Tuhia he tohutoro mō tēnei wāhanga - I tū tuatahi a Rifkind mō te Pāremata, kāore i angitu, i te tau 1970 i te rohe pōti o Edinburgh Central. I uru ia ki te Paremata i nga pooti whanui o Hui-tanguru 1974 e tohu ana i a Edinburgh Pentlands mo te Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. I te wa o te pooti rangatira i te 1975, i tautoko ia i a Edward Heath i te rauna tuatahi engari i te wehenga atu o Heath ka pooti a Rifkind mo Margaret Thatcher. I te taenga mai o Thatcher ki te rangatira, ka tohua e ia a Rifkind hei kaikorero mo nga take o Scotland. I muri mai ka whakarere ia i taua tuunga (me te Hekeretari o Shadow Scottish, a Alick Buchanan-Smith) hei whakahe ki te whakatau a te Kawanatanga o Shadow ki te pooti ki te Pire a te Kawanatanga mo te Runanga o Scotland. I tohe a Rifkind, i taua wa, i tautokohia e te Rōpū Conservative te kaupapa o te Runanga o Scotland, he pai ake te pooti mo te Panui Tuarua o te Pire, te kore ranei, me te ngana ki te whakapai ake i te Pire. I roto i te pōti whai muri i runga i te Runanga o Scotland
I pōti a Rifkind, engari i whakakore i tana tautoko i te wā i whakaatuhia ai e te hua o te pōti i wehewehea ai a Scotland i runga i te tono.