Ruth throws down the gauntlet and declares war on the secret State
A BLUEPRINT for change will be unveiled by the Scottish Conservatives this week.
Ruth Davidson’s party will promise to end the culture of secrecy that has built up around the Scottish Government over 11 years in power – and to stop the hoarding of power by Holyrood.
The plans will be set out in Open Government – A Discussion Paper at the Tory Conference in Birmingham.
It is the first major position to be set out by the Scottish party ahead of the 2021 Holyrood election.
The paper will be a direct challenge to the SNP, which has faced criticism over its secretive approach to Freedom of Information and attempts to curtail criticism by independent watchdogs.
It will also back more tax powers for councils and greater autonomy for headteachers. Scottish Tory policy co-ordinator Donald Cameron said: ‘The Scottish Conservatives had a successful election campaign in 2016 on the basis the people of Scotland wanted us to be a strong opposition to the SNP at Holyrood. Now the time has come for us to set out how we would govern. ‘This blueprint is the start of us talking to voters, setting out our ideas and listening to what they have to say in response.’ He added: ‘The SNP has been secretive in government, completely failing to offer any kind of transparency or accountability.
‘We have now set out plans for that to change, for people to access more data that’s in the public interest and open government up to those who have good ideas on how to make things better.
‘This will be a central plank of our campaign for government and lays the ground for a thriving, economically successful Scotland at the heart of a strong UK.’
But Nationalist MSP James Dornan said: ‘It is extraordinary for the Tories – the party presiding over the chaos of Brexit, willing to put 80,000 Scottish jobs on the bonfire, slashing our budget, grabbing our powers, driving kids into poverty, forcing families to foodbanks and raising the prospect of a return to rationing – to think they are in a position to dish out any lectures on how to govern.’