Scottish Greens facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Scottish Green Party Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba (Scottish Gaelic)

Co-Leaders	Patrick Harvie Lorna Slater
Council Co-Convenors	Laura Moodie Kate Nevens
Executive Co-Chairs	Ross Greer Carolynn Scrimgeour
Founded	1990 (1990)
Preceded by	Green Party (UK)
Headquarters	17b Graham Street Edinburgh EH6 5QN
Youth wing	Scottish Young Greens
Women's wing	Scottish Greens Women's Network
LGBTQ+ wing	Rainbow Greens
Membership (2023)	7,646
Ideology	Green politics Scottish independence Scottish republicanism Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left to left-wing
European affiliation	European Green Party
International affiliation	Global Greens
Colours	Green
Slogan	For People. For Planet.
Scottish seats in the House of Commons	0 / 59
Scottish Parliament	7 / 129
Local government in Scotland	36 / 1,227
Party flag

Politics of Scotland Political parties

The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party) are a political party in Scotland. They focus on protecting the environment and promoting social fairness.

As of May 2021, the party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. They also have 36 councillors in 13 of Scotland's local councils. From August 2021 to April 2024, the Scottish Greens were part of the Scottish government. This was the first time Green Party politicians were part of a government in the UK.

The Scottish Greens started in 1990. Before that, they were part of the wider Green Party (UK). They work with other Green parties around the world.

What the Scottish Greens Do
What the Scottish Greens Believe In
- Four Main Ideas
What Policies Do They Support?
Who Leads the Scottish Greens?
- Political Leaders
- Other Leaders
  - Party Council
  - Party Executive Committee
See Also
- Related Groups

What the Scottish Greens Do

The Scottish Greens are an independent party. They work closely with Green parties in Ireland. They used to work with the Green Party of England and Wales. This partnership stopped because of different ideas on some social issues. The Scottish Greens are also a full member of the European Green Party.

How Many Members Do They Have?

After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum in 2014, many people joined the party. Membership grew to over 5,000 in just a few days. By October 2015, they had more than 9,000 members. In April 2023, the party had 7,646 members.

Party Meetings

The Scottish Greens hold big meetings called conferences twice a year. Members from all over Scotland come to these meetings. They vote on important decisions and new ideas for the party.

Groups Within the Party

The Scottish Greens have different groups for members with shared interests. These groups help make sure everyone's voice is heard. They include:

Disabled Greens
Greens of Colour
Rainbow Greens (for LGBT+ members)
Scottish Green Trade Union Group
Scottish Young Greens (for younger members)
Women's Network

What the Scottish Greens Believe In

The Scottish Greens' main ideas come from green politics. This means they care a lot about the environment. They also support Scottish independence and being part of Europe.

Patrick Harvie, one of the party's co-leaders, has said their goals are:

A planet where everyone can live well.
Fairness, equality, and respect for all people.
Scotland's right to decide its own future. This is about creating a better, greener Scotland.

Four Main Ideas

The party's website says the Scottish Greens want to create a sustainable society. They are guided by four key ideas:

Ecology: Protecting nature and the environment.
Equality: Making sure everyone is treated fairly.
Radical democracy: Giving more power to ordinary people.
Peace and nonviolence: Working for a world without conflict.

The party believes these ideas help them see the world in a complete way. This is common for Green parties everywhere.

What Policies Do They Support?

While the Scottish Greens are known for their environmental policies, they also support other ideas. They want strong public services that are controlled locally. They also support fair voting systems and progressive social policies. The party is strongly against nuclear power and the Trident nuclear programme.

In 2019, their plans included:

A "green new deal" to fight climate change.
A universal basic income, which means everyone gets a regular payment.
A four-day week for workers.
Rules to control how much rent people pay.

Climate Change

The party wants strong action to fight climate change. They support:

Stopping the use of single-use plastics.
Creating more Low Emission Zones in cities.
Banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
Stopping the use of fossil fuel boilers.

The party also opposes new oil and gas projects in Scotland. These include the proposed Cambo oil field and Rosebank oil and gas field. When they were part of the government, they banned new waste incinerators. They also created a new plan to protect nature.

Transport

The Greens do not support plans to make the A9 and the A96 roads bigger. They say these plans do not fit with climate goals. Instead, they want to expand Scotland's railway network. They hope to connect every town with more than 5,000 people to the railway. They also want to make all Scottish railways electric by 2030.

The Scottish Greens supported making ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper public companies. They want all of Scotland's railways to be owned by the public. As part of their agreement with the Scottish Government, they stopped peak-time rail fares for at least one year. They also support more investment in walking, cycling, and public transport like buses and ferries.

Scottish Independence

The Scottish Greens are the only party other than the SNP that supports Scottish independence and has members in the Scottish Parliament. In 2005, the party voted to support Scotland becoming an independent country.

The party believes Scotland should have its own currency if it becomes independent. They say this would help Scotland be fully independent economically. The party supported the Scottish government's plan for a second independence vote in 2023.

However, one of the co-leaders, Lorna Slater, has said that independence is not the only thing that matters for future agreements with other parties.

Who Leads the Scottish Greens?

The Scottish Greens are led by a team of six people. This team includes the party's co-leaders, the co-chairs of the national executive, and the co-convenors of the party council.

The co-leaders are usually elected politicians. The other leaders can be ordinary members or politicians.

Political Leaders

Many Green parties around the world used to not have a single leader. However, the Scottish Greens decided to have co-leaders. In 2019, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were chosen as the first co-leaders. One of the co-leaders must identify as a woman.

Unlike leaders in most other parties, the Scottish Greens' co-leaders are elected for two-year terms. They can run for re-election.

Co-leaders				Term start	Term end
Portrait	Name	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end
	Patrick Harvie MSP for Glasgow (2003–present)		Lorna Slater MSP for Lothian (2021–present)	1 August 2019	Incumbent

Other Leaders

The other four leaders are chosen from the party's national council and executive. They also serve for two-year terms. Party members vote for them.

Party Council

Conference is the "supreme decision making body" of the party, in line with the party's commitment to radical democracy.

Between the big conferences, the Party Council makes important decisions. It discusses policies and helps coordinate local branches. Two people from each local branch are usually on the council. Its decisions can only be changed by a full party conference.

The current co-convenors of the council are Laura Moodie and Kate Nevens.

Party Executive Committee

The National Executive manages the party's daily activities. It is led by two co-chairs, who are elected by party members. They manage the party staff and volunteer committees. These committees work on things like developing policies or working with the European Greens. The Party Council or a conference can change its decisions.

Currently, Ross Greer and Carolynn Scrimgeour lead this committee. This committee also oversees other national committees, such as those for Finance, Elections, Policy, Membership, and International work.