Tories no longer baddies for SNP

AN unlikely political peace is set to break out this weekend as the Scottish National Party officially ends its 20-year state of war with the Tories.

The party's national council, meeting in Perth, is expected to lift the long-standing ban on the SNP going into coalition with Conservatives on local councils.

The bar on co-operation dates back to the Thatcher era, the poll tax and the perception of the Tories as an anti- Scottish party.

But supporters of the change claim it is a case of recognising the reality of life under the single transferable vote, which has seen a massive surge in the number of SNP councillors, but also means most councils have no party with an overall majority. They insist there is no prospect of any coalition deal between the SNP and the Tories in the Scottish Parliament, despite the remarkably good relations the parties have struck up.

But some Nationalists are still wary of softening their stance towards the old enemy. They fear lifting the ban on co-operation will send the wrong signal to voters, revive jibes about the SNP as "Tartan Tories" and scupper their chances of winning over traditional Labour supporters.

The motion put forward for Saturday's meeting by the Association of Nationalist Councillors does not mention the Tories by name, proposing only that SNP council groups "may form administrations with any other group or any individual" - subject, as with any deal, to the party's national executive committee.

SNP leader Alex Salmond is said to be "relaxed" about the move. A source close to the First Minister says: "Clearly the Tories are in opposition now. This policy was adopted in the 1980s in the darkest days of Thatcherism because of what they were doing to Scotland. Times change, and now we've had ten years of Labour government."

Another insider says ending the ban merely reflects what is happening on the ground. In both West Lothian and East Ayrshire councils, the SNP is in power but with a Tory provost. In Edinburgh, Tory leader Iain Whyte became police board convener because his group agreed to abstain on the election of the Lord Provost and other key posts, allowing the Liberal Democrat-SNP coalition to take power.

The Capital's SNP group leader Steve Cardownie says lifting the ban on coalition with the Tories will make no difference in the city.

He says: "As far as Edinburgh is concerned, we have got a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Our manifestos mirror each other in a whole lot of areas; they seem natural allies and it is working well. But I welcome the relaxation that's going to come about. It's practical politics.

"The opposition parties always used to think the SNP could not do a deal with the Tories and would use that to their advantage. Now they won't know what we're going to do. Our policies don't align very much with the Tories, but in local government there are often not such great divisions. It makes sense to keep our options open."

Councillor Whyte says the SNP's change of heart is healthy, because it opens up another option for running the council. He says: "The more options available, the more chance there is of people doing a sensible deal in the best interests of the public."

It is that fast-changing nature of politics that worries some Nationalists, who know the party's current popularity cannot last forever - and they fear the electoral ramifications of a move to "de-toxify" the Tories.

One SNP insider says: "Doing any deal with any Tories sends the wrong message. To make more gains in the central belt we have to convince traditional Labour voters that the SNP offers a real alternative to Labour - and they won't come over if they think we are going to go into partnership with the Tories."

There is no chance of an SNP-Tory coalition at Holyrood any time soon - largely because the parties are getting on so well without one, and neither would benefit from a formal deal. Tory leader Annabel Goldie fought the May elections arguing her party could influence government policy without being part of the administration, and now she is out to prove she was right.

Minority government is working well for the SNP, which shows no signs of looking for a coalition partner.

But the Conservatives do take comfort from the plan to lift the ban - and that's what worries some Nationalists. It looks to them too much like an acceptance of David Cameron's claims that the Tories really have changed.

One Tory insider says: "We're very supportive of this move by the SNP - it is a sign that we are not the baddies any more. We're quite clear it doesn't change anything in the Scottish Parliament - we will still take things on an issue-by-issue basis, but it means in a few years things could be different. Who knows what could happen after the next Scottish elections?"

For many Nationalists, even the thought of an SNP-Tory coalition at Holyrood would be a step too far.

But as it gets more accustomed to power, the SNP will increasingly seek the pragmatic way forward and shed the more dogmatic stances of the past.

It may never say never again.