• Scottish Conservative Party leadership frontrunner promises to disband the party if elected
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• Murdo Fraser, the frontrunner for next month's Scottish Conservatives leadership election has said that if he wins he will disband the party. • Fraser says that the Conservatives 'carry too much baggage' in Scotland and a new 'progressive centre-right party with a Scottish identity' is needed. • The proposed new party would ally with the Tories in Westminster but operate independently and have its own policies. • The Conservatives currently perform poorly in Scotland, having just one Commons seat since 1997 and being a distant third party in Scottish Parliament elections. [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14778429[/url] [quote=BBC News][b]The frontrunner for leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said he will disband the party if he wins the leadership election next month.[/b] The MSP Murdo Fraser says the Conservatives carry too much baggage in Scotland and claims a new centre-right party would attract more voters. The party would sit with the Tories in the Commons but have its own policies. Mr Fraser said David Cameron was aware and the idea had the support of several senior Conservatives at Westminster. He 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." He added: "I think that will be much more attractive to many people in Scotland who share our values." [b]Leadership pitch[/b] The Conservatives have failed to revive their fortunes in Scotland since the 1997 general election, which saw them lose all 11 of their Westminster seats. At last year's election, they only managed to retain one MP, David Mundell in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. Mr Fraser says the party has been in continual decline in Scotland since the 1960s and the best option was to create a new party. But he can expect some opposition with the former Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord Forsyth, calling the plan a "ludicrous idea" which amounts to raising the white flag in the face of opposition from the SNP. Mr Fraser says his campaign slogan in the Scottish Conservatives leadership race was a "new party for Scotland". "This is the central plank of my leadership pitch," he said. "And what I'll be saying effectively is there is a lot of interest in centre-right values amongst people in Scotland but they don't vote for the Conservative Party."[/quote]
A progressive conservative party...
[QUOTE=Thom12255;32104337]A progressive conservative party...[/QUOTE] Believe it or not... [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada]Progressive Conservative Party of Canada[/url] That nonsense has happened before.
The Scottish Conservatives' problem isn't their popularity, [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/region/7.stm]it's the[/url] [url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2001/rp01-054.pdf]system[/url]
[QUOTE=Capitulazyguy;32107352]The Scottish Conservatives' problem isn't their popularity, [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/region/7.stm]it's the[/url] [url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2001/rp01-054.pdf]system[/url][/QUOTE] You have to admit it's also their popularity. People still remember Thatcher.
What a woman [img]http://fi.somethingawful.com/images/smilies/emot-britain.gif[/img]
Scotland votes mostly Labour and certainly use to vote lib-dem anyway. Not a big loss.
They could say they'll give every person in Scotland £10,000 if they get elected. It would make no difference. Scotland will [I]never[/I] vote for a Tory government.
Last election, only 1 out of 59 (I think 59) constituencies voted for the Conservative party.
I hope this doesn't make me sound ignorant, but how important are these provincial elections in the U.K.? Is is akin to state elections in the U.S.?
[QUOTE=lulzbocksV2;32110949]I hope this doesn't make me sound ignorant, but how important are these provincial elections in the U.K.? Is is akin to state elections in the U.S.?[/QUOTE] Yes, Scottish Parliament is probably the best parallel to states in the US
[QUOTE=Bad)-(and;32109651]They could say they'll give every person in Scotland £10,000 if they get elected. It would make no difference. Scotland will [I]never[/I] vote for a Tory government.[/QUOTE] Because the Tories have always been about shafting Scotland as hard as they can, the SCP is just the English Conservatives with a slightly different name, and a bigger name change won't alter how the public views them. (As cunts, essentially)
[QUOTE=MercZ;32104836]Believe it or not... [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada]Progressive Conservative Party of Canada[/url] That nonsense has happened before.[/QUOTE] Ah the days of 'Steve' Harper of the PCPC. Gone are those days, now we have Stephen Harper of the CPC. Speaking of 'Steve', where is Danny Williams of late?
How popular is the Scottish National Party in Scotland? ...Just seemed like a good oppurtunity to ask.
[QUOTE=Derubermensch;32120406]How popular is the Scottish National Party in Scotland? ...Just seemed like a good oppurtunity to ask.[/QUOTE] They currently have an overall majority and have formed the first ever single-party Scottish government.
[QUOTE=Derubermensch;32120406]How popular is the Scottish National Party in Scotland? ...Just seemed like a good oppurtunity to ask.[/QUOTE] Well they won a historic landslide of a victory this year. So it's probably safe to say they're 'quite' popular
Its important to note that this isn't a proper election, its just the party voting for a new leader. So it is entirely possible they will elect this guy as the leader and have the party disbanded.
Huh, I never knew the Scott's hated conservatives so much. I take after me' own blood.
[QUOTE=ForgottenKane;32128076]Huh, I never knew the Scott's hated conservatives so much. I take after me' own blood.[/QUOTE] They shaft us unbelievably every time they get a majority, and unlike Americans, we won't take that lieing down.
[QUOTE=Bad)-(and;32127929]Well they won a historic landslide of a victory this year. So it's probably safe to say they're 'quite' popular[/QUOTE] Oh wow, so Scottish independence is a fairly mainstream idea in Scotland?
[QUOTE=Derubermensch;32129259]Oh wow, so Scottish independence is a fairly mainstream idea in Scotland?[/QUOTE] Scottish Independence itself is treated somewhat ambivalently here, with some people desperate for it and other people being somewhat apathetic towards it, but the things that the SNP brought to the table as the rest of their platform swayed the public - The success of any referendum on independence definitely depends on how well the SNP fufill their promises (or how hard they fight for them - a lot of them rely on Westminister giving some power to the Scottish Parliament, which isn't hugely likely.).
[QUOTE=Derubermensch;32120406]How popular is the Scottish National Party in Scotland? ...Just seemed like a good oppurtunity to ask.[/QUOTE] You also have to note they aren't nationalists in the sense you might be thinking of (racist homophobic bigots like the BNP). They're fairly progressive, and their main goal is to secede from the UK.
[QUOTE=Derubermensch;32129259]Oh wow, so Scottish independence is a fairly mainstream idea in Scotland?[/QUOTE] Yes and no. The country is pretty split on the idea. But no one is ever going to vote conservative here. Labour have lost a lot of support of the past few years due to their poor performance and nearly bankrupting the country. But the general consensus of the SNP is that they did fairly well in the last Government despite being a minority government. And with the 2 other big players pretty much out of the picture, the SNP took a landslide majority.
According to Wikipedia, their ideology is: Scottish Independence Scottish Nationalism Social Democracy Left-Wing Nationalism I think I'm cool with this.
All four of my great grandparents on my mom's side were from Scotland, and my grandfather always rants about Scottish independence, that's why I'm so intrigued by Scottish Neonationalism.
[QUOTE=MercZ;32104836]Believe it or not... [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada]Progressive Conservative Party of Canada[/url] That nonsense has happened before.[/QUOTE] Once the Rhino Party (the ones who said they'd change our currency to bubble gum and pave manitoba) sent them a letter offering a merger, "so as not to split the silly vote" :v:
Scots sure hate the English :v:
[QUOTE=The DooD;32132078]Scots sure hate the English :v:[/QUOTE] Wanting self-determinism has absolutely nothing to do with hating the English.
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