THE Scottish Conservatives have pledged to be a strong opposition in Holyrood – scrutinising policy and proposing workable alternatives.

Alexander Stewart, candidate for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, also believes his party is the one to stand up for the two million people who voted No in the independence referendum.

He said: "In a normal election, all of the parties set out their stall for what they would do in government, but this isn't a normal election.

"It's clear the SNP are on course to win... There is, however, a vacancy that has been lying empty for almost a decade – a strong opposition in Holyrood.
"And with Scottish Labour in such a mess, the need for an effective opposition is greater than ever.

"Labour's incompetence, weak leadership and infighting mean they simply cannot be trusted to hold the SNP to account.

"Nowhere is this more apparent than the issue of a second referendum, with Labour leader Kezia Dugdale being described as 'comfortable' with her candidates supporting independence and saying that it is not 'inconceivable' she would do so herself.

"This is an astonishing betrayal of the many thousands of Labour voters in Scotland who backed the party in the past because they believed it was pro-union.

"Scottish Labour is desperately putting politics before principles, frantically trying to claw back its support from the SNP.

"But rest assured, the Scottish Conservatives will stand up for the two million people who voted No in September 2014 and oppose any attempt by the SNP to hold a second referendum on independence.

"It's high time the SNP focused on the job it was hired to do in the first place – run the country.

He argued that over the past few years, the SNP majority government has pushed through "controversial legislation" like the Named Persons policy and the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, the "mismanaged merger of Police Scotland" and a rural economy "starved of funding" because of the CAP payment fiasco.

He added: "Now more than ever, Holyrood needs a strong opposition to create better government, scrutinise policy and propose sensible and workable alternatives.

"As part of our programme for opposition we will call for the Named Persons provisions to be repealed, along with the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.
"And we have demanded an immediate public inquiry into the farm payments debacle to be carried out, as well as a proper accountability review of Police Scotland.

"We will protect NHS spending, boost mental health support and press for the gold standard schools Scotland deserves.

"We have recognised the need for more housing and will push for 100,000 new homes to be built over the next five years, as well as the importance of investment in energy efficiency to help people heat their homes and reduce their household bills.

"And, as the SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems wage a bidding over who can tax hardworking families the most, we will fight to protect their pay packets – ensuring that Scotland doesn't pay more in personal taxes than the rest of the UK.

"Only Ruth Davidson's team are demonstrating the competence and discipline to provide credible opposition to the SNP.

"It would be an enormous privilege to represent the interests of local communities in Mid Scotland and Fife in the Scottish Parliament.

"The only way to hold the SNP to account and say No to a second referendum is to use your regional vote to support Ruth and vote for the Scottish Conservatives."