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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

Billion Pound black hole in SNP plans

gavin_brown
Further analysis of the SNP draft budget has revealed a near billion pound mystery at the heart of John Swinney’s plans to boost capital spending.
 
In his speech to Parliament, the Finance Secretary claimed that “We have decided, over the period until 2014-15 to switch from resource expenditure to our capital programme a total of over three quarters of a Billion pounds.”
However, according to the Scottish Government’s own figures, capital expenditure actually decreases over that period when the draft Budget is compared to the indicative spending totals the Scottish Government published in early 2011.
In fact, projected capital expenditure doesn’t rise by over £750 million but actually falls by over £185 million over the period, giving a £935,000,000 black hole at the heart of the plans. This data is found by comparing the SNP’s own projections in January of this year with the plans unveiled on Wednesday.
Gavin Brown MSP Scottish Conservative finance spokesman says:
“Another day and more revelations which show the SNP draft budget is unravelling.
 
“First we saw a cash grab on business of £850,000,000 and now this new mystery over capital expenditure. Put together they raise serious questions about the economic credibility of the SNP.
 
“The SNP must answer the following questions urgently
  • Are they actually shifting over £750m into capital spending or is this just spin?
  • Where is the evidence in the budget to show the move of £750m into capital spend?
  • Why do their own figures suggest a £185m decrease in capital spend since their January figures?
  • If money is being shifted, which revenue budgets have been cut to achieve this?”
  
“We said on Wednesday that the SNP was playing a game of smoke and mirrors. Well the fog is lifting and the picture from the figures is very different from the SNP narrative we were fed on Wednesday.”
Data verified by Scottish Parliament research centre:
£m 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
DEL Capital
Illustrative Budget (Jan 2011)       2,606.6       2,536.0       2,299.0       2,380.0
Spending Review       2,606.7       2,471.4       2,238.4       2,319.6
Difference 0.1 -64.6 -60.6 -60.4

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.

News Review 23/09/11

With Glasgow Labour in complete disarray, the Daily Record notes that former Council Leader Steve Purcell is ‘Happy as Larry’ despite claims that he may be in line to face corruption charges following Strathclyde Police completing a probe into his time as Leader.  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/09/23/cocaine-shame-ex-council-boss-steven-purcell-is-happy-as-larry-as-corruption-police-complete-probe-into-his-dealings-86908-23439963/

The fallout of John Swinney’s Spending Review, referred to as ‘Plan MacB’ continues, with both the Herald http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/850m-business-rates-bombshell-for-scots-jobs-1.1125470  and the Scotsman http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Swinney-sets-up-850m-business.6841110.jp leading with £850m business rates bombshell for Scots jobs as job fears rise and a call for the Finance Secretary to further review this draft budget before it is delivered in January. 

A report by the Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR) is reported to have found ‘scant evidence’ that Salmond’s plans for the Economy will impact on growth http://breakingnews.heraldscotland.com/breaking-news/?mode=article&site=hs&id=N0540161316711061869A and the Church of Scotland has entered into the Spending Review debate with Rev Ewan Aitken, the Secretary of the Church and Society Council (and Labour Councillor in Edinburgh) claiming that the Nats are ‘failing to help Scotland’s poorest’.  http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Kirk-leaders-attack-Nationalists-for.6841117.jp

Alex Salmond has come under fire for refusing to confirm what fate awaits the University of Abertay http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Community/College-and-University/article/17529/alex-salmond-fails-to-rule-out-merger-of-city-universities.html despite claims that a ‘DunTay’ University merger is in the pipeline.

Finally, Fife Council and Edinburgh Council look set for a bit of a ding-dong as fears over a ‘spending leak’ as the Capital’s Gyle Shopping Centre looks set to expand http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/17474/fife-council-agrees-to-formally-object-to-gyle-shopping-centre-expansion.html

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.

News Summary 22/09/2011

Tom Peterkin: And Hey Presto, with one bound he was free
Scotsman
But things did hot up for a bit when the Conservatives‘ Gavin Brown claimed there was some “completely unsubstantiated stuff” in the Swinney budget. Making great play of the fact he had actually managed to read Swinney’s Scottish Spending Review and

Goldie urges more help for firms
The Scottish Government’s budget is “silent” on extending help to businesses using Holyrood’s existing powers, Conservative leader Annabel Goldie has said.

BBC News – As it happened: First Minister’s Questions
Annabel Goldie has her go. 1209. How many businesses will benefit from a corporation tax plan, asks the Tory leader? 1209. FM says corporation tax powers

Aberdeen councillor speaks about red-light arrest
Aberdeen Evening Express
Shamed Gordon Leslie was picked up by police in Aberdeen’s harbour area just hours after being selected to stand as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament. Today Councillor Gordon Leslie, who has now become an independent

Gina Davidson: Who’ll blink as we get to brink?
Scotsman
Pretty easy point-scoring, but government finance is all just one big merry-go-round of blame: if it’s not the SNP’s fault at Holyrood, it’s the Tories at Westminster, or it’s the profligate, mostly Labour-run councils in Scotland and all those public

Fury over booze tax
Glasgow Evening Times
The plan was thrown out after Labour, Tory and LibDem MSPs voted it down in the Scottish Parliament. Mr Swinney said his new “health levy” was necessary to pay for an increase in preventative spending to combat the problems caused by alcohol and

Building projects ‘the way to beat recession’
Scotsman
The SNP Government said it was switching £750 million pencilled in for government departments towards infrastructure spending, including the new Forth road crossing and construction work on schools and homes. ash to pay for building work on hospitals

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

Helping Scotland’s businesses: SNP should first use the powers they’ve got

84313-tories-demand-paedophile-disclosure-law-200

Speaking after FMQs today, Annabel Goldie MSP, Scottish Conservative Leader, said:

 

“The First Minister likes to wax lyrical at every opportunity about the powers he doesn’t have – like Corporation Tax, which he wants devolved.

 

“The fact is that, according to the Scottish Parliament’s own researchers fewer than 3% of all businesses in Scotland would benefit. And by the Government’s own admission their estimated 27,000 new jobs would take 20 years.

 

“The First Minister has got a tax power which he can use right now. In an SNP press release we are told that the small business bonus, delivered by Scottish Conservative votes in the last parliament, created 40,000 new jobs in just 4 years, at a fraction of the cost of the First Minister’s proposal for Corporation Tax.

 

“Yesterday’s budget was silent on extending more help to more businesses, large and small, to cut their business rates and create more jobs right now, with the powers we’ve got. Rather than bleat about what he doesn’t have, Alex Salmond should make the most of what he does have.”

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.