Conservative leader David Cameron has told party members to press him to "move faster" to win the next election.
The Tories are 'on the rise', Mr Cameron said.
He criticised Chancellor Gordon Brown and newly elected Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell for having "old-fashioned ideas".
In a speech to Scottish Tories, Mr Cameron said his party was "on the rise", adding: "This is our time."
Conservatives, who only have one MP in Scotland, believed in "sharing responsibility", he added.
'Ups and downs'
Some senior Tories have criticised Mr Cameron for saying recently that economic stability was a more immediate priority than tax cuts.
But supporters say change is vital for re-election.
Mr Cameron told the conference in Perth: "A great party, a party like ours, will always have its ups and downs.
"But it will never lose its spirit, never lose its will. Nelson Mandela put it well. He said: 'The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.'"
The Labour Party had claimed a "monopoly on compassion", but its record in Scotland had been one of "unfairness", even though public spending took up more than half the nation's economy, Mr Cameron added.
Meanwhile, in England, wranglings with Labour backbenchers over school reforms meant Tony Blair had spent "every waking hour bogged down haggling and trading over every dot and comma".
Mr Cameron said Labour was the "Jurassic Park of British politics", adding: "Instead of a great leap forward, all we got was a timid shuffle forward.
"It's not good enough for our children, it's not good enough for parents and it's our job to put it right. And we will."
The conference lasts until Saturday.