The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Some tickets still available

Posted on June 09, 2013 by

Ruth Davidson triumphantly exits the hall to a standing ovation after her keynote speech to the Scottish Conservatives conference yesterday.

ruthdavidsonspeech

The Sunday Herald today gives the total number of delegates attending the conference at just 200 or so (although more on that later). We can count almost 40 empty seats in the picture above, taken from the BBC coverage, which shows one half of the hall, and we presume the other side must have looked pretty similar.

We estimate the the leader’s speech – which is the centrepiece of any political party’s conference – was therefore attended by between 120 and 140 people. Readers might wish to keep that figure in mind the next time Scottish Tories mock an unofficial independence rally for “only” attracting between 6000 and 7000.

15 to “Some tickets still available”

  1. John Hannah says:

    Those figures being correct means there were more marchers at the Anti Austerity Demonstration in Stirling yesterday that were at the Scot Tory Conf.
     
    Also Kat Boyd lead the Radical Independence marchers on a chant of “Two Scottish pandas, one Scottish Tory”.
     
    Kind of puts the support for the Tory party in perspective.

    Reply
  2. sneddon says:

    That is just embarrasing.  I wonder what was going through her head as she marched up that aisle?  “turned out nice again”, “why me god, why me?”, ” back stabbibg barsturds the load of ye”.

    Reply
  3. Do we think its related to the last-minute upsurge in ticket sales for Rockness? 🙂

    Reply
  4. The Man in the Jar says:

    It was such a nice day yesterday as well. I wonder what proportion of the 120 / 140 delegates were thinking. “I wish that I had stayed at home and enjoyed the sunshine instead of this”

    Reply
  5. GP Walrus says:

    Is that tumbleweed I can see blowing through the hall?

    Reply
  6. The Man in the Jar says:

    @GP Walrus
    @11;57am
    No its balls of human hair torn out by delegates in utter frustration!

    Reply
  7. TYRAN says:

    If you held a car booty or local town hall wrestling and drew 140 people, would you expect it to be mentioned in the media and shown live on BBC player? 

    Reply
  8. Hetty says:

    O/T a bit, BBC news today, devolution for England could save UK…
    is it April 1 st? 

    Reply
  9. Macart says:

    Haloooooo, is there anybody there? Good acoustics in an empty hall. 🙂

    Reply
  10. bunter says:

    She was savaged on sunday politics by the probing and forensic mind of the BBCs Mr Kerr. NOT!
    She also repeated that Holyrood was ”broken” by the SNP gaining a majority and seems to suggest that the Unionists first task if there is a NO vote is to ”fix” it, so that the seperatists cant keep coming back again and again threatening her UK as she sees it.
    Democracy UK style and quite worrying.
     

    Reply
  11. Some honesty creeping into their reporting? See twitter exchange in my piece The Unst Christmas Panto Drew a Bigger Crowd.

    Reply
  12. joe kane says:

    Empty deck-chairs on the long abandoned tory titanic SS Britannia.
    The only hope of rescue from the unexpected looming separatist iceberg is Captain Darling, famous for his exploits aboard the SS British Economy, whose last known whereabouts he modestly never mentions but was last seen sinking ignominiously in a sea debt just off the tax haven archipelago of the City of London.
    Experts say that plans to locate the wreck of the SS British Economy could take 7 or even 10 years, but wonder if its worth the effort given the state it’ll be in after all those years defenceless and exposed to the elements in that notorious stretch of uncharted and dangerous waters.

    Reply
  13. Jeannie says:

    Desperately trying to figure out why so many of our female politicians are dressing up in cerise-pink coloured jackets.  I see Annabel Goldie and Ruth Davidson wearing them in the pictures and I’ve seen both Johann Lamont and Nicola Sturgeon wearing them recently as well.  What’s that all about?  Is somebody advising them to dress like Barbie or what?  I once bought a cerise top and skirt to wear to a night out.  My mother’s comment was, “I’ve seen you in nicer”.  I would offer the same comment the above-named politicians and advise them to wear something a bit more business-like.

    Reply
  14. Sorry but lol you reap what you sow they should pack up thier bags and go home

    Reply
  15. Luigi says:

    Those empty seats were reserved for the postal voters (just in case)!

