Tory candidate calls for fewer powers for Scotland

Wednesday, 07 March 2012 17:50

By a Newsnet reporter

A former Tory parliamentary candidate in the 2011 election and current local council candidate has gone against Prime Minister David Cameron’s vague promises of more powers and called for ‘less devolution’ to be given to the Scottish Parliament.

Andrew Hardie, a Tory council candidate in Midlothian said he was “sick of hearing” about independence and more powers for Scotland.

Mr Hardie, who also edits Toryhoose – an online hub for Tory members in Scotland – wrote on his Twitter page:

“Sick of hearing about more devolution after the Independence referendum. Scotland has not used the powers it has, we need less devolution!”

Mr Hardie is standing in May’s local elections as a Conservative candidate in Midlothian. The council currently has no Conservative councillors. Mr Hardie stood for the council in the last election in 2007, when he came in a poor fourth position with 634 and was not elected.

His comments contradict both Mr Cameron’s promise to consider unspecified extra powers for Holyrood, and also Scottish party leader Ruth Davidson’s commitment to the Scotland bill as a “line in the sand” on powers for the Scottish parliament.

Commenting on Mr Hardie’s remarks, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said:

“What a mess the Tories in Scotland are in; first of all David Cameron’s half-baked offer of more devolved powers ‘destroyed’ Ruth Davidson’s credibility according to a former Tory MSP. Now we have Tory candidates calling for a reversal of powers at Holyrood.

“The Tories Party is at sixes and sevens on the constitution where the reactionary element change as fast as the weather and are completely out of sync with the party’s hierarchy in London.

“The anti-independence parties are falling out with each other and within themselves. Ruth Davidson needs to make clear who is in charge of her party, and what exactly they are offering the people of Scotland.

“Only the SNP will stand-up for the people of this country by putting forward positive policies which will move Scotland forward.”

Comments

# dogcollar 2012-03-08 08:28

Seen Kenny on telly yesterday against two Unionist MSP’s and he took then apart. I am so glad he is on our side.

# fynesider 2012-03-08 09:42

“Mr Hardie is standing in May’s local elections as a Conservative candidate in Midlothian. The council currently has no Conservative councillors.”

… and will continue to have nae Conservative councillors after May if this is the best they can do!

# mealer 2012-03-08 08:38

Mr Hardiew is right to express his opinion.Even if it is bonkers.

# Caadfael 2012-03-08 08:49

That should be worth what .. 500~650 more SNP sign-ups?

# alicmurray 2012-03-08 09:12

Sorry for going off line but another Guardian journo with a piece about date – worth a look.

guardian.co.uk/…/…

# Jiggsbro 2012-03-08 09:21

And that means, I think, holding the vote earlier, not entangling it in a turbulent UK election with a possibly close outcome

Our self-determination might complicate things for the rUK? Oh dear, what a pity. Never mind.

# Macart 2012-03-08 09:31

A couple of fair points in the article alic. Still there is never going to be a good time to hold the referendum or prepare for the aftermath. What Mr Kettle fails to appreciate or note in his piece, is the amount of pure media pooh that the SG has to wade through to get even the simplest message through to the electorate without unionist spin. Independistas are going to need every bit of the next two and a half years just to get a fair hearing.

Personally I’d be there if it was called tomorrow, but we’re not looking for 51% here (although that would do it). What we need to make this work is the settled will of Scotland. I would say better than 60% and for that we need time to convince a lot of those Devo Max voters.

# Glasgow 2012-03-08 17:30

Quoting Macart:

there is never going to be a good time to hold the referendum or prepare for the aftermath.

Autumn, 2014.

# UpSpake 2012-03-08 09:35

Photo above. Thats the Tory party folks – All three of them. Next Tory conference will be held in a lift as its the only lift this lot are going to get from the electorate !.

# amfraeembro 2012-03-08 11:11

Going down!

# thomsor 2012-03-08 09:40

Mr Hardie is only saying what all unionists truly believe, they hate devolution and the thought of Independence. If Scotland were to vote no in indy ref Cameron will ensure Mr Hardie’s dreams comes true.

# alicmurray 2012-03-08 09:50

Posters required on this site I think re HoL.

opendemocracy.net/…/…

# Vincent McDee 2012-03-08 11:22

Your link deserve an article in NNS:

“Their Lordships, it can be said, are just waiting to profit from the marketisation of the health service”

“Take a glance at this analysis by Social Investigations: …/nhs-privatisation-compilation-of.html

listing the Peers with their hands in our pockets when it comes to health ‘provision’.”

# Islegard 2012-03-08 10:43

Typical brilliant Tory campaigning.

# nchanter 2012-03-08 12:09

If lived in england and had a young family, I would be packing my suitcase for Scotland NOW.I fail to understand why the people of england fall for the lies especially after the mass privatisation by Thatcher,and the outsourcing of their jobs.A real head scratcher

# pictic-1 2012-03-08 12:20

Hardies doing his very limited best to creep up the trouser leg of his London boss.

