Scottish Green Party
The
Scottish Green Party (
Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba in
Scottish Gaelic) is the
Green party of
Scotland. It currently has seven MSPs in the devolved
Scottish Parliament, making it the fifth largest party in
Scotland.
The Scottish party is fully independent, but works closely with the other Green Parties of Britain and Ireland: the
Green Party of England and Wales, the
Green Party of Northern Ireland and
Comhaontas Glas. It is a full member of the
European Green Party.
The party has not yet gained any councillors at local level, but is optimistic about making an impact in 2007, when local authorities in Scotland are to be elected using the
Single Transferable Vote system of proportional representation. In the
European Parliament election of 2004, it missed out on a seat, with 6.8% of the vote.
The party has increased its vote at every comparable election since 1999. Although it currently only stands in the list seats for the Scottish Parliament, it contested 19 seats in the
2005 Westminster election, getting 25,760 votes. Its top result was 7.7% of the vote in
Glasgow North, a major breakthrough in the West of Scotland.
According to accounts filed with the
Electoral Commission for the year ending December 31, 2005, the party had an income of about £110,000 that year, and expenditure of around £100,000. At the end of the year there were 913 registered members. [
1]
The Scottish Green Party was a constituent part of the former
UK Green Party until
1990, when the Scottish Green Party became a separate entity. The separation was entirely amicable, as part of the green commitment to
decentralisation: the Scottish Green Party supports
Scottish independence.
The Scottish Green Party benefits from the fact that the
British government created a
Scottish Parliament, which is elected using the
Additional Member System of
proportional representation. In the first election to this Parliament, in
1999, the Scottish Green Party got one
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) elected by proportional representation,
Robin Harper, the UK's first Green Parliamentarian. On
May 1,
2003 the Scottish Greens added six new MSPs to their previous total.
The Scottish Green Party is committed to forming a sustainable society. Their policies are guided by these four interconnected principles:
Ecology:Our environment is the basis upon which every society is formed. Whenever we damage our environment, we damage ourselves. Respect for our environment is therefore essential.
Equality:A society that is not socially and economically just cannot be sustainable. Only when released from immediate poverty can individuals be expected to take responsibility for wider issues.
Our society must be founded on cooperation and respect. We campaign hard against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, sexuality, disability, age or religion.
Radical Democracy:Politics is too often conducted in a polarised, confrontational atmosphere and in a situation remote from those that it affects. We must develop decentralised, participative systems that encourage individuals to control the decisions that affect their own lives.
Peace and Non-Violence:Violence at all levels of human interaction must be rejected and succeeded by relations characterised by flexibility, respect and fairness.
These principles taken together give the Scottish Green Party a holistic view that is in common with all Green Parties around the world, but which is unique amongst Scottish political parties.
More detailed information on specific policies, including manifestoes, is on the party webpage at http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk.
All of the Scottish Green Party's
Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP's) were elected under the list or "top-up" system of representation in the Parliament.
*
Shiona Baird is Co-Convenor of the Scottish Green Party, and speaker on enterprise & lifelong learning, energy and waste. She is an MSP for
North East Scotland and sits on the Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee.
*
Mark Ballard is Green speaker on finance and public services and sits on the Finance Committee. He is an MSP for the
Lothians, the second Green MSP for that region. He also convenes the Parliamentary Group.
*
Chris Ballance is an MSP for
South of Scotland, and Green speaker on nuclear, peace, arts, culture & tourism, and parliamentary business. He sits on the Procedures Committee.
*
Robin Harper is Co-Convenor of the Scottish Green Party, Green speaker on education, young people and sport at Holyrood and the first Green MSP for the
Lothians.
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Patrick Harvie is Green speaker on justice, communities, Europe and constitutional affairs at Holyrood, and sits on the Communities Committee which is currently dealing with private housing and will move onto reform of the planning system later in 2005. He is an MSP for
Glasgow.
*
Mark Ruskell is an MSP for
Mid Scotland and Fife, Green speaker on the environment and fisheries, and co-convenor of the Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee. He leads the Green campaign for a Food Revolution and GM Liability.
*
Eleanor Scott is an MSP for
Highlands and Islands, and Green speaker on health, rural development and marine issues at Holyrood.
*
List of parties contesting the UK general election, 2005*
Official site*
Scottish Young Greens*
Green Bloggers
