End Tory power grab against Scotland
Every vote for the Scottish Greens on July 4 will be a vote to end Tory attacks on devolution, transform our democracy and drag Westminster into the 21st century, says the party’s co-leader Lorna Slater.
Ms Slater said:
“Since the Tories took office they have run roughshod over devolution. They have made a cynical power grab and abused their position to overrule Scotland and undermine our parliament.
“A vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote to scrap the anti-democratic Internal Market Act, which has been used to block basic environmental measures, and Section 35 which has been used to overturn the will of our parliament.
“The best people to make decisions for Scotland are the people who live here, not politicians in London. It’s time to finally devolve the power for referendums to end the Westminster veto.
“Every vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote to transform democracy here in Scotland and across the UK.”
Ms Slater also criticised Westminster’s archaic systems and processes compared to the more progressive outlook of the Scottish Parliament.
She said: “Westminster is a badly dated and archaic relic of an institution that entrenches an unresponsive and broken politics. It is not fit for purpose, and needs to be dragged into the 21st century.
“By abolishing and replacing the undemocratic and ridiculous House of Lords, extending voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds and introducing fairer elections where every vote counts, we can ensure that our parliament reflects the communities that elect it.
“But it also needs to look like our communities. Westminster still has the air of a braying and chuntering old boys club, which is why we support gender quotas and other steps to ensure equal representation for women, and why the Scottish Greens have long used them ourselves.”
Ms Slater announced a series of vital measures that would strengthen devolution, transform Westminster and modernise democracy across the UK, including:
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Replacing the unelected House of Lords with a fully elected second chamber
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Devolving the power for Scotland to hold constitutional referendums
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Ending the Section 35 veto power of the Secretary of State for Scotland
- Removing the Internal Market Act, which has been used to undermine environmental progress
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Introducing proportional representation to general elections, ensuring every vote counts
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Extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds in all elections, and basing voting eligibility on residency, including people with refugee status
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Gender quotas for elections at all levels, ensuring equal representation for women
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Scrap the requirement for photo ID to vote in UK elections
