The Scottish election proved without a doubt that the Scottish Conservative Party remain a real force in Scottish politics.

It proved that the party has a resilience and unity which survives through good times and bad and it proved that we, as a party, must stand our ground in the Holyrood Parliament, maintaining our beliefs and our vision for the Scotland of the 21st century.

'Unedifying spectacle

The horse-trading which has produced a cobbled together Scottish Administration culminating in the Liberal Democrat sell-out of their commitment to abolish tuition fees has sadly presented a wholly unedifying spectacle.

The image of Scottish politics has been tarnished by the sight of Jim Wallace betraying both his voters and Scotland's students with his crude and unworthy attempts to secure a place for his party at the seat of power.

He has compounded his disingenuous conduct by declaring to the Scottish electorate that the Liberal Democrat pledges to abolish tuition fees were, after all, merely "election rhetoric".

No amount of back-peddling can recover the ground which Jim Wallace has lost with his remark.

The political clouds parted just long enough for the Scottish people to glimpse the reality of the Liberal Democrats.

Their desire for power far outstrips their inclination to maintain core principles through thick and thin.

There are one or two in their number who are clearly queasy about the grasping cynicism of their leadership and they, at least, have maintained a link with the heartbeat of their own party, whose supporters up and down the country must be, at once, disgusted and furious with the conduct of their leader.

'Party of principle'

It is these Liberal Democrat Scottish Parliamentarians and their supporters who must now be desperate to find a party of principle, a party capable of weathering political storms and yet able to emerge with principles intact.

It is precisely because of the nature of the politics now emerging that the Holyrood Parliament needs a strong Conservative backbone.

We are Scotland's oldest political party, we are truly a party of principle, our core values are not to be bought or traded on and we will not sell out on our ideals.

Our voice in the Scottish Parliament will be the voice of integrity, we will not win every argument we engage in but we will stand our ground arguing consistently and calmly for the things we believe in.

'Electoral rhetoric'

So-called "electoral rhetoric" may have delivered a taste of power to the Scottish Liberal Democrats but they will learn that whilst the people of Scotland will tolerate many things they will not be mocked.

There is an overwhelming need for a principled ballast in the Scottish Parliament and that is a key role we must play.

More than this though, we are a creative and imaginative party. We fully intend to pursue the same key principles we campaigned on.

We are wholly committed to abolishing tuition fees, we consider them a tax on learning - and we mean it.

We have already made public our Saltire Award Scheme, which would see Scottish students regardless of age or when they choose to take up higher education, receive that education free of charge.

'Spread out' departments

We want to see Scotland's new government departments spread out, placed in the locations which are best suited to their particular interests.

We have already suggested that we would like to see fishing, for example, centred in Aberdeen, tourism in Inverness or Stirling, transport in Glasgow.

We recognise that devolution is what Scotland wants and we want to be proactive in ensuring that the whole of Scotland is touched by the new political dynamic.

We are the party who have consistently campaigned against the imposition of new taxes on Scots.

Once again we believe what we are saying. We totally reject the notion of the Scottish people being subjected to entirely new waves of taxation such as the taxes on work place parking, city entrance (car) charges, road tolls, the proposed Bed Tax on the tourist industry and ever more eccentric schemes such as the dog tax proposed by the Lib Dems.

'Strengthen the Union'

The parliament is a powerful embodiment of Scotland's unique social, cultural and political identity and we believe that, as such, it exists to strengthen the union, not damage it.

It has to perform competently and within its means. It must not be seen as simply a bloated and unwieldy and new tier of government.

The Scottish people deserve better and it is our duty to ensure that, as Scottish Conservative parliamentarians, we deliver on Scotland's potential.

We shall approach every issue with the candour and veracity which befits our determination to participate fully in a practical and useful Scottish Parliament , contributing to the overall good of the United Kingdom.

It is important that the new parliament fosters an inclusive attitude and culture and does not get bogged down with the petty, the mean and the trivial.

'Mired beginnings'

Given the somewhat mired beginnings of Scotland's new government there is a place, indeed a real need, for a mature and cohesive body in Scottish politics.

We believe we can offer those qualities, and more, to the Scottish people and we are confident that as we build on these qualities we will gain more and more trust.

By watching us in action people will see again and again that we are a rigorously principled party.

The Scottish Conservative Party are back on Scotland's political map. It is an honour and a privilege and we shall build from here.