Every vote for Greens is vote for independence
The SNP’s strategy is more about self-preservation than advancing the cause of independence and risks playing into Westminster’s hands, says Scottish Green Co-leader Ross Greer.
This follows the First Minister’s assertion that only an SNP majority can be a mandate for an independence referendum.
Ross said:
“Support for Scottish independence is bigger than any one party, and it is totally counterproductive for the SNP to suggest otherwise.
“Every vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote for an independent Scotland in the European Union. And every poll shows that those Green votes will make the difference between a pro or anti-independence majority. In undermining that, the SNP are putting their own party interests ahead of the independence cause.
“The election of a majority of pro-independence MSPs is a clear mandate for Scotland to choose our own future, regardless of which party they belong to. Any move away from that just sets up needless barriers and plays into Westminster’s hands.
“Is the First Minister really suggesting that the election of another pro-independence Parliament would somehow be illegitimate unless it had an SNP majority? Would he really stop campaigning for a referendum in those circumstances?
“It is not a lack of SNP MSPs that has blocked Scotland from deciding our own future, it’s a UK government with contempt for Scottish democracy. We shouldn’t play their games.
“Instead, the Scottish Government should focus on maximising its existing powers to improve the lives of the people of Scotland and to prove the good that comes from Scottish self-government. Unfortunately, this strategy comes at the same time as the current Scottish Government continues to scale back its domestic ambitions.
“The Scottish Greens are willing to work with the SNP to deliver bold and transformational policies which build support for independence and help people in the here and now. That is how we move the cause forward, not by setting up arbitrary barriers to our own goal.
“If they carry on with this counterproductive position, the SNP risks alienating a large number of independence supporters.
“With a cruel Labour government doing its best to mimic Farage and Reform, independence has never been more vital. This is not the time to divide our movement.”