There were a few notable omissions from the prime minister's address – including the Lib Dems and the police
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David Cameron addresses the Tory conference in Birmingham. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
1. The police. With Andrew Mitchell's alleged "pleb" rant at Downing Street police officers still rather too fresh in everyone's minds, and police reforms, budget cuts and pay cuts exercising officers up and down the country, maybe it was no surprise that David Cameron steered clear of mentioning this particular group of public servants. A poster outside the conference centre said: "Say hello to Dave, wave goodbye to your police service."
2. An EU referendum. There was no mention either of a referendum on Europe, which had been clearly signalled by the prime minister in a round of interviews this week. But Cameron knows it's not just about holding a vote, but what question you are actually asking.
3. The Lib Dems. Cameron focused on lauding the Conservative brand, and panning the Labour one, and left the Liberal Democrats out altogether. While Cameron name-checked Labour several times, and Ed Miliband in person, there was not a peep about his coalition partners or their leader, Nick Clegg.
4. Gay marriage. David Cameron has previously tried to sell gay marriage as consistent with Tory values ie commitment, but it's not going down well with many grassroots activists who aired their dissent at conference fringes on the issue. So Cameron left it out, and left it to the equalities minister, Maria Miller, to speak up for gay marriage in a speech earlier in the day.
5. The Health Act. Cameron's claim to be "the party of the NHS" was made without a single mention of the Tory-inspired shakeup of the NHS courtesy of recent legislation pushed through by the former health secretary Andrew Lansley, who has been shipped out of health to make way for Jeremy Hunt.