David Torrance: David Cameron unlikely to change Scottish minds

Published on Sunday 27 February 2011 17:49

CONSERVATIVE prime ministers are rarely an asset north of the border (Sir Alec Douglas-Home was probably the last), and David Cameron is no exception.

Despite a good start, Mr Cameron has noticeably cooled on his ancestral homeland since last May, and will probably put in no more than a token appearance at the party's conference in Perth in a few weeks' time.

David McLetchie's analysis is more accurate in terms of the public's perception of what the coalition is trying to do. One Scottish Tory MP (sitting for an English constituency) points out that if you "dig down" into UK polling figures then the majority of voters believe tackling the deficit quickly is necessary and desirable.

I suspect that's as true in Scotland, but it ends there. Far from "detoxifying" the Conservative brand in Scotland, as McLetchie claims, there's a real danger that - in the eyes of many Scottish voters - the Tory-led government is simply conforming to type, or more accurately stereotype in the context of Scotland.

If - and it's a big if - Cameron's gamble on the economy works, then the Scots electorate may look more kindly on his party.

• David Torrance is a biographer of Alex Salmond and has written a book on Margaret Thatcher's relationship with Scotland.