Scottish Greens enter talks on formal cooperation agreement
The Co-Leaders of the Scottish Greens and the First Minister have announced their parties will enter into ‘structured talks’ around the possibility of a formal co-operation agreement.
In her speech on the Scottish Government’s priorities, Nicola Sturgeon said the parties shared commitments to tackle the climate emergency and give Scotland a say over our future.
Responding, Scottish Greens Co-Leader Lorna Slater MSP said: “Scotland desperately needs a green recovery from the pandemic that leaves no-one behind, while time is running out for meaningful action on the climate emergency.
“The Scottish Greens have always worked constructively with other parties, delivering meaningful change like free bus travel for young people, and earlier this month the public returned the largest ever Green group to parliament to take that work further and faster. We hope that through these talks we can deliver real change.”
The Greens have drawn from the experience of their colleagues in Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, and have held discussions between the two-parties’ Co-Leaders in recent weeks.
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“Politics does not have to be about point-scoring and short-termism. Green parties across Europe and in countries like New Zealand have in recent years rolled up their sleeves and worked with other parties to deliver a better future. But they have also shown that there is more than one way for government and opposition parties to work together, without losing the ability to challenge one another. We believe the people of Scotland want to see grown-up politics like this, and will approach the forthcoming talks in this spirit”