GROUP LEADERS SUPPORT MURDO AS HE LAYS OUT LOCALISM AGENDA

murdo-fraser

Leadership candidate Murdo Fraser has been given the backing of five Conservative Group Leaders in local authorities the length and breadth of Scotland.  In the letter below, Leaders of the Conservative Groups on Dumfries & Galloway, Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross, Fife and Aberdeenshire Councils outline that the people they represent are “crying out for a centre-right alternative”.

In an article to be published on ConservativeHome tomorrow in which he will outline what features our new party for Scotland will have, Murdo will talk about his localist approach to politics.  He will say:

“Alex Salmond and the SNP may believe in Scottish political sovereignty, but they certainly don’t trust people in Scotland with power.  Their sovereignty is an exclusive sovereignty where only certain politicians can exercise real power.  It would give the Scottish Government more power, but is none too keen on giving it to Scottish local authorities, communities or people.  The approach of our new party will be very different.  The devolution of power will not grind to a halt at Holyrood, but continue on ever downwards.  Such a localist approach is also in tune with a fundamental belief that the best way to improve public services is not through central command and control, but through local diversity.”

The letter signed by five key Council Group Leaders reads:

As elected Scottish Conservative Councillors and Group Leaders, we fully support Murdo Fraser’s idea to transform our party into a new, centre-right force in Scottish politics.

As people who are on the frontline of politics in communities right across Scotland, we know how many people feel frustrated and let down by local councils run by parties of the centre-left.  Parties which spend wastefully and fail to provide good, value-for-money local services.

Such people are crying out for a centre-right alternative which provides the highest quality of service at the lowest possible cost.  But despite sharing our values and supporting many of our policies, many people across Scotland simply will not countenance voting Conservative.  So we have first-hand experience of the problems our party has in connecting with people in Scotland.

We believe that a new, centre-right party with a distinct Scottish identity and policies that are made here in Scotland will be the essential first step in reconnecting with voters at the local level.  And once people learn that they can trust this new party to act in their interests and introduce policies that improve the quality of life in their local communities, we will attract new supporters from all walks of life.

This will be helped enormously by the fact that Murdo Fraser has made it clear he will put localism at the heart of this new party’s agenda.  As parties of the centre-left, both Labour and the SNP have been responsible for the centralising trend in Scottish politics.

It is high time we reversed this trend which is failing people across Scotland.  Scotland is a diverse country and we need to recognise that in the way we deliver vital public services.  That means freeing up local councils so that they can respond effectively to the differing needs and wishes of their local communities.

That is why we believe that the new, centre-right party which Murdo Fraser proposes will not only transform Scottish politics for the better, but also transform Scotland for the better.

Yours faithfully,
Cllr Jeremy Balfour, Conservative Group Leader, City of Edinburgh Council
Cllr Dave Dempsey, Conservative Group Leader, Fife Council
Cllr Marcus Humphrey, Conservative Group Leader, Aberdeenshire Council
Cllr Ivor Hyslop, Conservative Group Leader, Dumfries and Galloway Council
Cllr Alexander Stewart, Conservative Group Leader, Perth and Kinross Council

Margaret Mitchell speaks exclusively to Tory Hoose re Leadership Bid

Margaret Mitchell MSP

Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell has today thrown her hat into the Scottish Conservative Leadership Election with an 11th hour bid.

Speaking exclusively to Tory Hoose, Mitchell commented that on receiving over 150 nominations in under 48 hours, a “collective sigh of relief” had been heard amongst members that they “no longer had a quandary over who to vote for”.

Mitchell told us earlier today, “In terms of my bid for the Leadership, I wanted to wait to see if any of the Candidates were actually representative of the views of both myself and the vast majority of the membership of the Party.  I feel that they haven’t offered anything different. ”

Speaking of her 48 hour nomination dash, Mitchell commented “During the last couple of days, I have been hearing collective sighs of relief from those in the Party who now have a voice that represents their vision of Scottish Conservatism.  They have been telling me that they no longer have a quandary over who to vote for.  I will deliver my manifesto on what I will bring to the Party if elected at my forthcoming Launch and the Members will have a chance to listen to my plans tomorrow at the Hustings in Inverness.

