Tory leadership hopeful Ruth Davidson visits Hamilton to rally support

Oct 6 2011 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

RUTH DAVIDSON has vowed to tackle the blight of knife crime if she is elected leader of the Conservatives in Scotland.

The MSP has backed the Advertiser’s ‘Hammer the Knife Thugs’ campaign, which was launched earlier this year after the death of Blantyre teenager Reamonn Gormley.

Ms Davidson, a 33-year-old former BBC journalist, was in Hamilton to speak to party activists about her leadership bid.

Youth disorder and crime are among the issues she would address if she wins the four-horse race to succeed Annabel Goldie. Her rivals for the post are Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell, West of Scotland MSP Jackson Carlaw and Deputy Leader of the party Murdo Fraser.

Ms Davidson told the Advertiser: “I really loved journalism and it was a privilege to work for the BBC but it can be quite frustrating when you can’t change things so I decided I would roll up my sleeves and give politics a shot.”

The Glasgow region MSP believes toughening up the justice system and making people feel safe in their communities is vital in securing a prosperous society for all.

Commenting on the issue of knife crime, she said: “It is so important that we recognise that taking a knife on to the street should not be accepted or tolerated. If you aren’t carrying a knife then you can’t use it and there should always be a presumable sentence of prison for people carrying blades. Far too many young lives in South Lanarkshire and indeed in Scotland have been ended or irrevocably damaged through the blade and booze we have and it has to stop.

“Law and order is extremely important as we can’t have a happy, healthy, affluent and growing society if people don’t feel safe.”

As a prospective leader of the Tory party in Scotland, Ms Davidson wants to see a real change in the party and believes it can overcome the legacy of the Thatcher years.

“First of all, I believe we need to have change, a real change and more than just a change of name,” she said. “We haven’t been very good as Conservatives in the past in engaging with people and explaining what we stand for so we are asking people to get involved in the debate.

“As a party, we have to recognise our flaws. They have been reflected in the ballot box and there is no denying that.

“What I want to do as a leader is re-engage with a modern Scotland and its values and find out what it is people want us to do for them as a potential government. We want to say ‘come and join us’.

“It is about building the party from the ground up and people getting on board at ground level and helping us take this forward.”