Brand New

If being a toxic brand there means that the Conservative Party must be disbanded in Scotland, then that party needs to be disbanded everywhere outside the South East and East Anglia. The whole thing sounds rather like Peter Hitchens's oft-repeated call for the Conservative Party to be entirely replaced because so many people will now never vote for it no matter what its policies are, who its Leader is, or whatever, but simply because of what it is. Such a party would have something to say about Bombardier, both on its own and as an example of how international capitalism corrodes to nought everything that conservatism exists in order to conserve.

Murdo Fraser, if he wins, might start it off in Scotland by opposing the even further centralisation of policing and detachment of that service from the communities that it serves, a connection requiring not only small police forces such as were based on the old counties, but also those forces' accountability within local government rather than in the persons of local robocops, preventative policing based on foot patrols, and the former network of police stations and police houses. Let him shame not only all the other parties at Holyrood, but all the parties at Westminster, by taking this hugely popular and dazzlingly commonsensical stand.

Note that Fraser wants a separate party in order to oppose the Common Fisheries Policy, which the Conservative Party, having very briefly opposed it under Iain Duncan Smith, went back to supporting under Michael Howard. Meaningless withdrawal from the European People's Party was promised by David Cameron. But then, you already knew that. Meaningful withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy was promised by David Davis. But then, you almost certainly did not know that, or indeed anything else about him beyond the appearance of a lady falling asleep during one of his speeches. Once again, the potential electorate exists far beyond Scotland. Which is why, as on policing, and as on Bombardier and all that it represents, over to Ed Miliband.