SNP’s failure to fix our dangerous roads shows need for true Tory values

According to figures collated by the A9 Dual Action Group, there were 11 closures over a ten-day period in the middle of June. On Sunday, a 63-year old motorcyclist was killed in a crash at Calvine, north of Blair Atholl. The vital arterial route that is the A9 was closed for seven-and-a-half hours, leaving motorists stuck in their vehicles on a very warm afternoon.

It is fortunate that generous local businesses stepped in to help out with drinks, food and overnight accommodation to assist those in distress. But we simply see too many such incidents, and there will be many more as the summer progresses.

More deaths, injuries and grief

We know that, back in 2011, the SNP promised that the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness would be completed by 2025. We also know this promise has been broken, with the timetable now extended to 2035. That decade’s delay will mean, sadly, more fatalities, more serious injuries, more losses of loved ones for family and friends, and more disruption to those travelling.

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It is against this backdrop that the Scottish Conservative manifesto for the general election, published on Monday, focuses on measures to maintain and improve the fabric of the nation. Principal among these is a pledge to accelerate the A9 dualling programme, and with it upgrades to other neglected roads such as the A96, the A90, the A75, the A77, the A83 and the A1.

It is a sad refection of the general election campaign that we have had for the last month that the focus seems to have been almost entirely on what opinion polls are telling us, and on scandals within the parties. There has been precious little scrutiny of the policy offers which allow voters to judge where they should place their cross on the ballot paper.

NHS in trouble

Our manifesto is intended to provide some positive reasons to vote Scottish Conservative – and show why true Tory values are important. It has a clear focus on the real priorities of the Scottish public. And this goes beyond pledging to upgrade our neglected trunk roads.

Across the public sector, there is a need to see improvements, particularly given the record sums that are currently being spent, averaging 25 per cent higher than those available south of the Border, thanks to the Barnett Formula.

So when it comes to the NHS, our focus would be on extending primary care, with a pledge to recruit an extra 1,000 GPs. Too many of my constituents have been waiting too long to see their doctor, to even get on a waiting list for secondary care. That needs to change, and additional GP funding is the key to making a difference.

School discipline

On that other vital public service, education, we have seen Scotland hit record lows in international rankings under the SNP, and there has been a failure to close the attainment gap despite the promises made. Beyond that, as every teacher will testify, we have seen the deterioration in classroom behaviour and an increase in disruption.

The answer to this is to greater empower classroom teachers to place a renewed emphasis on rules, and the consequences of breaking them, to introduce a new deal for teachers and parents to cut red tape and paperwork, and attract more into the profession by improving teachers’ pay and conditions.

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On justice, we need 1,000 extra police officers, restoring the overall compliment of police to where it was before SNP cuts, and to ensure that the punishment fits the crime by ending the SNP’s presumption against short sentences, and the system of automatic early release. The Hate Crime Act would go, and be replaced with a new law defending free speech in Scotland.

All this needs to be underpinned by a strong and growing economy. There is now ample evidence that the differential income tax and land and buildings transaction tax rates paid in Scotland are having a drag effect on businesses’ ability to expand.

Practical and affordable

Alongside a UK Conservative pledge to abolish the main rate of National Insurance for the self-employed by the end of the next parliament, our aim would be to equalise income tax rates with the rest of the UK, starting with an immediate 1p cut in the intermediate rate of income tax from 21p to 20p, saving over half of Scottish taxpayers up to £171 annually. At a UK level, employee National Insurance would be cut to 6 per cent by April 2027, meaning the benefit to a worker earning £35,000 would be £1,350 as compared to the start of this year.

These are all measures which are practical, affordable and deliverable. They address what are the real concerns of people across Scotland, that the fabric of the nation is in decline after 17 years of the SNP in administration. While line one of the SNP manifesto concentrates on independence, an ambition that even many pro-independence voters now see as unrealistic in the foreseeable future, we have the people’s priorities at heart.

So whether it is on the need to upgrade the A9, or hosts of other issues, it is the Scottish Conservatives who have the solutions that Scotland needs. In key seats across the country, voters can unite behind our candidates to put Scotland again on the right track.

Murdo Fraser is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife