Scottish Tories 'Finished'?

[Guest]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14778353

There is a myth that Scotland 'does not like the Tories'. This is nonsense: they merely disliked the leader of the Tory Party from 1975-90. When Harold Macmillan was in charge, the Tories were actually the majority Party in Scotland.

Since Thatcher, though, Scottish Tories have carried the baggage of being 'England's representatives', which has slowed any Tory recovery north of the border.

So, Murdo Fraser's idea would seem to make sense; in fact, I can't think why this idea wasn't floated years ago.

[Flosshilde]

I believe that in past years the Tories on Scottish local councils used to masquerade as 'independent'.

"The party would sit with the Tories in the Commons but have its own policies." what, like the Lib Dems? " [Mr Fraser] told the BBC: "What we have to do is get many more people elected from Scottish constituencies to support David Cameron and a future UK Conservative government and the best way to do that is to create a new progressive centre-right with a Scottish identity." "

I don't think anybody would be fooled (& I think that Scotland already has a centre-right party - the SNP)

[Al R Gando]

I didn't realise they had ever even started

[scottycelt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14778353

There is a myth that Scotland 'does not like the Tories'. This is nonsense: they merely disliked the leader of the Tory Party from 1976-90. When Harold Macmillan was in charge, the Tories were actually the majority Party in Scotland.

Since Thatcher, though, Scottish Tories have carried the baggage of being 'England's representatives', which has slowed any Tory recovery north of the border.

So, Murdo Fraser's idea would seem to make sense; in fact, I can't think why this idea wasn't floated years ago.

It's not a new idea. In Glasgow, at least, Conservatives changed their name to 'Progressives' for local elections many decades ago. I don't know whether that's still the case.

It does make sense especially as the current PM (despite his surname) is forever stressing his Englishness and, like Thatcher, has an unhappy tendency to lecture the Scots. Not a particularly bright idea!

That sort of thing goes down about as well in Scotland as Gordon Brown's and Alistair Darling's perceived dour Scottishness did south of the border ..

[Norfolk Born]

'Scottish Tories' - the best example of an oxymoron since 'Italian referee'?

[makropulos]

This from yesterday's Telegraph:
"Murdo Fraser, who is favourite to become leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, will announce that he plans to wind up the party if he wins a ballot of members next month."

To be honest, it doesn't sound like a great idea: wanting to become leader in order to shut down the party that's just elected you.

But if could have quite interesting consequences at the time of the independence vote. Heaven knows which way that will go.

Is this all a poblem for Cameron? The Torygraph seems to think it might be, and nice as that would be, I'm not so sure - he'd probably be delighted to see Scotland going its own way and quickly becoming the Albania of the North with the noxious Salmond appointing himself President for Life.

[Curalach]

When I was young there were no Tories in Scotland. There were the Unionists who sadly changed their name to Conservative, and on the local council, Glasgow, There were Progressives, who sadly changed their name to Conservative. I voted for them all my life until recently.

[scottycelt]

Is this all a poblem for Cameron? The Torygraph seems to think it might be, and nice as that would be, I'm not so sure - he'd probably be delighted to see Scotland going its own way and quickly becoming the Albania of the North with the noxious Salmond appointing himself President for Life.

He possibly might not be quite so happy to see much of the massive UK oil revenues, the huge whisky revenue and a significant proportion of the UK Armed Forces go the same way though ...

[Mandryka]

Can someone please edit my initial post to change '1976' to '1975', please? Can't seem to do it at the moment.

[ahinton]

He possibly might not be quite so happy to see much of the massive UK oil revenues, the huge whisky revenue and a significant proportion of the UK Armed Forces go the same way though ...

Not to mention the loss of revenue from tourism and raspberries - but never fear, the Brits won't let our country go without having first purloined and seized all those Scottish reserves, so the notion of Mr Salmond becoming the Hoxha of the North in what will once have been thought of as the United Queendom might not seem quite so unrealistic after all (although what might happen to the monarchical property interests in Scotland will presumably remain to be determined, unless they turn itno some kind of British Lesotho)...

[Flosshilde]

United Queendom might not seem quite so unrealistic after all (although what might happen to the monarchical property interests in Scotland will presumably remain to be determined, unless they turn itno some kind of British Lesotho)...

The Great Leader has always said that the Queen would remain Queen of Scotland (or Scots) after independence (whether she wants to or not ). After all, the thrones of Scotland & England were united long before the governments (if they ever were).

Although there has been some suggestion that Princess Anne should become President.

[mangerton]

He possibly might not be quite so happy to see much of the massive UK oil revenues, the huge whisky revenue and a significant proportion of the UK Armed Forces go the same way though ...

No, quite, scotty.

The oil revenues in the eighties were squandered to pay for the unemployment benefit required by thatch's policy of destroying traditional British manufacturing industries. As we now know, you cannot run an economy on service industries, especially when these service industries are mis-managed by rapacious bankers and others of that kidney.

thatch started the politics of greed which blighted the last two decades of the 20th century. Blair was misguided enough to follow on. These policies, and the dogma which goes with them ( thatch infamously said "There is no such thing as society") are anathema to the vast majority of Scots, and that is why there is now only one Scottish tory mp in Westminster, and no directly elected tory mps in the Scottish parliament.

It does make sense especially as the current PM (despite his surname) is forever stressing his Englishness and, like Thatcher, has an unhappy tendency to lecture the Scots. Not a particularly bright idea!

It certainly isn't. The Scots saw through the tories years ago and moved on.

[MrGongGong]

There is a myth that Scotland 'does not like the Tories'. This is nonsense:

They really love them but always vote for others
its a clever ruse to trick the rest of us, at a given signal they will all vote Tory again

[johncorrigan]

I liked the suggestion from a listener to R4's BH yesterday that they change their name to the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Movement.