Indyref2 needs a bold economic case for independence
The SNP cannot repeat the mistake of promising the continuation of a failed economic model after independence if it wants to win an indyref2, the Scottish Greens have said.
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the 2014 vote, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the events of the last five years have made a second independence referendum inevitable, but that the next vote should be held on a more radical prospectus.
Commenting, the Scottish Greens finance and economy spokesperson said: “In 2014 the SNP got caught in the trap laid by Better Together which saw them make a continuity case for independence.
“It became about retaining the monarchy, membership of NATO, the pound and various other trappings of the UK’s discredited system. This meant things like currency became a major factor in the result.
“Unfortunately, the SNP’s response to that has to become even more conservative. The much-heralded Growth Commission suggests tight spending controls, extended use of the UK’s currency and continued austerity. It would create a little Britain, not a new Scotland.
“Scotland has suffered enough under austerity and a system which puts economic growth above basic living standards. Poverty and inequality are rising, and we need to use reserved economic levers to tackle the climate emergency.
“If the SNP want to win independence it should get behind our Scottish Green New Deal, which is all about building a fairer, more sustainable Scotland by abandoning the failed economic orthodoxy and becoming a forward-looking European nation.”