Time marches on

Councillors Balfour, Mowat, Mackenzie, Paisley, Rose, Rust and Whyte (Letters, 5 October) fail to explain the fundamental contradiction that lies at the heart of Murdo Fraser’s proposal to abolish the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Mr Fraser argues that the Scottish Conservative Party must be abolished and replaced by a new party because, in his opinion, the brand is so damaged that it can never again command any significant degree of electoral support in Scotland.

He further contends that the cause of that damage is a perception that the party is insufficiently Scottish, which of course is thinly veiled code for it being too closely identified with the UK Conservative Party.

That being the case, the logic of Mr Fraser’s own argument can only lead to one conclusion; that to rebuild electoral support in Scotland, Scottish Conservatives would need deliberately to define themselves in opposition to their colleagues south of the Border in order to prove that they were indeed independent of their influence.

Is this really the direction in which Mr Fraser wants to lead the party and, if it is, why does he insist that any new party would take a Conservative whip at Westminster? When the councillors refer to 50 years ago, it is worth bearing in mind that the SNP did not exist as a political force in Scottish politics then – a lot has changed in 50 years.

Rob Murray

Belevedere Plantation

Galston