Programme for Government must have people and planet at its core
The First Minister’s Programme for Government must take bold action for people and planet, says Scottish Green Co-Leader Patrick Harvie.
Speaking ahead of the First Minister publishing his programme, Mr Harvie said:
“John Swinney needs to be ambitious and ensure that Scotland is taking meaningful action to cut child poverty and tackle the climate emergency. That means putting people and planet at the core of his plans.
“The Greens have championed radical change in Scotland, now the SNP must match our ambition to create a positive future for everyone across the country.
“Scottish Greens secured the expansion of free school meals for pupils across Scotland, but we need action to ensure that all children receive them. We also secured a £2 bus fare cap that will start with a pilot but which we want to see rolled out across Scotland to make public transport more affordable and save people money.
“It is deeply disappointing that the SNP have dropped plans to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ and have dropped the long-planned and promised Misogyny Bill. LGBTQ+ people across Scotland will want reassurances that the government is still on their side, but that can’t come from ripping-up promises and commitments.
“With wildfires having torn apart our iconic countryside, we need to be bold for our climate, but the Scottish Government has taken too many backward steps, from junking its target to reduce car numbers to hiking the cost of train and bus tickets.
“Scottish communities are finding themselves on the frontline of the crisis. We need to get serious, and that means ensuring robust measures to promote public transport while introducing a credible plan to make homes cheaper and greener to heat.”