Ruth Davidson: We will help Scotland to fulfil its potential

Published on Saturday 5 November 2011 21:04

DURING this election campaign, I travelled the length and breadth of Scotland to talk and listen to party members – but, crucially, also to those who share my Conservative values yet had not felt moved to give us their vote.

The radical change that my leadership brings will mean a concerted effort to reach out to that huge but largely untapped source of support. The quid pro quo is that we will become the party that gives them back their voice – an inclusive party that is relevant to Scots of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life.

One thing was abundantly clear from my tour: that despite all the massive challenges we face, Scotland is still a great country with a bright future.

Too many people, politicians among them, talk Scotland down. Yes, there are problems. But we should never forget that Scotland is a wonderful country to live, to work and to raise families in and it is our task as politicians to ensure it fulfils its true potential.

The Scottish Conservatives share a great responsibility in this respect. But in order to answer that call we must also realise our own potential, and that involves change – real, radical and meaningful change.

Change is not always easy and sometimes it can be painful. But the willingness of the party to step up to the plate has already become clear by the faith they have placed in me as a new, fresh-faced and bold leader. I know instinctively that the changes I will bring are not only necessary, but they are right for the party and for Scotland.

My predecessor, Annabel Goldie, deserves a huge thank-you for the sterling work she did as party leader. Hers will be a hard act to follow.

But I am being given a unique opportunity as the first to be elected to lead the whole party, not just the MSP group at Holyrood. This gives us the chance to transform the party into a formidable fighting force in Scotland – and for Scotland.

My fellow candidates, Murdo Fraser, Jackson Carlaw and Margaret Mitchell, are not my opponents. They are my colleagues. They helped us to prove the Scottish Conservatives have a strong beating heart and soul and that the party has much to say and do.

We had an exhilarating debate about our party, and about the future of our country. I have listened to their ideas, and I am confident they will continue to serve the party and the country to the best of their abilities.

It is now time to move on. I want to talk about the future. The modern Scottish Conservatives will be a party for the whole of Scotland. If you want to aspire, look after your family, get a better education, get a job, or a better job, we will help you.

If circumstance or misfortune has left you bereft, then our party will provide the policies to support you. Our Conservative values of family, aspiration, endeavour and liberty mean we are the only party who can provide a better way forward for everyone.

That commitment to opportunity for all is at the heart of my vision for the modern Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party.

At the last election, the constituency in which I stood contained parts of Hyndland and Springburn in Glasgow. These two areas might be close together geographically, but those who live there might as well be worlds apart. There is a seven-year difference in life expectancy across our largest city.

That is because a corrosive combination of crime, unemployment, ill health and poverty stands as a barrier to equal opportunity.

We must not fall into the trap of believing this cannot change. We should not stand idly by and concentrate our efforts only in those places where there is already strong Conservative support.

I will lead a party that reaches out to all Scots, young and old, and from all backgrounds. And we will get to grips with those barriers to equal opportunity and find radical and creative ways of knocking them down. We will bring forward ideas and policies that will ensure every child gets the best education possible.

In particular, we will develop the tools we need to fight youth unemployment, which has hit record levels. Young people face a dearth of opportunity. I will help change that. I will lead a party committed to ensuring everyone gets the start in life they deserve.

This is just the start. We have a great country, but it could be even better. We have to look to the future with vision and a renewed sense of purpose that the difficult challenges we face can be overcome.

That means creating a balanced economy which provides jobs. It means providing everyone, no matter their background, with the tools to succeed. It means helping those who want a better life to achieve it, while always making sure the vulnerable are protected. The test of our policies will be to ensure they always help the weakest in society as much as the strongest.

That is the Scotland I envision. That is the future the Scottish Conservatives will fight and campaign for under my leadership.

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The Voice of Reason

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 12:38 PM

Ruth says... "If circumstance or misfortune has left you bereft, then our party will provide the policies to support you. Our Conservative values of family, aspiration, endeavour and liberty mean we are the only party who can provide a better way forward for everyone." I think you maybe missed out greed, avarice, slavish loyalty to your paymasters in the City of London and the corporations, and the aul' contempt of the smelly oiks Tory classic.

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Back To The Future

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 09:20 AM

Is this Ruth Davidson speaking or Delia Smith? If she thinks she can sort out Scotland with Motherhood and Apple Pie, then she has another think coming. From Edinburgh to London, Brussels and beyond these people live in their own little pretendy world. We all share your 'noble aspirations' Ruth - how are you going to achieve it? Oh I forgot - she will "consult" Beam me up Scotty.

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Brond

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 12:59 AM

Travelling the length and breadth of Scotland to talk to party members, then only having 5, 500 of them actually vote in something as important as a leadership election, and only 2983 of them voting for Ruth Davidson, is frankly troubling for the Tories. A leader elected on 2983 votes is a shocking reflection upon how low the Tories in Scotland have sunk. No wonder Ruth Davidson is willing to relinquish control of Scotland's future to David Cameron (despite the fact that she has, within the last 24hrs, said that he is not the boss of her). There are real questions about whether the result of the leadership election is evidence of the party moving on, or if the party is split. An almost 50-50 split in support for Ruth Davidson and Murdo Fraser is a crack that is difficult to paper over with such vacuous words as "radical" - yes, we'll all be "radical" - Labour are going to be "radical" (according to Sarah Boyack). Amazing that the Unionist parties are doing so badly with all this radicalism around. I suspect the Tories just accomplished nothing. I wait to see the outcome of Labour's beauty contest with interest.

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