Scottish Greens will fight for people and planet no matter who becomes First Minister
Protecting the climate and ending child poverty will remain a priority for the Scottish Greens regardless of who goes on to become First Minister, the party said today.
The Bute House Agreement currently in place has provided a ‘clear roadmap’ to helping Scotland become a fairer, greener country, they said.
But with the forthcoming UK Budget expected to spell more bad news for households along with a Tory-led assault on the work of the Scottish Parliament over gender reform and the Deposit Return Scheme, they said the path to independence remains key.
Co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The Scottish Greens are clear that the SNP leadership is a matter for their members, and their members only, and rightly so. We will not seek to influence it. We will discuss the results and its implications as soon as it is known.
“We have said repeatedly that we remain committed to the spirit and the values of the Bute House Agreement struck with the current First Minister, and if her successor shares a clear commitment to that Agreement, which was approved overwhelmingly by the members of both parties, we remain ready to shoulder the shared responsibility and roadmap for delivering on the work we have already started.
“But our immediate focus is on the next UK Budget and the further hurt we fear it will cause to people all across Scotland. It must not be allowed to signal a return to the years of Tory austerity that have seen poverty skyrocket, hitting children hardest, and undoing vital work on sustainability.
“The profit driven, ecocidal mania being peddled by the Tories is destroying the future hopes of millions of children and young families at a rate that may be unfixable unless they can be stopped by the courts, by the ballot box, by Holyrood and by the people.”
Co-leader Lorna Slater MSP said:
“It is more vital than ever that we secure an independent future for Scotland after more than a decade of disastrous Tory governments at Westminster.
“People are taking home less money, while facing higher costs, and uncertain futures because of Tory austerity. They are being let down over the climate and nature crisis because of bad decision making at Westminster.
“The Tories simply cannot be trusted with our futures or that of our children, which is why we need climate independence so we can set our own path. Only by seizing the initiative will Scotland be free of their planet wrecking greed for good.
“As a party, we will always fight for people and planet. Regardless of who is First Minister, we will remain committed to the progressive politics that can deliver a fairer, greener Scotland.”