Jon Molyneux

GREENS WILL KEEP FIGHTING CAPTION: In here FOR A GREENER, FAIRER GLASGOW

THIS column started life as my argument for Scottish Green Party members to vote to keep the Bute House Agreement.

Events of the past 48 hours have changed all that, with Humza Yousaf unilaterally deciding to end the cooperation agreement which took Greens into the Scottish Government.

Green members were right to question the direction the Government was heading after its decision to scrap interim climate change targets.

Since then, members were engaged in an open and constructive debate about the future of the party and whether that was in or out of Government. That was grassroots democracy in action and it should have been respected.

Humza Yousaf ’ s decision to preempt the outcome has made him weaker, not stronger, and it looks set to backfire on him very quickly indeed.

He’s now in hock to the very people who’ve spent his whole time as First Minister undermining him.

His government can no longer rely on Green votes in the Parliament. That may well lead to his downfall.

It will almost certainly mean watering down many of the bold policies that were at the heart of the cooperation agreement.

Green MSPs will keep demonstrating why progressive change is so vital and they’ll work constructively to achieve that – but they will also now publicly hold the SNP to account whenever they fall short of what’s needed.

That’s exactly what Glasgow’s 11 Green councillors are already doing, by working constructively from opposition.

The decision made by the First Minister needn’t change that.

We believe it’s best when political parties cooperate in the interests of their citizens and we’ve been able to do that in Glasgow because we’ve developed relationships with colleagues based on mutual respect, the like of which the First Minister has just shown himself to be incapable of.

This is an approach that has already delivered Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone to start cleaning up the city’s air, as well as 2030 climate targets that are driving real action.

That includes delivering the most comprehensive safe cycling network anywhere in the UK and starting work to bring Glasgow’s bus services back under public control. It includes councilowned renewable energy and huge investment in new recycling facilities, as well as new local nature reserves and planting 18 million trees and hedgerows by 2030.

All of this is bringing investment, jobs and opportunity to Glasgow, and it will make our local neighbourhoods greener, safer and happier places to be.

The argument I would have made for staying in the Bute House Agreement was that it would be tragic to risk throwing all that progress away.

Sadly, because of Humza Yousaf ’ s reckless actions that risk is now very real.

If a rightward lurch by the SNP in Holyrood means it fails to accelerate climate action and fails to deliver the green investment Glasgow needs, then that will be a betrayal of present and future generations.

We will not stand by and allow that to happen. Our citizens voted for a greener and fairer Glasgow – that’s what they deserve and it’s what Green councillors will keep fighting for.