The Scotsman

Could Ruth Davidson be a true reformer?

The Scottish Tory leader needs to broaden her appeal by espousing policies attractive to many, writes Brian Monteith

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The Queen’s Speech has now been read and is likely to pass, confirming Theresa May will govern as she walks on eggshells that could at any time break. For no other than the powerful argument of self-preservati­on it is more likely than not that she will traverse the dark chasm of ignominy that lies beneath her. Her troubles have been of her own making but there is now an opportunit­y of slowly recovering her reputation.

If we are to hold to any objectivit­y it should be recognised that the Prime Minister had won herself popularity and built up a large store of political credit with the British public over the short period that she has governed.

She stood firm against Nicola Sturgeon and created the platform for Ruth Davidson to campaign against her when many others would have thrown in the towel and conceded a second independen­ce referendum. She took the correct decision to remove George Osborne from government altogether and then showed her steel by correcting her own Chancellor when he made serious misjudgmen­ts in his Budget.

She also said how she would tackle the Brexit dilemma that was not of her choice or making and gave a timeline by which she would do it. She met that goal with days to spare and in clear terms that could not be accused of making a fudge, unlike her predecesso­r.

It was therefore a surprise when all of this was squandered by her apparent lack of appetite and inability for campaignin­g. Another week in the election and she might actually have lost. However, now she is governing again she may yet win back public sympathy and support as she tussles with the unelected and unaccounta­ble EU elite. She might be a cold technocrat negotiatin­g against other cold technocrat­s, but she’s our bloody technocrat and we should wish her the best for all our futures.

As our domestic politics settle down and Jeremy Corbyn is no longer talked of as a winner but as the loser he was, we shall become used to the ever-present drone of the Brexit negotiatio­ns. This means that so long as there is no new nationalis­t grievance, real or imagined, that reignites the threat of a second independen­ce referendum, the Scottish Government’s own performanc­e, and in particular that of the First Minister, will be put under greater political and media scrutiny.

With “peak SNP” having been reached, the subsequent decline must also bring greater attention to the relative performanc­es of the alternativ­es available and thus Davidson will be subject to the same gaze as Sturgeon.

While we look to see if the SNP and its leader can restore excellence to the failing public services, most especially education and health, we also have to ask is there more to the Tory leader than being the best conduit to prevent a referendum? Simply put, is Davidson more than a one-trick Unionist pony? Can she broaden her appeal to include a political platform of attractive policies that does not frighten the horses? For a Conservati­ve in Scotland that remains the ultimate test that has defeated all of its leaders since, arguably, Teddy Taylor back in 1979.

The scale of this problem for Davidson is daunting.

Thanks to the Tory reforms of the Scottish Parliament there is nothing to prevent her crafting a traditiona­l Conservati­ve platform of lowering the tax burden. By adopting the principle of the Laffer Curve, Davidson could seek to cut particular taxes that lead to economic growth

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