Like most sensible folk I have a grand opinion of Alan Cochrane and, this being the case, alert readers will know that this is by way of a throat-clearing before we move on to the business of suggesting that his latest Daily Telegraph column is a little less persuasive than the Sage of Angus would like it to be. As Alan concludes:
It is hard not to sympathise with what Mr Fraser is trying to do. Something dramatic does need to happen to galvanise centre-right supporters in Scotland and the idea of a completely separate party but which is part of an electoral pact with the UK Conservatives in the Commons has been kicking around for decades. It has always been rejected – most recently by the commission headed by Lord Sanderson – as being ultimately a cosmetic option. “ We wouldn’t fool anyone. They’d still call us the bloody Tories,” said one grandee.
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