Cameron's Message to the Scottish Tories: Man Up, You Wimps

On the Daily Politics today Andrew Neil asked David Mundell Why are the Scottish Tories so useless? It will not surprise veteran Mundell-watchers that the member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale did not have a great answer to this blunt question. Nevertheless, Mr Neil’s question was, in effect, the theme or premise of the Prime Minister’s speech to the Scottish Tory Conference this morning.

Much of Mr Cameron’s speech was the usual conference boilerplate. All very well and good but not especially meaningful. There was one important passage, however:

I say it’s time we stood up even more strongly for what we believe in. Because when you make a strong argument, you know what? People listen. Not everyone will agree – but those who do will follow your lead.

That’s what we’ve done on the Union. For years we shied away from the subject, afraid of saying anything, worried it would be taken the wrong way.

Now we’re the ones on the front foot – asking for that referendum, looking for the challenge and though we’re just at the start of this journey, people are giving us a hearing.

We need to show that same fight right across the board, on all the issues that really matter to the Scottish people the economy they work in, the jobs they do, the opportunities their children have, the society they live in.

They deserve a choice on all these things – a choice that includes practical, sensible, centre-right ideas and those, my friends, have got to come from us.