Monday, April 02, 2007

No Change: Scots Tories STILL Smug Useless Gits

And can't update their web-site - no mention of it at 16:30, the BBC article was published just after noon ...

Update: Manifesto is now up here. Still not headline on the home page, though - "Standing Up for Families", from 28th March, is still their main point. Says something about how they see their election chances, doesn't it?

Today saw the launch of the Scottish Conservative manifesto for the May Holyrood elections. Just what difference this will make is unclear, given that the last 2 weeks have seen the launch of their "Defeating Drugs and Cutting Crime" manifesto and their "Standing Up for Families" manifesto. Just for the record, they also have manifestos for affordable homes and a "buzzing economy".

Given that they have absolutely no chance of forming the next Scottish Executive, what is this positive deluge of electrons, and the odd shiny dead tree copy, meant to mean for us? I would remind you that tactical voting aside, I am a life-long Tory supporter (and they will get my list vote at the election). Despite the odd recent bit of common sense, this from David Mundell's speechwriter (yes, they are allowing him out in public again):

In his stealthiest tax yet, he has paid for his 2p cut in income tax by abolishing the 10p rate and putting national insurance contributions up for professionals like doctors. This is a tax con, not a tax cut and will place a disproportionate burden on those worse off.

there is nothing here or otherwise coming from them that the seething mass of the Scottish electorate will even bother to ignore. So let us have a look at the message (as stated, from the BBC summary, not from the unavailable reference document) and see if we can spot a missed opportunity or two:

  • Scottish Government - a minor proposed reduction in MSPs and more power to the egregious numpties that form, for example, Renfreshire and Falkirk Councils? I am also unsure that community councils would survive the rapid and toxic politicisation that would overcome them if they ever were actually given spending authority.

  • Communities Okay, so helping the poorer sectors of society buy their homes is a reasonably good thing but surely some form of loan guarantee scheme (just as we do for exports) would have allowed the private sector to take on more of what I assume we must now call "sub-prime" lending?

  • Environment Nope. This is bollocks. Mind you it is Cameron / Goldsmith style faux-knitted-yoghurt bollocks so I assume they had to include it.

  • Justice Better - possibly 3 out of 10. Drug treatment and treatment orders - good. More authoritarian reduction in the rights of the oppressed citizen (abolition of double jeopardy) - very, very bad. Briefings for victims - intent good - but I bet you are going to need all of the additional coppers to meet the demand so, overall, bad (as they are spending our tax money). More elections - bad - more money & no real accountability. Polygraphs - why don't we just pick a treatment that would work - normal people can beat the polygraph without too much trouble, never mind sex-obsessed perverts.

  • Transport Opposing more road charging - good. Everthing else here is symptomatic of small-minded autocrats.

  • Economy More small-mindedness. £20 million per year is going to do what for Paisley, Cumbernauld and all the rest of the mid-C20 eyesores town planners have inflicted on us?

  • Education Parental choice and head-teacher independence are good in and of themselves but are not new, newsworthy initiatives. Where is the thought and the enthusiasm?

  • Health Yawn. I hope the additional IT is better project managed than the national projects.

You know what this is? This is the random posturings of a bunch of failed pols who truly and honestly believe that they are not going to be the next Scottish Executive. I believe that but I am not running for election. They have given up already and the electorate know it. The Scottish Conservative Party is a minor irrelevance - like the Greens without character, cause or self-belief. I despair.

S-E

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