Murdo Fraser got the Sunday headline writers to hold the front page when he sent out his pre-campaign launch last Saturday night (3rd Sept). In it, he tells of his plans to launch a new, progressive, centre-right party with a distinct Scottish identity. One that would have a partnership with the UK Conservative Party, and in other respects be operationally independent.
Murdo’s pre-launch email in full:
Dear colleague,
A new party for Scotland
As you will be aware, I announced my candidacy for leadership of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party at the end of last week. Since then, I have been delighted to receive support from leading Party figures such as Elizabeth Smith MSP, Struan Stevenson MEP, Alex Johnstone MSP, Rt Hon Alex Fergusson MSP and Gavin Brown MSP, along with many senior councillors, activists and ordinary members. I have also set out my views on ‘New Unionism’ as the best way to defeat the SNP’s plans to break up our United Kingdom.
I am holding my campaign launch on Monday (05th Sept) and I am writing in advance of that to let you know about a major announcement I will be making about the future of our Party should I be successful in the leadership election. I know many of you share my frustration about the continued decline in our support notwithstanding all our collective efforts. Scotland has many centre-right voters who will not support our Party because it lacks a distinct Scottish identity. We have to change, and change fundamentally, if we are to win them back.
So I will, on Monday, make it clear the direction in which I wish to take the Party. If I am elected as Leader, I will build a new and stronger party for Scotland. A new party, a winning party with new supporters from all walks of life, a new belief in devolution, a new name, and, most importantly, a new positive message about the benefits of staying in and strengthening the United Kingdom.
I will be setting out my vision in more detail on Monday at my campaign launch, but given that there will be a great deal of media interest in my proposals I wanted to make sure you knew what I am suggesting before you read about in the papers. Elizabeth Smith, my Campaign Manager, has written a piece setting my proposed changes in context, and this is pasted below. I am sure that you will have a lot of questions about the detail of what I am proposing and I will endeavour to answer these in the coming days. However, I hope that you will agree that these are exciting plans for the much-needed revival of progressive, centre-right politics in Scotland.
For the avoidance of doubt, may I make it very clear that my proposals refer to the period beyond the forthcoming Scottish council elections. It would not be appropriate to make these changes ahead of these council elections given the fact that that electoral process is already underway.
With very best wishes,
Murdo Fraser
Elizabeth Smith writes:
Murdo Fraser has got what it takes
Like all of my colleagues and every other Conservative voter in the recent Scottish Election, I was bitterly disappointed at the outcome. Make no mistake about the extent of that disappointment or about the deep-seated frustration which accompanies it, because, whether we like it or not, we have consistently failed to get our act fully together when it comes to making electoral progress. And, I know I speak for a large number of people, both inside and outside the party, when I say that enough is enough.
There is only one option open to us, and that is to be brutally honest with ourselves about why we are not doing better, act upon it, and change – for good.
The first stage in that process has been the Sanderson Review which has opened up new channels for some very plain speaking. And plenty of plain speaking there has been; about our party organisation, leadership structures, about policy-making and campaigning and about our inability to broaden our appeal. The findings of the review have been a salutary lesson, which tell us that all the previous attempts at revival have not worked. Put simply; if you don’t get the votes, you will not win elections.
That first stage – an accurate diagnosis if you like – was extremely important. There is little hope of moving forward if you can’t admit to the problems. The second stage, however, is even more important, and that is the current leadership campaign which follows the decision of Annabel Goldie to stand down this autumn. This campaign gives the party exactly the right opportunity to debate what we do now; how we can become a modern and effective force in Scottish politics that will once again capture the public’s imagination.
For me, three things matter. Firstly, our party needs to be capable of winning again, Secondly, it needs to attract voters from a much wider cross-section of Scottish society, and, thirdly, there needs to be a clear commitment to and vision about how we will strengthen the United Kingdom.
One of these things on its own is not enough. We need to achieve all three, and to do so, I believe we need to be radical in our approach; not more of the same, and hoping that, given time, “our time will come” in the opinion polls. Because the blunt message is – and we all need to understand this – that they won’t, unless we can prove we have really changed and that we fully understand the dynamics of modern Scottish politics. And these dynamics are changing fast in terms of the size of the economic challenge, a new Scotland Bill, the forthcoming referendum and the need for reform of our public services.
Over the last few months, like many other colleagues, I have thought long and hard about the future. I have talked to many people both inside and outside the party and a very large number of them tell me they want radical change. As a result, I declared my support for Murdo Fraser.
Why? Because I believe he has the radical agenda which can once again make us a strong force in Scottish politics; not just in the words or the spin that might see him get elected leader, but because of a firm commitment to a radical new agenda. At the heart of this agenda is the creation of a new, progressive centre right party in Scotland which has at its core our values of freedom, responsibility and decentralisation, but also capable of attracting a much wider support across all walks of life in Scotland.
That party will also be built around the concept of new unionism: around the fact that devolution and a stronger United Kingdom are not mutually exclusive, but, instead, are a coherent political strategy that will ensure nationalism can be defeated once and for all and ensure that we are capable of sending many more MPs to Westminster to support a Conservative Government.
We need to build a more successful Scotland which will be more attractive to business, to entrepreneurs and to all those who know that we must do more to improve the delivery of our public services and reward those who work hard and who pay their taxes. We need to reform our education system, the delivery of our health services; we need to ensure the provision of local government services gives better value for money and we need to ensure Scotland is open for business.
Murdo’s passion and conviction impress me, he has very considerable political and parliamentary experience, formidable debating powers which are recognised by the media and the other parties in the Scottish Parliament, as well as by the general public; and these are debating skills which, I believe, will prove vitally important especially at the time of a crucial referendum on Scotland’s future.
Leadership of any political party is not easy. It takes courage and vision; it takes experience and good judgment. I have no doubt there are others who could do a good job, but for me, and, I know, for many others, Murdo has got what it takes to make us electable again and I very much hope you will join me in supporting him.
Elizabeth Smith
The Sunday Times and the Herald have both run with reports that Scottish Conservative Leader Annabel Goldie has rejected Murdo Fraser’s plan to revitalise and reform centre-right politics in Scotland.
