David Cameron's speech to the CBI 15th July 2008.

Speaking at the CBI, David Cameron said:

"In March, I gave a speech about the Conservative strategy to deal with the deteriorating financial situation. The immediate backdrop was the credit crunch and the crisis in the city. The credit crunch has now spread - from the City and into every home and business in Britain. Hundreds of thousands of families have the threat of negative equity hanging over them - and their future security.

Businesses are cutting back and unemployment creeping up. And people are desperately trying to make ends meet because of the rising cost of living. I hear it in the conversations I have, the emails I read, the letters I get. At first, they were angry - angry with a Government that seemed to be ignoring that there was a problem with the economy...

…that the cost of living was rocketing and the housing market was falling.

Recently, the tone has shifted. Now, people are just incredibly worried - worried about their families and worried about their future.

The other week, I got this email from Janie Anderson.

She said:

"I work 40 hours a week, my husband 48. My salary doesn't quite pay the mortgage each month. It is currently costing us £70 for fuel (between us) each week to get to work. We had two cars, we now have the one because of the running costs. My husband works nights and me days so we can car share, we pass each other in the hallway in the morning and again in the evening… We have brought up our kids, we should be starting to enjoy ourselves but this is not possible because of the high living costs."

Janie's story is the real economy.

Not a place of statistics that this Government loves trotting out - but one of lived experiences.

Not a place of academic theories that so obsess Gordon Brown - but one of people's hopes and ambitions, and fear and anxieties.

Janie - and others up and down the country in her situation - don't want sympathy.

They just want to know - what are you going to do?

How are you going to turn things around?

You can read David's full speech by clicking HERE.