Proud of our time in government
The Scottish Greens’ focus in government was to deliver for people and planet.
Our programme of action tackled the climate crisis, built a fairer, more equal country and made the case for Scotland’s future on the world stage as an independent nation.
Our support for an SNP First Minister, and their government, was conditional on that shared vision. That was the foundation the Bute House Agreement was built on but that agreement is now over.
We have much to be proud of from our time in government – and we can be confident that Scotland is now a fairer, greener place than it was before.
We lifted 90,000 children out of poverty in a single year, delivered free bus travel for Under22s,
removed peak time rail fares, introduced an emergency rent freeze and eviction ban during the cost-of-living crisis, cancelled the school meal debt held by struggling families and so much more.
Climate action, tackling child poverty and protecting the most vulnerable remain the priorities of the Scottish Greens and we will resist any attempt by the new SNP minority government to water them down.
The Heat in Buildings strategy introduced by Green ministers, highlighted by the Climate Change Committee as the gold standard to which other UK governments should be working, was transforming the way we heat our homes, driving down one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions as well as household energy bills.
The critical next phase of that work, a new Heat in Buildings Law, was to be brought forward later this year and I hope SNP ministers will follow through on that. Our planet and struggling family budgets certainly need the help.
The new First Minister must lay out whether his government will continue with the progressive policies Greens were working on and delivering, or move away from that vision and instead rely on the Conservatives and other far less progressive parties to form majorities in parliament.
The values of a progressive, fairer, greener and more equal Scotland remain Green values. We will continue to use our influential role in parliament to deliver on them, to build a Scotland where everyone is free to be themselves and where climate action is a top priority.
Not only is that what future generations deserve, it is what those already suffering the effects of climate breakdown need from us right now.
Scotland deserves a government willing to cooperate with others in parliament, for the sake of our country and the planet.
You can’t rip up the progressive policies Scotland has long cried out for and expect business to continue as usual, though, so John Swinney must urgently clarify where he and his new government really stand.