Scotland on Sunday reports that the Scottish Conservative Party is targeting eleven seats in the General Election, including that of the Chancellor, Alistair Darling:
- Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, David Mundell MP (our only current Scottish MP);
- West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Alex Johnstone MSP;
- Angus, Alberto Costa;
- Argyll and Bute, Gary Mulvaney;
- Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, John Lamont MSP;
- Dumfries and Galloway, former Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Peter Duncan;
- Edinburgh South, Neil Hudson;
- Edinburgh South West, Jason Rust;
- Perth and North Perthshire, Peter Lyburn;
- East Renfrewshire, Richard Cook;
- Stirling, Bob Dalrymple.
All candidates in these target seats are men.
Key to the Tory strategy is an attempt to paint the SNP as "ineffective" at Westminster. An internal Tory poll poll of 1,000 Scottish voters found that 74% agreed that the SNP stood up for Scotland but was not effective when it came to Westminster.
David McLetchie MSP - tasked with coordinating the Scottish party's campaign - commented:
"If we get a confused election result it is going to be that much more difficult to pull the economy out of recession. Scots are voting to elect a British government and the only party that can provide an alternative to five more years of Labour government are the Conservatives."
Team Cameron have a high opinion of McLetchie and are considering putting him in the Lords to coordinate a Conservative government's relationship with Scotland should David Cameron become Prime Minister. Mr Cameron has already promised regular meetings with Annabel Goldie in those circumstances.
Recent polling suggested that the Tories still have a mountain to climb north of the border.
Tim Montgomerie
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