Why conservative values can be a vote winner and Tory is not a 'four-letter word'

The leadership and future direction of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party will be decided over the course of the coming months. The timetable for the leadership election should not be truncated and I oppose any notion of a “coronation”. It’s an important moment in Scottish politics, with the party’s history stretching back over two centuries.

Although I am still weighing up whether or not to run, I expect that several candidates will do so. In the interests of healthy debate, this is essential. We need to have a proper contest. In another party’s recent leadership contest, one candidate claimed that “continuity won’t cut it”. I agree.

The future offer made to the public by the Scottish Conservatives needs to be radically different, both in content and in the way in which it is presented. As someone who has entered politics in the past few years, having had a career in journalism before that, I like to think I have a decent grasp of the public mood.

What do people think about the Scottish Parliament, which for a quarter of a century has had a wide and powerful reach into every aspect of their lives? Many folk think that Holyrood has lost its way and cannot continue as it is. Or, just as with our party, “continuity won’t cut it”.

We need to change our party so we can start to challenge and change the political debate in Holyrood and across Scotland. The other parties represent slightly different shades of socialism. There's barely any difference between them.

Deeply held beliefs

We've got to stand out by standing up for conservative values. Too often, we've found ourselves speaking about policies without linking them to the principles we believe in. We have not built a compelling argument rooted in our deeply held beliefs in opportunity and aspiration for all, enterprise and education, and the light hand of the state.

We must loudly champion what we believe in. When we speak about the economy, we must stress the importance of rewarding hard graft and the entrepreneurial spirit. When we speak about public services, we must put much greater emphasis on higher standards and greater efficiency, not just pouring in more taxpayers’ money without resolving the challenges they face.

When we speak about social security, we should be more confident that our conservative ethos is the best way to tackle poverty. By providing a safety net, not trapping people in a miserable state of reliance.

The usual buzzwords

When we have been pitching ideas and principles that the public might agree with, sometimes they've just not been listening. We need to earn back that right to be heard.

We've got to start setting out a positive conservative case that appeals to the interests, hopes and needs of ordinary people the length and breadth of Scotland. We've got to link it to their lives, so it means something more than just a collection of the usual buzzwords favoured by politicians.

We've all heard enough about so-called 'progressive' policies and 'national missions'. Our arguments can't be abstract, theoretical or detached from the real world, as so many of the activities in the Holyrood bubble are.

We have got to provide tangible, practical and pragmatic ideas and solutions that will change everyday lives for the better. That's the only way we will be able to reach out to new people, who may well agree with conservative ideas, but have never voted for us or have fallen away from supporting us in recent years.

Parroting polls and focus groups

Earning the trust of the public depends on them believing that we're being straight with them. That we're telling them what we really believe in, not just parroting what polls and focus groups tell us or what might be the safe thing to say. I don't believe people feel politicians have been doing that lately.

When they look at our party, they may well ask whether we are conservatives because we don't seem loud and proud about it. Well I am proud of being a conservative – big and small C.

We must reclaim the word conservative and make it stand for a more positive vision of a better Scotland. In recent years, we haven’t defined ourselves well enough, so our opponents have done it for us. They have sought to weaponise the word "Tory" by turning it into the ultimate four-letter word. We must give conservatism meaning to the enterprising people and businesses who are held back by the Holyrood red-tape factory.

Hard-working people should know that we share their worldview and will support them to build a better life than their parents had and make sure their children have every opportunity to succeed.

Strength, not weakness

Let's stop shying away from arguing passionately for the principles we care about the most. Our vision for a better Scotland must be built on a bedrock of aspirational policies that connect with the public on a personal and emotional level. Many will say we can't do it. The left-wing consensus at Holyrood will rally hard against it. Some will baulk at the mere suggestion that a majority of Scots may hold conservative values. But that should drive us on, not cause us to feel defeated.  We've got a different way of doing things – and that's where our strength lies, so we should stop allowing others to brand it our weakness. Other political parties can repeat the word 'change' all day long - but we're the ones that actually mean it. They really offer more of the same. We can deliver the conservative change that Scotland needs because we know “continuity really won’t cut it”.

Russell Findlay is a Scottish Conservative MSP for West Scotland