 | 'The Tories are so freaked by taxation that they now have an absolutist policy - if I understand it correctly - which is to countenance no tax increases whatever. They are protected from reality by the knowledge that they have no hope of taking power in Scotland. Do they have a credibility problem, or what? This, remember, is the party which taxed us more heavily than even Labour could manage in the bad old days.' Murray Ritchie in the Herald, 25 th September 1998. |  |
Last night the Ayr Conservative Association selected their prospective candidate to stand in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament by-election. He is to be Ayrshire farmer, John Scott. John Scott, prospective by-election candidate for Ayr, said:
"It is a great honour to have been selected as the prospective candidate for Ayr and I will be putting in every effort to ensure that Ayr sends a very strong message to Donald Dewar's bumbling Executive in Edinburgh.
"Ayr has been let down badly by Labour and I intend to ensure that they elect a local candidate that they can rely on to fight for the things that matter to Ayr.
"I will be fighting a vigorous campaign against Labour's arrogance in Scotland. I am fighting this election to win and to champion the issues that matter to the people of Ayr."
Commenting on the selection Raymond Robertson, Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, said:
"The Scottish Conservatives are looking forward to this by-election campaign with huge enthusiasm. Now that we have selected a first rate local candidate we can start a very active campaign to ensure that Ayr returns a Tory MSP to challenge the failed Labour Executive which has masterminded bungle after bungle since the May elections.
"Ayr is a very winnable seat for us. We came within 25 votes of winning the seat in May and now the people of Ayr find that they have been deserted and badly let down by their local Labour MSP and the Labour Government.
"This by-election will provide a very effective demonstration of how badly Labour have performed. The voters in Ayr are fed up hearing every day about Labour's shopping list of disasters from the current health crisis which is increasing waiting times even further to their £3,000 tuition fees, stealth taxes, cut in police officers and their plans to abolish the pound.
David McLetchie MSP, Scottish Tory Leader, said:
"John is an experienced Tory candidate who proved himself in the Scottish Parliament elections last year. He is an excellent local candidate who will be able to stand up for the issues that matter to Ayr. I look forward to welcoming him in to the fold in March as the 19th Tory MSP.
"We will be fighting a very strong campaign to win back Ayr. Never has it been truer that only the Tories can beat Labour. Labour has lost many more than 25 votes since May. The fact that one of their own backbenchers has had to resign because of the way Donald Dewar is running the Executive must say a lot to the people of Ayr.
END
Note to editors:
Following is a biography of John Scott.
John Scott Scottish Conservative Candidate for the Ayr by-election
Born and bred in Ayrshire, John Scott farms at Balkissock in a family parnership and established the Ayrshire Farmer's Market. He is chairman of the South of Scotland Regional Wool Committee. He has been extensively involved with the National Farmers Union of Scotland.
John, who was educated at Barrhill School and George Watson's College, also has a BSc in Civil Engineering from Edinburgh University.
He served on the Party's Rifkind Policy Commission as the Rural Affairs Commissioner, chaired the working group and wrote the Rural Affairs Policy Group report.
He is a Justice of the Peace and is married with one son and daughter. His interests include golf, curling, reeling and bridge. He played rugby for Wigtownshire from 1969 to 1973.
John was the Scottish Conservative Candidate in the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Constituency for the Scottish Parliament elections where he increased the Conservative share of the vote.
13 th January 2000
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