Brian Monteith and Mars Goodman both have an axe to grind having been rejected by the Tory party. Who cares what they think? Annabel is a good lass and much less pretentious than most politicians. Jackson Carlaw loves the sound of this own voice and would make a terrible leader.

The Tories are irrelevant in Scottish politics. Who cares?

Anything is better than the smugness that was David McLetchie.

Taxi !!

"Holyrood should lead assisted dying debate" - Do you think these stories are in any way linked?

Independence BABY :)

6. Scott

Thanks for your contribution, can you explain the relevance? The Scottish Conservatives are independent.
Even after Scottish independence there will still be a Tory party in Scotland and it will probably grow, as the one issue party becomes irrelevant.

Comment@7 Jim. Quote :The Scottish Conservatives are independent.......Jim, thats a good one mate, i bet you believe in Santa too :)

is she only 56? I thought she was 76 yrs old.

Colin, no need for that dude :) im sure it's just a bad picture

Ms Goldie has about as much connection with today's electorate as the man in the moon. Matronly, blue rinse ideological Tories are yesterday's news. They need to be completely cleared out of all the dead wood and reinvented. If they don't wake up to this they'll be extinct within a generation.

Tony #2. The Tories have averaged about 17% in elections in Scotland since 1997. The SNP have managed about 20%. Liberals about 15%. The dishonest, incompetent and damaging Labour Party scores about 43%! What does that say about the level of thinking in Scotland?

The SNP shouts way above it's level of support and the Tories whisper.

That does not make the Tories irrelevant. To me it says that we cannot be trusted to run a democratic country yet. Stupid comments like yours further undermine democracy. Unfortunately you are not alone in your limited thoughts.

Comment@12. Philip. If you feel we cannot be trusted to run our own country it says alot about how you really see the average Scot. I always thought a democracy was about what the people want. Maybe your happy to be run from elsewhere but thankfully others don't

That Monteith is still in parliament, still less that he thinks he has the right to pontificate on others, is an absolute disgrace.

He was elected on the list as a Tory; he resigned the Tory whip; he now represents nobody. He should have been thrown out as soon as he lost the whip, and good riddance to bad rubbish. For him to stand in parliament and take part in votes with no mandate is an affront to democracy.

As for Annabel Goldie, she's an old school politician, and probably just what the Tories deserve. Had a run-in with her a few years back when she lied to parliament over Section 28. Have not trusted her since.

Scott #13. Scotland to me seems about as democratic as any one party state can be. I accept that Labour won more votes BUT HOW AND WHY? Labour don't deserve to be anywhere near power.

#13. The average Scot must be think as mince to keep voting Labour!

#16 should read 'thick as mince'.. sorry.

Comment@15. Philip. Quote:Labour don't deserve to be anywhere near power............Philip, on that we CAN agree on :)

Tony, despite the Tories poor support in Scotland they are relevant because they represent the real face of big business, the first eleven if you like against all the other reserve parties who pander to big business without actually making one bit of difference in the distribution of wealth to the people who create it, and without whom big business could not survive. Thus, if and when the Lib Dems, SNP or the LP fail to deliver all that they want to the endless greed of the banks, Tescos and the multi nationals the establishment will turn, along with their real friends in the press, the Sun, Scotsman etc to the safer pair of hands, the Tories. The saving grace is that their policies are almost identical to New Labour so are not that popular in Scotland but we can all do something about NL by reclaiming back the LP to the real workers.

Dearie me the Tories are a loyal bunch!

Can it be true that so soon after selecting Annabel for the top spot they are seriously considering replacing her with an unelected car-dealer?

Dark days indeed for the Tories.

Richard #19 .... Interesting comment especially given that the Tories were almost single handedly responsible for the destruction of "big business" in Scotland and that as a consequence the banks, supermarkets and the mainly foreign owned foreign nationals are nearly all that's left.

From a strategic standpoint the Tories were and still are nothing but a bunch of industrial traitors and handed real economic policy decision making to the City which of course has little or no interest in industry and certainly not in Scottish industry.

Electing her in the first place showed lack of ambition. The last thing the Tory party needed was a safe pair of hands, when it was calling out for someone to rejuvenate the party north of the border. After having seen the beneficial nature of the leadership contest down south why the did not repeat the successful process is beyond me. They need a leader that they can build the party around and also some decent policies to show that they are relevant to Scotland (full fiscal autonomy probably being the most important and defining)

Ms Goldie is a nice person, but then so is my cleaning lady. What the Tories need is a charismatic chap who will lead the party out of the mess that is the Scottish Assembly. The party should be proposing radical right wing policies that most of the Scottish electorate are crying out for (going by what is written in these columns)

The Tories in Scotland are destined to remain a legend in their own lunch hour.

Who needs the Tories when you've got 'New' Labour.