# Ben Power 2012-03-08 12:33

he wont win but will trot out more of his puppeteers drivel on how supply side economics will save us all. That is suppress wages, deregulate relentlessly, don’t tax wealth, allow the elite to get inexorably richer to the exclusion of everyone else.
It must feel somewhat gratifying to be a hand puppet for these types.

# proudscot 2012-03-08 12:33

What Ruth Davidson and her Tory group in Holyrood seem to ignore, is the fact that NONE of them would be there representing (quite rightly) Tory voters in Scotland, if it weren’t for devolution!

# J Wil 2012-03-08 15:01

Does the fact that she gets more and more animated when explaining her questions to the FM indicate that she is getting more and more desperate to raise her profile to her party members?

# Diabloandco 2012-03-08 13:30

I am watching FMQs – I cannot believe that drivelling twerp who describes himself as the leader of the Liberals in Holyrood.

# J Wil 2012-03-08 14:57

You should have watched his performance at their conference. Even more revealing.

# lumilumi 2012-03-08 19:46

Willie Who? was indeed terrible. If the Liberal Democratic party had got their nose out of their Westminster **se, they would’ve chosen a Scot with some clout in Scotland. Liam MacArthur spings to mind. I gather he’s very popular in Orkeny, and he’s got ooodles more charm than Willie Who?

# Mac 2012-03-08 14:05

This chimes with Johann Lamont’s recent comments when she said, “Devolution can’t just mean powers going from London to Edinburgh.” The opposite to that being handing back power to Westminster.

We are beginning to see unionist attacks not only against independence but also against the current devolution settlement.

We you consider how hard Scots have fought for the return of a Scottish parliament that must represent a real worry for people who believe in Home Rule.

# lumilumi 2012-03-08 19:59

I was amazed that this ‘pearl of wisdom’ from la Lamentable wasn’t seized upon more than it was.

She has spoken about devolution being a process (quoting Donald Dewar), but not a process that ends up in independence, which is the logical concusion of a devolution process. No, she’s saying devolution isn’t a one-way street, as Dewar had it. No, she’s making it a two-way street. Give more powers back to Westminster. What a vote winner in Scotland! Does the Labour party really have a death wish?

# PrideoftheClyde 2012-03-08 17:01

Great to see the tory party so in tune with the majority of Scottish opinion. With candidates who are this in-touch its a wonder how they managed to get their behinds handed to them at the last Scottish general election.

# Peter A Bell 2012-03-08 17:25

There’s a man with his finger on the pulse of Scottish politics right enough.

# Dundonian West 2012-03-08 17:58

A man of independant views in the Tory party–WOW!

# Marga B 2012-03-08 22:22

O/T, but talking about less powers:

Do people realise that the Press Complaints Council is being closed down until 2014 – this is apparently the government’s answer to criticism of its performance.

The intriguing thing is that “Lord” Hunt, the present incumbent, “may have to re-apply for his job” when the new body, whose nature has not yet become clear (another “Lord” – Leveson – is conducting an investigation) eventually comes into action.

It seems the LibDems are to head the parliamentary discussion of new arrangements.

guardian.co.uk/…/…

# drumalban 2012-03-09 00:56

SCOTLAND CALLS FOR FEWER POWERS FOR TORY CANDIDATES.

# lumilumi 2012-03-09 01:04

Scotland calls for fewer Tory candidates.

# lumilumi 2012-03-09 02:06

Just saw amazing auroras. I like the Finnish word for it, ‘revontuli’, ‘foxfire’, the idea being that a fox’s tail drags along the snow and sparks fire to the sky. Amazing display. Mother Nature is mightier than any man.

Scotland should become independent and be a truly democratic country. The Westminster ‘democracy’ is outdated and undemocratic.

Take the Tories. At least they’re what it says on the tin. The nasty party. They make no bones about it, so a voter is faced with a party that (nearly) honestly says that it’ll be dishones, nasty, self-serving…

Labour’s problem is that they’re just as nasty as the Tories but they pretend otherwise. You won’t get a straight answer from this slippery, crooked lot, who’ve all got their eye on the main prize, a Westmister career, maybe even ermine.

LibDums… They’ve become a joke. A wiff of power at Westminster and they’re falling over themselves to deny and forget all their long-held beliefs and policies.

That’s Westminter for you.

# GerrySNP 2012-03-09 04:09

Those in the YES camp really must stop making points which might dissuade Tories and the other Unionists from being so stupid in their comments on the issue of Independence. Far better hoping they continue and dont notice the effect they will have in increasing the Yes vote!

# Ard Righ 2012-03-09 10:34

What a stance! Lets turn the remaining cannon around on the sinking ship Tory, aim them down at the hull and fire!

# Suomi 2012-03-09 13:19

Does this Tory candidate have a death wish?

# Arbroath1320 2012-03-09 13:29

Don’t all Tory candidates have a death wish Suomi? 😀

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Tory candidate calls for fewer powers for Scotland

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