Ruth Davidson

Ruth: Scottish Conservatives need to make the positive case for the United Kingdom

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:00:34 +0000

By Ruth Davidson

So according to the SNP: ‘It’s started.’ The Nationalists’ Inverness conference was about one thing – preparing their campaign to break up Britain. Instead of focusing on the huge economic challenges facing Scotland, such as our anaemic growth or the 8.1 % unemployment rate, the SNP is interested only in pursuing its separatist obsession.

Since re-election last May, First Minister Alex Salmond has made it clear he will seize every opportunity to foment resentment between Scotland and the United Kingdom.

He has attacked the Supreme Court, demanded a panoply of new powers above and beyond the Scotland [...]

Ruth: Saying Yes to the Union is the key to stopping Salmond

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:54:22 +0000

Saying ‘yes’ to the Union while the SNP is the party always saying ‘no’ is the key to stopping Alex Salmond frog-marching Scotland towards separation, Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson declared today.

‘Promoting the Union and proclaiming the positive partnership between Scotland and the United Kingdom is how we can win this debate,’ she said.

‘Simply saying “no” to independence is no longer valid or effective. Let the Nationalists be the party that says “no” and let us give a voice to the great majority of Scots who believe in the Union and want to say “yes”’.

With less [...]

Ruth: “Let’s proclaim the partnership and say yes to the Union”

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:56:36 +0000

The Scottish Conservatives are the party that must ‘proclaim the partnership’ between Scotland and the United Kingdom, leadership contender Ruth Davidson said today.

‘While Alex Salmond tries to steam-roll us towards separation, we must rise above his negative agenda and give people the good news about the Union and why independence could never match it,’ she said.

Speaking ahead of the last of the televised leadership debates, Ruth said the Scottish Conservatives had a ‘duty as well as an opportunity’ to be the party that ‘stands up for Scotland’ as a vital component of the Union.

‘We must not allow [...]

Ruth: Use your vote for a once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity for Change

admin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:01:37 +0000

USE YOUR VOTE FOR ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE, URGES DAVIDSON

Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson today [sat] made an impassioned plea to party members who have yet to return their ballot papers to vote for the ‘once-in-a-lifetime, generational change’ she promises. ‘This is a unique opportunity for the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party to halt the decline in our fortunes, to turn things round and to recapture that spirit and determination that we need to be winners again,’ she said. ‘This is arguably the most important election in our party’s history because it will determine whether we cease to [...]

Ruth: ‘I will fight tooth and nail for Scotland’s place in the Union’

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:12:31 +0000

Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson today pledged to fight ‘tooth and nail’ to protect and promote Scotland’s place within the United Kingdom.

As the SNP conference got underway in Inverness, she said now was the time to stand up and be counted as the Nationalist nay-sayers talked down the Union.

‘It makes me angry when Alex Salmond tries to portray anyone who doesn’t agree with his separatist agenda as in some way unpatriotic or less Scottish than him,’ she said.

‘I am proud of being Scottish and proud of the contribution Scotland makes to the United Kingdom – [...]

Ruth urges Chancellor to support Scotland’s Computer Games Industry

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:43:57 +0000

Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson MSP today [sat] urged the UK Government to increase support for Scotland’s computer games industry.

She has written to the Chancellor George Osborne appealing to him to reconsider the decision to halt proposed 20% tax breaks for the sector.

Speaking ahead of an election hustings in Dundee, which has become a leading centre for the UK computer games industry, the Scottish Conservative’s spokesperson on culture and the cities said the tax incentives were vital to secure jobs and future investment.

She said: ‘Computer gaming is a valuable industry in Scotland and I [...]

Ruth: I will be a champion for the Highlands and Islands

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:19:20 +0000

Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson today pledged to be ‘a champion for the Highlands and Islands’.

As part of her tour of all Scotland’s 59 Westminster constituencies, Ruth visited members and party activists in Dornoch, Dingwall and Inverness, having earlier been to Shetland and Orkney.

She said: ‘Too often politicians meeting in Holyrood tend to pay less attention to the Highlands and the islands than they should. But I am fully committed to engaging with party members in every part of the country, no matter how far they are geographically from Edinburgh.’

Ruth, who is the bookies’ favourite to [...]

Forsyth: Ruth has the ability and character to restore the Scottish Conservatives

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:57:28 +0000

Leadership contender Ruth Davidson has the ability to transform the Scottish Conservatives in the same way that David Cameron revived the UK party and led it back to government, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean says today. [wed]

In an interview with The Times, the former Scottish Secretary says that of the four candidates standing for election, Ruth has the best chance of reinvigorating the party.

He says David Cameron had only been in parliament for four years when he decided to introduce new people and new policies ‘that were a bit surprising for some people in the party, but [...]

Allan Massie supports Ruth Davidson for Scottish Conservative Leader

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:52:00 +0000

Leading commentator Allan Massie has today [wed] endorsed Ruth Davidson as the best candidate in the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party leadership contest.

In a major article in The Scotsman, he says Ruth’s vision of rebuilding the party through hard endeavour, coupled with vigorous campaigning on issues of local importance, is the only viable option for the Scottish Conservatives.

Mr Massie, one of Scotland’s most prolific and highly-respected political commentators, who has been described as having ‘one of the best brains in Britain’, says Ruth ‘seems to understand what is needed if the party is ever to revive’.

[...]

Ruth calls for positive change, not destruction, as she wins hustings poll

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:22:01 +0000

Scottish Conservative leadership contender Ruth Davidson today appealed to party members to summon their ‘true spirit’ and vote for ‘positive change, not self-destruction’.

Her appeal for unity came as the first exit poll undertaken on the same basis as the November 4 election made her a clear winner over nearest rival Murdo Fraser, who wants to dissolve the party.

The poll, conducted by the ToryHoose website after a leadership hustings in Edinburgh at the weekend, gave Ruth a 13% lead over Murdo after the two other candidates, Jackson Carlaw and Margaret Mitchell, had been eliminated under the single transferable [...]