The Scottish Conservative manifesto makes for an interesting read, but not just for its policies. It could also be read as ‘The Ruth Davidson Manifesto’, with many of the early pages calling for ‘vote for Ruth’ rather than a ‘vote for the Conservatives.’
It’s a smart move by a party that is hoping to be the SNP’s opposition party come 6 May. Unless the polls are drastically wrong, and we should never rule out the improbable, the SNP will win and the real battle will be for second place. So how has team Ruth pitched itself to the electorate for the fight?
Firstly, the Conservative party has tried to dispel any of the stereotypes that used to pop up during Scottish pub chat: out of touch, toffs, Thatcher, poll tax etc. One of its candidates, Annie Wells, emphasised how her own working class background contradicted the demographic of the traditional Tory voter. In a very honest move, the manifesto brands a Conservative vote at Holyrood as a ‘big step’ for those who had not previously felt any alignment with the party, such as Labour or Lib Dem voters.
Davidson’s opening gambit highlights that she is applying for the position of leader of the opposition and the focus of her election campaign attempts to underline how she is more in touch as a person and a leader than others.
But with such a focus on the person, has the manifesto lost sight of the policies? It has not, and the party’s key pledge is to hold the SNP to account and fight hard against a second independence referendum, appealing to ‘no’ voters from all parties. Other distinctive policies include: freeze and conduct a thorough review of business rates; invest in 100,000 new homes; reverse the named person legislation; and increase scrutiny in the Scottish Parliament.
This manifesto pitches to a wide range of the electorate: those who are looking for a strong, challenging opposition leader; those who haven’t previously voted Conservative, along with those who have; and to those who don’t want to see another referendum. Some might claim that by accepting it won’t be first, the Scottish Conservative party under Ruth Davidson displays some refreshing realism. Time will tell if it’s been successful in its attempt for second place in May.