She added, “It’s now time to stand up and be counted and listen to the people.  Politics is all about people.”

Details of her formal launch will be announced soon and Mitchell will join Murdo Fraser, Ruth Davidson and Jackson Carlaw on the stage in Inverness tomorrow at Round 1 of the Leadership Hustings Roadshow.  Tory Hoose will be there for the views, news and interviews.

Margaret Mitchell Confirmed as 4th Leadership Candidate

Margaret Mitchell

Tory Hoose can reveal that the Central Scotland MSP, Margaret Mitchell has reached the required number of 100 nominations and will therefore be a candidate for the leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party.

According to my sources, Mitchell’s husband delivered 145 nomination papers into Scottish Conservative HQ at 10:40 this morning.

 

Stay ‘tuned’  here for more information

John Kilkenny selected for Edinburgh’s Sighthill/Gorgie 2012 election

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John Kilkenny was selected as the Conservative & Unionist candidate for the Sighthill/Gorgie ward on The City of Edinburgh Council in March this year.

An early selection has enabled John to work with Lothian MSP David McLetchie before the Holyrood election to enable him to get his foot in the door and get a grasp of local issues. John is local to the area, having attended Forrester High School and has worked in the motor trade subsequently in Edinburgh.

Jason Lingiah, Deputy Chairman of Edinburgh South West Conservative Association told Tory Hoose, ”I have been extremely impressed with the work and commitment that John has shown both during Holyrood campaign and his own campaign which has now progressed to his second leaflet going on throughout the Ward.”

John has also been proactive in responding to local development issues and has taken time to attend the many Community Councils and local groups in the area and is clearly working to win.”

The Sighthill/Gorgie ward in the City Council is like many wards in Edinburgh where the Conservatives have missed out on electing a Councillor due to the lack of transfers under the Single Transferable Vote electoral system, despite gaining enough votes on first preference.

With hard work and a City wide strategy to win, Tory Hoose is confident that John can be elected in May 2012.

Davidson updates the hoose on her campaign trail.

ruth-davidson

It’s now official. Today the campaign made it over the 100-person threshold

required to be formally nominated as a candidate for the Scottish Conservative

Leadership. A huge thank you to those who have nominated me – I promise I won’t let

you down.

What this shows is a wave of support behind the campaign, and behind my vision to

renew the Scottish Conservatives. As I travel across Scotland on my constituency

tour party members keep telling me they want a Scottish Conservative & Unionist

Party which wins again – and they believe I am the best candidate to do so.

As well as all the face to face feedback I am getting, there is no shortage of

senior party figures who have endorsed my campaign. This week former Aberdeenshire

MP Sir Albert McQuarrie joined Lord Forsyth and Lord Sanderson in supporting my

candidature. Sir Albert said:

“I am convinced in Ruth Davidson the Conservative and Unionist Party in Scotland

will have the leader it needs at this time.

“I would encourage other members of the Party to give their support to Ruth Davidson

in her campaign to lead this great Scottish party.”

I am delighted to have his support. I want to get the Scottish Conservatives

winning seats across Scotland again and it is great to have so many figures who have

won constituencies before on board.

I will be continuing my tour over the next couple of days – yesterday I was down in

the Borders, tonight I am in East Lothian and tomorrow I am going to South

Lanarkshire and then Dumfries before heading off to Inverness on Saturday for the

first leadership husting. I am really looking forward to the chance to put my

vision up to debate and scrutiny.

Murdo Fraser Gains Necessary Nominations

Murdo Fraser has confirmed he now has the 100 required nominations for his candidacy for leadership of the Scottish Conservatives.

He joins Ruth Davidson, who made a similar announcement this morning.

