Media Watch: Scottish Greens spring conference
Climate, Palestine and General Election hit the headlines with speeches by Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater setting today's agenda.
Media interest in today’s conference has been intense and welcome, with journalists turning out on a wind-swept Saturday to cover speeches, fringes and build a broader understanding of Scottish Green policies and actions.
Co-leader Lorna Slater’s announcement today that the party is to stand a record number of candidates at the General Election for example was the focus of this piece by James Walker of The National.
BBC Scotland’s political correspondent Andrew Kerr also covered the news and shared his analysis, astutely observing that standing so many candidates at the General Election will act as an important springboard for the Holyrood contests too.
STV News also reported on the General Election numbers, with both broadcasters running packages on their news bulletins.
But it was the co-leaders determined words on accelerating climate action that led the wires from despatches by PA Media, and this piece in The National which zeroed in on Patrick Harvie’s indication of a reset for Scotland’s climate policies.
The Independent carried Katrine Bussey’s report of Lorna speaking on the Palestinian crisis and her renewed calls for a complete ban on Israeli military flights in UK airspace as well as an end to arms to the regime. The Herald also covered her call, as did others.
Earlier Catriona Stewart who has taken up political duties at The Herald was among those to report on Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater’s response to the frenzy of misinformation around the hate crime bill. Others to preview conference this way included The Scotsman.
That was also trailed in a piece by Chris McCall, the Daily Record’s deputy political editor, who reported concerns from Patrick that people could be put in harm’s way because of the volumes of deliberate misinformation being peddled by opponents.
Terry Murden at the Daily Business meanwhile looked at Patrick’s comments on how the new housing bill was helping thousands of tenants across the country, and Lorna’s criticism of Labour for backtracking on its previous climate commitments, a theme the BBC also carried in the build up to conference.
All of which followed this column by Mark Ruskell MSP in The National where he stated simply: "A Scottish Greens conference always energises our movement."
He's not wrong. Thanks to everyone, including our media colleagues, who came along.
