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: 6,958 Posts, 1,247,588 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Now that he’s on pre-mod (I expect) he’ll go off and haunt some other forum.Jul 23, 23:15
    • robertkknight on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “His King’s Colours didn’t go down too well either, with the Scots deciding upon their own design, which was contrary…Jul 23, 23:12
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““I’m every bit as much a Sovereign Scot as you.” In a colonial society there are plenty of assimilated natives…Jul 23, 22:41
    • Angus on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““Ain’t it funny how things change?” Ain’t it also funny how things never change? Labour has been promising to abolish…Jul 23, 22:35
    • Captain Caveman on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Heh, oh really… Well, I’d “knock it on the head” and quit whilst you’re (self evidently) behind, Confused. 🙂Jul 23, 22:23
    • Confused on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “EFTA came up, in the context of GDP/capita – the small, rich countries club – but you realise evil never…Jul 23, 22:23
    • Xaracen on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A, B, C, and E don’t mean anything to you, Aidan, and they don’t have to. They did mean something…Jul 23, 22:10
    • Confused on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “you’re a bit of a pedant, and prone to miss the point (like some others round here, the reading age…Jul 23, 22:05
    • Confused on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “sure www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5FbYBiJiuA caveman, you’re the kind of turnip a bash on the head might knock some sense intoJul 23, 22:01
    • Confused on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Main – the mobile gas van is on route number 6 000 000 as any fule knoJul 23, 21:59
    • sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Auld enemy. Different language,they didnae ken. Deid Mum. Divine Right was right up their parliamentary noses. On the plus side…Jul 23, 21:28
    • diabloandco on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “I see Queen Camilla is thoroughly enjoying the opening ceremony!!Jul 23, 21:21
    • Aidan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “A, B and C don’t mean anything but E is interesting, what proportion of Scots had the vote in 1707…Jul 23, 21:18
    • Cynicus on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Alf Baird says: 22 July, 2026 at 4:31 pm There is a long history of elite Scots selling out their…Jul 23, 21:00
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““The people paid far less in taxes” Sure Xaracen. And not only did we get free cradle to grave benefits…Jul 23, 20:55
    • Alf Baird on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Divide an rule is aye the colonizer’s tool. The colonized are made ‘bystanders’ in their own land; they are ‘out…Jul 23, 20:53
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Assuming rounded populations of England at 50 million and Scotland at 5 million. The political will to address the issue…Jul 23, 20:47
    • 100%Yes on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “What John Swinney has just signed Scotland over to Manchester and he’d doesn’t even know what powers the Scottish parliament…Jul 23, 20:45
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Oddly enough, that greater trust in Scottish governments peaked under Nicola Sturgeon during the Covid Years. Nowadays, the ex party…Jul 23, 20:35
    • 100%Yes on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Wings predicted on here and by people posting on here as well. But the SNP commitment to the union has…Jul 23, 20:29
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““proselytising religions” Naw. A proselytising religion is one where its adherents chap your door, earnestly attempt to tell you the…Jul 23, 20:24
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Havers, Mark. Check out the front lines (and the combat casualty lists) from the war in the east. You’ll find…Jul 23, 20:09
    • Mark Beggan on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Why not. No one else wants the job. What about asking Jack McConnell to step in.Jul 23, 20:06
    • sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-social-attitudes-survey-2025-core-module/pages/5/ Factchecker. Link above. Of interest to me, the steep decline in trust of the Scottish government since 2015. Signs…Jul 23, 19:55
    • Xaracen on Ain’t it funny how things change?: ““What made Scotland “much better” before 1707, Xaracen?” A, it was independent, B, it wasn’t a colony of England, C,…Jul 23, 19:29
    • Hatey McHateface on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Sorry, Alf, but I’m every bit as much a Sovereign Scot as you. What have I already told you about…Jul 23, 19:15
    • factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “sam, my comment on the uncontextualised use of survey data relates to the original post. Not the survey itself. Hence…Jul 23, 18:18
    • factchecker on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Dan, regarding the much-quoted “Union of Equals” that I know is such a popular trope, I am unaware of any…Jul 23, 18:12
    • sam on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “Don’t forget the colonisation of Ireland by the Scots and English. James granted confiscated land from Irish Catholics to Protestant…Jul 23, 18:06
    • Young Lochinvar on Ain’t it funny how things change?: “FC Apology accepted. Always laugh when those who know their wordsmithery isn’t cutting it feel the need to conclude with…Jul 23, 17:49
  • A tall tale



↑ Top