I am told by Jackson Carlaw’s campaign team that he will have the required number of nominations by the deadline of noon tomorrow.

Mitchell may throw hat into Leadership Race – UPDATED

Margaret Mitchell

Central Scotland List MSP Margaret Mitchell is contemplating launching an audacious last minute bid to lead the Party.

Mitchell confirmed earlier this morning to the BBC that she was “considering” throwing her hat into the ring.

She has until Friday to collect the 100 nominations from party members needed to enter the race.

Saturday sees the first of a series of Leadership Hustings where Party Members have the opportunity to quiz those wishing to seek election.  Already in the ring are Jackson Carlaw, Ruth Davidson & Murdo Fraser.

 

UPDATE 18:25 – Tory Hoose sources are confirming that phone calls are being conducted asking for nominators. At least one councillor in South Lanarkshire has been making calls to local party members. Watch this space for more as this story develops

Davidson Secures Nomination

ruth-davidson

Ruth Davidson has become the first officially nominated candidate in the race to be the next leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.

Having received the required number of 100 nominations, she will definitely be appearing on the ballot paper.

 

Ruth Davidson MSP says:

“I am delighted to have secured the support from Party members right across Scotland to be nominated as a candidate. It’s clear there is a real groundswell of support behind my campaign, and behind my vision to renew the Scottish Conservatives. I see it in every stop I make and every member I meet on my 59 constituency tour. I want to lead a Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party which wins again.

“I want the Scottish Conservatives to be seen by all as the natural party of aspiration.  The party of the enterprising, the hard working, and the socially conscious.  The party for Scots of all backgrounds who want safer streets, better schools, and a vibrant economy. The party to which the voters turn, to speak up for the union and Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom. It is by taking these principles forward and engaging with the people of Scotland that will lead to the Conservatives winning again.”

 

Two other candidates have announced their intention to stand in the contest, but neither Murdo Fraser nor Jackson Carlaw have as of yet received the required number of nominations.

A campaign of substance

jackson-carlaw

With the first formal Hustings of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party leadership contest being held in Inverness this Saturday, Jackson Carlaw MSP has highlighted his campaign of substance:

 

So far in this campaign, in addition to visiting party members across Scotland, Jackson has made several substantial contributions to the debate on the future of Scotland, and the future of the Scottish Conservative Party.

In the past two weeks, Jackson has announced:

 

  • The reiteration of his support for an early referendum on Scottish independence.
  • His support for an amendment to be tabled to the Scotland Bill in the House of Lords to make provision for the UK Government to schedule an independence referendum if the First Minister continues to prevaricate.
  • His support for a new Act of Constitutional Settlement- establishing a constitutional basis for relations between the UK and Scottish Parliaments and preventing the need for periodic reviews of devolution.
  • The reiteration of his support for the reform of the way that the Scottish Parliament works, further to the paper he published last October on the need for the reform of the Scottish Parliament, and a forthcoming updated submission to the Parliamentary committee which is looking at different ways of reforming the current work practices.
  • His support for term limits for Conservative MSPs elected through the regional list system.
  • His commitment, that if elected leader, Conservative MSPs would not be able to simultaneously be MSPs and stand for election to the UK Parliament.
  • His support for minimum unit pricing of alcohol, provided that the legislation has a sunset clause to mandate its review and assessment as an effective means of recalibrating Scotland’s relationship with alcohol.

 

Commenting Jackson Carlaw MSP said:

 

“I am looking forward to this next phase of the contest – meeting members, telling them about my vision for the future of the Party and more importantly, listening to and answering their questions. When I entered the contest to succeed Annabel Goldie MSP, I was determined that my campaign would be one that was focused on substance and not obsessed with style.”