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,931 Posts, 1,244,715 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Xaracen on Wider Than A Mile: “Correction to my last post; They just assumed these would transfer over automatically, and also that they would then cover…Jun 13, 19:11
    • Xaracen on Wider Than A Mile: “Aidan, most of your response is irrelevant to my primary complaint, that Scotland’s MPs are not obliged by anything in…Jun 13, 18:43
    • Dan on Response Level Upgrade: “Another take on the trial and sentencing. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2026/06/sentencing-the-innocent/Jun 13, 18:37
    • James Barr Gardner on Response Level Upgrade: “There is always the fall back position….Jackanory !Jun 13, 18:03
    • James Barr Gardner on Response Level Upgrade: “Weel it’ll certainly wullnae be the Freedom Club, fitting since since he an’ his clique made damned sure there would…Jun 13, 17:56
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Sorry, that was a warning for Steve Clarke to change his ways and play to the strengths of the Scottish…Jun 13, 17:31
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “The Islamic Brotherhood!Jun 13, 17:25
    • Tinto Chiel on Off-topic: “Someone who never chased fame but could sing memorably, and still lives: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWWNFB8grkwJun 13, 17:19
    • twathater on Response Level Upgrade: “Then Willie when all else fails to secure any information there is always the staunch , unquestionable , unchallenging,” Not…Jun 13, 17:02
    • agentx on Response Level Upgrade: “Will Murrell have some prison tats when he appears in court again? I wonder which gang he has joined.Jun 13, 16:22
    • Marie on Response Level Upgrade: “Outdated and pathetic. Princes and Princesses and horse-drawn carriages – like something out of a book of fairy tales -…Jun 13, 16:09
    • sarah on Response Level Upgrade: “@ Knuckle_Heid: I did suggest to my list SNP MSP that refusing the whip and resigning from the Cabinet is…Jun 13, 16:01
    • Alf Baird on Response Level Upgrade: ““Trooping the Colour” Early postcolonial theorists understood fascism not as ‘an unexpected right-wing turn’, which is what people on the…Jun 13, 15:13
    • Alf Baird on Response Level Upgrade: ““condoning criminal behaviour” Colonialism is regarded as ‘criminal behaviour’. However, even elements of a colonized people may appear to condone…Jun 13, 14:36
    • Confused on Response Level Upgrade: “Football, bloody hell … (Fergie) – it’s more important than that … (Shankly) grown men writing long essays crossing the…Jun 13, 13:55
    • Confused on Response Level Upgrade: “The middle class seem addicted to their new religion, part of which is “racism” – you can’t bleat too much…Jun 13, 13:53
    • sam on Response Level Upgrade: “https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/should-judge-alexander-kemp-be-investigated-over-peggie-judgment “The Judicial Office has refused to explain what caused fabricated quotations to appear in Judge Kemp’s ruling. Complaints against…Jun 13, 13:50
    • sam on Response Level Upgrade: “it is already clear that Judge Kemp’s findings included AI “hallucinations”Jun 13, 13:16
    • sarah on Response Level Upgrade: “@ Andy Wiltshire: very interesting!Jun 13, 13:08
    • Andy Wiltshire on Response Level Upgrade: “Off topic, but Sandie Peggie’s team might be interested in this from the BBC: ‘Derbyshire…Police have launched a criminal investigation…Jun 13, 12:54
    • Knuckle_Heid on Response Level Upgrade: “Here’s a question for everybody: let’s say you have been or are still an SNP Councillor, perhaps even a new…Jun 13, 12:45
    • Northcode on Response Level Upgrade: “There’s a quiet, almost elegiac undertone to the BBC’s coverage of today’s Trooping the Colour. That’s not criticism — it’s…Jun 13, 11:38
    • Willie on Response Level Upgrade: “The office of the information Commissioner fights an uphill battle. The culture of restricting public interest information and or its…Jun 13, 11:23
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Response Level Upgrade: “THE SALMOND FILES AND ‘ARROGANT’ SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT: An interview w/ Scotland’s information watchdog “It was quite damning about the way…Jun 13, 10:25
    • Northcode on Response Level Upgrade: “Several of the biggest parties competing in Scottish elections are not Scottish parties at all. They are London operations registered…Jun 13, 04:02
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “Northcode says: 12 June, 2026 at 10:07 pm Just think… after independence Scotland’s political parties will have to actually be…Jun 13, 00:24
    • Mark Beggan on Response Level Upgrade: “He is just about to find out how terrible the world really is. “You’re my little puppy dog now boy.…Jun 13, 00:16
    • Onlooker on Response Level Upgrade: “Northcode, both Scotland and England are owned by America.Jun 12, 23:49
    • Aidan on Wider Than A Mile: “It’s not that sovereignty doesn’t exist Xaracen, or that’s it’s not an important concept. It’s that the way you are…Jun 12, 22:28
    • Northcode on Response Level Upgrade: “Just think… after independence Scotland’s political parties will have to actually be Scottish.Jun 12, 22:07
  • A tall tale



↑ Top