IN five of Glasgow's seven Westminster seats Labour polled more votes than the Tories managed across the entire city.

At election after election the Tories have been on a hiding to nothing, flogging a dead horse and doing little more than keeping up appearance in a city that long ago decided the party was the enemy.

This time the Conservatives think there is something to fight for in Glasgow and progress could be made.

No seats are expected to turn blue and the party doesn't expect to upset the fight going on between Labour and the SNP for Glasgow's votes.

Instead it senses an opportunity to shake off the toxic Tories tag and for people to be comfortable admitting to being Conservative.

Party leader, Ruth Davidson, is a Glasgow MSP and she has a clear target as far as the seven city seats are concerned.

Ms Davidson said: "The aim of the party in Glasgow is to increase our number and percentage of the vote and improve our placing.

"We are now clearly the third force in Glasgow.

"The referendum clarified for people which party stands for what idea.

"We are the most pro union of the parties. We have not been embarrassed or self conscious of the part we played in the campaign."

The target is the LibDems, who finished third in the city, but second in two seats polling almost double the Tory vote, 31,403 to 17,432.

Ms Davidson sees an opportunity and not just to sneak into third because a LibDem collapse would see them will fall back into fourth

She added: "There is a vote for us in Glasgow, around 20,000 across the city. I think we can get it back up.

The LibDems are finished in Glasgow. They have lost between two thirds and three quarters of their vote. Our research shows 10% is coming to us.

"We can do alright. In 2010 our vote went up in most seats. We are clear third in pretty much all the seats."

A new start for the Tories post referendum is the target, and with anger turning on Labour the party hopes Thatcher and the Tories are not the big bogeyman of old dominating politics in Glasgow.

Ms Davidson added: "People respect honesty. I have tried to make sure all our people and activists have stopped the cringe. Stop saying I'm sorry I'm a Tory but instead talk about the strong record of economic recovery.

"It will be a platform to build towards 2016 I like being Glasgow's conservative MSP, but I would like to add to that and have two."

Ruth Davidson has had a remarkable five years. In 2010 she was the candidate in Glasgow North East, one of the safest Labour seats known to man.

She was trounced, but the following year she was elected on the Glasgow list replacing Bill Aitken and later the same year was party leader, succeeding Annabel Goldie.

Kyle Thornton is the Conservative candidate in Glasgow South. And he said the new leadership has brought something new to the party.

He feels the "toxic Tory" tag is not as evident in this election.

The Glasgow University politics student said: "We have had a strong base and the referendum has activised a lot of pro union sympathisers.

"People have said before they didn't see the value of voting Tory.

"Across the city we are seeing there is not that hostility there is more discussion about the rise of the SNP and of Labour losing its support.

"In the east we are getting more people willing to say they are Conservative. There is a different feeling and we are being given a chance."

"People say they like Ruth Davidson. I think she is reversing the toxicity."

The optimism may or may not turn into votes and it could be the epic struggle of the two larger parties has deflected from the direct anti Tory sentiment.

But with both Labour and the SNP in an auction of who hates the Tories most, the party may have a while to wait before its fortunes change in Glasgow.