#21. I take it you mean Heavy Industry- ships, steel, coal etc - when you say 'big business'. These were destroyed by world economics when other parts of the world could do the same work for much less. They were dead industries walking and were not killed by the Tories as you state. In fact, the Trade Unions' and Labour in the 70's did much more damage.

#26 Well said Philip. Jolly good to hear some sensible opinions.

Philip - What about shipbuilding on the Clyde? - Run by industrialists too greedy and limited in their vision to notice that the market for tankers was heading east. What did they do? Sat back, reaped as much as they could while the going was good and then got out leaving a devastated industry behind and many thousands of wrecked careers and lives.
What could they have done? - Evelved the industry into miltary shipbuilding and liners. But that would have taken intelligence, foresight and hard work. If they did they might have left an industry in place such as you find - not in places like Korea and Japan - but in France and Finland. Where was the new Queen Mary built, Korea, Malaysia, Ukraine? - No, - France. There are plenty other examples, the working man of the 70s was a plonker in many ways, but our industrial leaders were abysmal.

Andy. You speak some sense as usual, but my point was that the Tories were not responsible for the run down and decay of Heavy Industry. The French, Germans etc kept a competitive industry going. Here we had the usual ragbag of no-good Commies stirring up the troops of working Labour-voting sheep and pricing themselves and their practices out of work.

Lets face it, there is not any political party currently geared up to Scotland's needs.

The SNP have some good policies, but some that are lacking in vision, while the usual suspects are allowed what little freedom they have by the main, London-based parties.

This situation will not change as long as we are tied to Westminster's apron strings. It is time to flee the nest, and find how exciting the big bad world can be.

(and an independant Scotland will have independant parties which will be able to think FOR scotland, rather than for Westminster.)

I'm with you Gordon, but we won't get Independence without a united front. What happens afterwards worries me though, with the level of intelligence demonstrated by the average Scottish voter!

Politics shmolitics - As proven by Reagan, Bush and the Paddies from the Banana Republic, the only way to stimulate an economy is to reduce taxes to give an incentive to business and work force. So simple but the politicos and lefties just don't get it! Too many pet projects to feed overlarge egos and to buy votes from the ignorant to keep the gravy train running. Independent Scotland - Heaven help us all.

KYLE ON 16. TUT TUT.(#13. The average Scot must be think as mince to keep voting Labour!)

Mince if properly cooked should not be thick, so that you can dip your bread in it and just enough sticks to the bread and ends up in your mouth without running down your chin. This is particularly important when serving it up in institutions inhabited by distressed folks who may be tapping away at a keyboard at the same time.

Having said that don't you think Annabel would make an excellent matron in just such a place. Rupert how would you feel about having Annabel as your matron in Bearsden?

PS.I can post a recipe for mince if anyone wants it.

Yeah, but Roy - your description is equally valid for the UK as a whole.

We'll never break the cycle of Tory boom (1979-97), Labour bust (1964-79 & 1997-2010) unless there is a seismic shift in the political scene.

Independence will deliver the kick in the pants our system needs - in both Scotland AND England.

Health Worker number 1 sums it up - I often find Brian Monteith's Freedom Association writings of interest, but this is just spiteful nonsense and does him no credit at all. Give me Goldie & Co before Cameron any day!

How does she feel about the Internet taking huge
numbers of jobs to India, instread of using the
technology to bring jobs to rural/remote parts of
Scotland instead??

#32 Roy

The problem with the British situation since the war, is that EITHER business (by Tories) OR the workforce (by Labour?) have been given the incentives. We need a new way to give the carrot to both sides equally, without either side begging for, or taking, more than their fair share.

What, is she joining Labour? Or are they too right wing for her?

Independence is coming.

I`m afraid in this day and age image is everything.I doubted the wisdom of those who elected her in the first place.She`s off and packing now that the tories have realised she`s a no go.Mind you i read yesterday she opposes what a lot of the tories want and that is to use the powers granted to them to raise taxes.(remember up to 3 pence in the £)On that matter they`re on a loser no matter who they choose.

The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party-Unionist refering to the union with Ireland, going back to disputes from decades ago-how relevant is this? How can we possibly take them seriously?

David #36: The internet never took anyone or anything anywhere. The latest "entrepreneurs" or slave drivers as they used to be known are responsible. Low wages, long hours, no unions to speak of (yet) educated work force being ill used. The web made it possible but commerce made it happen, if only for a short while.

It is significant that at a time when David Cameron appears to be turning every traditional Conservative policy on it's head, the Scottish Tories seem so dogmatically stuck in their ways. Basically they appeal to the dwindling minority of union jack flag wavers. they need to appeal to the dynamic class of people who believe in Conservative values of enterprise and responsibility, but not in any of the irrelevant little englander baggage.

The fact that people find Cameron more photogenic than Brown is hardly of great importance. Cameron has no policies except to pull out of the EPP -oops, sorry, liar - and to turn his back on grammar schools and to love 'gays.'
To wahtever extent MSPs model themselves on him, they will drag themselves ever further into obscurity.