WE finally have a result after the bitter tag team mud wrestling match that passed for the Scottish Conservative leadership contest, which was marked by allegations of dirty dealings by the party leadership who wanted to secure the succession of its favoured candidate, Douglas Ross's crony Russell Findlay.
Findlay was accused by his competitors of placing smear stories about them in the Scottish press. The contest was characterised by rancour and ill-will, none of which will be put to rest by the fact that the party hierarchy has got its way by fair means or foul with Russell Findlay announced as the new party leader.
The party's returning officer Leonard Wallace announced on Friday that Findlay won 2565 votes with Murdo Fraser coming second with 1187 votes and former deputy leader Meghan Gallacher trailing far behind in third place with 403 votes.
The result means that Murdo Fraser, Scotland's perennial political bridesmaid but never the bride, can add the 2024 Scottish Conservative leadership contest to the long list of elections that he hasn't won.
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A total of 4155 votes were cast, which we were told represents a turnout of 60%, meaning that the Scottish Conservatives have a membership of around 6900, a tiny fraction of that boasted by the SNP.
It's a testament to the extent which Scottish politics is warped by the Union with Westminster and the British media that a party with so few members in Scotland which has not won an election in Scotland since the 1950s continues to rank as one of the country's most important political parties due to its continuing popularity in another country.
The party leadership got its way and the outgoing nasty leader Douglas Ross will be replaced by the incoming nasty leader Russell Findlay. All this proves is that the Scottish Conservatives like political nastiness, which ought to come as no surprise to anyone who has paid even cursory attention to the Conservative party north or south of the border in recent years.
Findlay has promised that his first task will be to unite his party, which could prove to be a tall order given that he was at the centre of the controversy and allegations of dirty dealing which characterised his election.
Findlay worked as a journalist for The Sun before being elected to Holyrood in 2021.
He is going to have a tough task to restore his party's fortunes following its worst ever election result in this year's Westminster General Election, when it managed to win just 12.5% of the votes cast.
The Tories saw their support haemorrhage to Reform UK who promise to out nasty the Tories on their favourite topics of being vile to immigrants and undermining the Scottish Parliament. At Reform UK's recent party conference Rupert Lowe, one of the party's five MPs, called for the abolition of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.
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The Tories typically do better in Scotland when they bang on about their opposition to independence, but Findlay will struggle to find a set of cohesive policies which stand a chance of building support for the Conservatives in Scotland beyond its core base of opponents of independence given that Starmer's Labour Party has moved into much of the political terrain formerly occupied by the Conservatives.
The election of Findlay has not impressed the Tories' opponents. SNP MSP Kevin Stewart has said that Findlay's track record – which includes backing Liz Truss to be Tory leader – suggests he will be no different to his predecessors for all his claims that he's different from other Conservative politicians and he's going to change the party. Wasn't a promise to change his party Keir Starmer's shtick? That hasn't gone well for anyone who wanted real change in British politics.
Holyrood faces a crisis on 25th birthday
The reconvened Scottish Parliament turns 25-years-old on Saturday. The event will be marked with a special event to be attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla. I know, whoop, and indeed, de-doo.
As it turns 25, the Scottish Parliament is facing the greatest threat in its history as both the Labour and Conservative parties plot to find ways to sideline and undermine it.
There was the disgraceful travesty of democracy following the 2021 Holyrood election when the anti-independence parties, which lost the election, conspired to deny that an election campaign which centred on the issue of a second independence referendum had indeed been about another referendum at all.
To their eternal shame, the anti-independence media in Scotland enabled them in doing so and ensured that the parties which lost the election were able to get their way anyway, proving in the process that the Westminster parties and the British media only respect democracy in Scotland when it produces a result to their liking.
READ MORE: Russell Findlay announced as new leader of the Scottish Tories
Since 2021, both Labour and the Tories have sought ways of by-passing the Scottish Parliament, allowing Westminster governments to intervene on devolved matters without having to worry about opposition from the Scottish Government. Both Labour and the Tories have betrayed the promises they made in the aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum to strengthen and broaden the powers of Holyrood.
With reports that the Labour Party is seeking to weaken Holyrood vis-a-vis Westminster in the ostensible name of 'real devolution' by taking powers from the Scottish Parliament and giving them to more malleable and easily controlled local authorities, the Scottish Parliament is clearly at risk.
The Scottish Parliament was only established in the first place because Westminster feared the rise in pro-independence sentiment in Scotland, and if Westminster believes that 'threat' has receded it will not hesitate to press its perceived advantage and hollow out Holyrood, neutering any political threat to the absolute power of the Westminster parliament.
If in 25 years time we are not celebrating the parliament of an independent Scottish state, there may well be no Scottish Parliament worthy of the name.
This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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