This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/8050247.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Goldie: 'Don't judge us on past' Goldie: 'Don't judge us on past'
(30 minutes later)
Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie has urged voters to judge her party for what it is now - not on "echoes of the past".Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie has urged voters to judge her party for what it is now - not on "echoes of the past".
Miss Goldie's call to the party spring conference in Perth came as she declared the Tories were on the up, ahead of a forthcoming UK election.Miss Goldie's call to the party spring conference in Perth came as she declared the Tories were on the up, ahead of a forthcoming UK election.
She also called for a mandatory two-year jail term for those convicted of knife crime.She also called for a mandatory two-year jail term for those convicted of knife crime.
And she supported a "massive increase" in home visit services for parents.And she supported a "massive increase" in home visit services for parents.
Miss Goldie - who made no mention of Margaret Thatcher - told delegates: "Let me take something right on the chin - I know for many people, voting Conservative in Scotland is a big ask.Miss Goldie - who made no mention of Margaret Thatcher - told delegates: "Let me take something right on the chin - I know for many people, voting Conservative in Scotland is a big ask.
"Some have never done it, some last did it a long time ago.""Some have never done it, some last did it a long time ago."
Issuing a "bring it on" election challenge to Gordon Brown, Miss Goldie added: "Judge us not on your perception of the echoes of the past, but, rather, judge us on what we are now and what we are achieving in the in the Scottish Parliament." Issuing a "bring it on" election challenge to Gordon Brown, Miss Goldie added: "Judge us not on your perception of the echoes of the past, but, rather, judge us on what we are now and what we are achieving in the Scottish Parliament."
It is simple - if you believe in the Union, don't vote for the SNP Annabel GoldieScots Tory leader
Miss Goldie said the party at Holyrood had been successful in getting Tory policies into law for the first time in more than a decade.
She said these included more police on the beat, reduced business rates and a renewed approach to tackling drugs.
But the Scots Tory leader said more had to be done to mend "our broken society" - stating family was the bedrock of society.
"The Scottish Conservatives are committed to providing more and better support for new parents through a massive increase in home health visiting services," Miss Goldie said.
"Children deserve a decent start in life, so a guaranteed level of support will be offered to mothers before their baby is born and, in the first two weeks of a baby's life, we guarantee a minimum of six hours help in the home."
Miss Goldie also pledged to give control of classrooms back to teachers and bring in "second chance learning units" for violent pupils.
Referendum 'illusion'
Attacking the Scottish Government's "soft touch" approach to tackling crime, she also laid out plans for a mandatory minimum jail term of two years for knife crime - saying it was time to send a message that: "Take a blade outside - you'll be inside".
Turning to her political opponents, Miss Goldie said neither the SNP nor Liberal Democrats could remove Labour from power.
She said of the Scottish Government: "Their independence referendum is not a safety net - it is an illusion designed to con Unionists into believing it is safe to vote for the SNP.
"It is simple - if you believe in the Union, don't vote for the SNP."
Championing David Cameron to be the next prime minister, Miss Goldie described the current recession has having been made by Labour and delivered by Gordon Brown.
"Chancellor of the exchequer is one of the great offices of state but, after a decade of Brown and Darling, what a state that office is in," she said.
Miss Goldie offered delegates a choice between Labour politics of "smears and fears" and "persuasion and hope".
"We offer that change, that persuasion, that hope," she said, adding: "If you want a new start, a new vision, new ideas and a new Scotland, then vote for the Conservative Party, vote for David Cameron, vote for change."