PARTIES MAKE UK POLITICAL HISTORY
Parties vow to deliver IndyRef2 and a ‘fairer, greener independent Scotland’ but stop short of full coalition
NICOLA Sturgeon has hailed a “groundbreaking” power-sharing agreement between the SNP and Greens as the parties vowed to deliver IndyRef2.
The First Minister insisted yesterday the deal would help to create “a greener, fairer, independent Scotland” and boost the country’s recovery from Covid.
It will see the Greens handed two junior ministerial roles in government but both parties said the arrangement stopped short of a full coalition.
The deal cements the proindependence majority in Holyrood and commits the parties to delivering IndyRef2 in the first half of the parliament – as long as the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
As part of the deal, Green MSPs will support the Scottish Government on confidence votes, as well as in annual budgets if there is “appropriate funding for the shared policy programme”.
But a number of areas are excluded from the agreement – including much of aviation policy, the future of green ports and financial support to firms involved in the aerospace, defence and security sectors.
The SNP leader appeared at Bute House alongside Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to welcome the deal.
Sturgeon said: “This agreement today undoubtedly marks a historic moment.
“It recognises business as usual is not good enough in the times we’re living through.
“It grasps that out of great challenge, a better world and a better Scotland is capable of being born but it understands that achieving it will take boldness, courage and a will to do things differently.”
She said the parties will work together to build a “greener, fairer, independent Scotland”, but stressed it is “not a coalition” and while they do not agree on everything they are focusing on areas of agreement.
Sturgeon said the deal makes it “impossible” for the UK Government to withhold the powers for IndyRef2 as it intends.
Harvie said: “This is indeed a historic moment. This deal would see Greens entering government for the first ever time in Scotland, or anywhere in the UK. “And it couldn’t come at a more important time. “The last 18 months have been an incredibly difficult time for us all and as we seek to rebuild our lives and our economy we must seek to do things differently.“The two parties have been locked in talks since May after the SNP fell one seat short of a majority at the Holyrood election. The deal will only be formally ratified if party members vote in favour at a meeting next Saturday. The deal was slammed by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who said: “The SNP and the Greens have formalised the coalition of cuts that has been in action for years. This will come as a surprise to no one, but it is a disaster for Scotland.”