Only a new party can save Scotland

YOUR editorial (Insight, 2 October) entirely misses the point. Scottish Conservatives are seen as exactly that – Conservatives but in Scotland. They are not seen as a party which understands and cares about Scotland, but a branch of England’s Conservatives. Perception is everything in politics and until that perception is changed, Scotland will not have the right-of-centre party it so desperately needs.

Many of the Tory party faithful in Scotland still deeply resent devolution and too many are still what many would describe as “posh”. The image is entirely wrong. Forsyth, Mundell et al are wrong – no amount of tinkering will improve the fortunes of the Scottish Tories. They are stuck in a time warp and need to waken up to the reality that is a devolved Scotland, which is still evolving. Devolution is here to stay – accept it, live with it, make it work for the benefit of Scotland.

If the Scottish Conservatives do not vote for Fraser and a separate Scottish party, which will embrace the reality of a devolved Scotland within the UK, then Scotland will be denied the maturity, common sense, pragmatism and economic competence needed to reverse the disastrous policies of the SNP.

Alastair McCulloch, Dunblane