC - Well it's not about me, it's about the country. I just think the country needs change. We've been stuck in a rut with this Labour government for thirteen years. and I think that I've got the team behind me. I think I've got the judgement and the leadership and the values to take the country in the direction it needs to go. Of course this is a daunting prospect, and we face some difficult decisions, and the point I would make is this, is that I really want people to know that although we may have to take difficult decisions, we will always make sure that we help the frail, the vulnerable, the elderly, those who are the poorest in our society. I want people to know that I will not leave those people behind, that we've got to change in this country, we've got to do better, but you judge a society by how you look after the weakest and the most vulnerable. That is who I am. That's what any government I lead would be like - and I want people to know that, because it's really vital that we're all in this together.
SD - Well that's David Cameron speaking in Stevenage. He'd like to be Prime Minister, but the decision... is yours!
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