 “In the past two weeks I have given a clear indication as to where I stand on a range of issues, covering both internal party matters and the future of the Union, and in the coming weeks I will outline still more policy ideas. This leadership debate must be about the policies of the candidates to lead our Party. Phony debates about branding are simply a distraction. What matters to members are key questions such as how we provide economic stability; improve Scottish health and education and more generally how we can ensure a strong Scotland in a great Britain”

 

Jackson has certainly been forthcoming with concrete ideas and proposals. Just yesterday, he announced that should he win the leadership election, there will be a full scale overhaul of policy and the formation thereof. Of interest was the fact that he stated the only “sacred cow” will be a staunch defence of the union – all other policy areas will be up for negotiation. These sorts of proposals are aimed directly at the electorate in this leadership election. A widely held negative view of the party in Scotland is that ordinary members do not have a say on policy, indeed Carlaw stated recently in a Newsnight Scotland interview that the publication of the Holyrood manifesto this year was the first time he had heard of some of the policies. It will be interesting to see how the other two candidates respond to Carlaw’s announcements.

Murdo Fraser’s Campaign Receives Multiple Councillor Endorsement Boost

murdo-fraser

Murdo Fraser’s campaign has today released the names of 46 Scottish Conservative Councillors who have, this week, pledged support for his plan to build a new party for Scotland.

The list includes the Leaders of the Conservative Groups on Dumfries & Galloway, Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross, Fife and Aberdeenshire Councils. Murdo already has the support of 6 MSPs in Holyrood and a number of significant party figures including Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Struan Stevenson MEP.

Murdo said:

“I am delighted that, this early in the campaign, I have secured the support of so many councillors with many others indicating they will also be supporting me.

“These are the men and women who are on the ground, fighting for their local communities and promoting our values.  They know more than anyone how difficult it is to expand our party’s appeal in the face of the identity problem we have.

“Polling before the last election showed us that only 6% of people think we put Scottish issues first, and brand new polling has told us that a new party with a Scottish identity would have a very positive effect.

“Our new party will be focussed on rejuvenation from the grass roots up.  That means practising what we preach in terms of devolving power to communities and families. We will invest in our local organisations, give them greater freedom in candidate selection and enhance the role of our councillors.

“Localism will be at the heart of the new party’s agenda.  Councillors will be the rock on which the revival of our party is built, and I’m honoured to have such a large number of them on my side.”

 

The following Councillors have declared their support for Murdo Fraser:

Councillor      Council Cllr Alan Donnelly     Aberdeen City

Cllr Marcus Humphrey (Group Leader)  Aberdeenshire
Cllr Jim Gifford
Cllr Ron McKail
Cllr George Carr

Cllr Jim Millar      Angus  Cllr John Whyte

Cllr Donald Kelly     Argyll & Bute

Cllr Jeremy Balfour (Group Leader)  City of Edinburgh
Cllr Cameron Rose
Cllr Jason Rust
Cllr Alistair Paisley
Cllr Joanna Mowat
Cllr Iain Whyte
Cllr Kate Mackenzie

Cllr David Meikle      City of Glasgow

Cllr Alistair Campbell    Clackmannanshire

Cllr Ivor Hyslop (Group Leader)   Dumfries and Galloway
Cllr Peter Duncan
Cllr John Dougan
Cllr Denis Male
Cllr Jack Groom
Cllr John Charteris
Cllr Gillian Dykes
Cllr John Bell
Cllr Roberta Tuckfield
Cllr Patsy Gilroy

Cllr Anne Jarvis     East Dunbartonshire

Cllr Dave Dempsey (Group Leader)  Fife
Cllr Dorothea Morrison
Cllr Ron Caird

Cllr Elizabeth Marshall     North Ayrshire

Cllr Alexander Stewart (Group Leader)  Perth & Kinross
Cllr Mac Roberts
Cllr Kathleen Baird
Cllr Caroline Shiers
Cllr Heather Stewart
Cllr Murray Lyle
Cllr Dennis Melloy
Cllr Ian Campbell
Cllr Ann Cowan

Cllr Callum Campbell    Stirling Cllr Neil Benny

Cllr Hywel Davies     South Ayrshire

Cllr Len Wyse      Scottish Borders

Cllr Graeme Campbell    South Lanarkshire