ONE of the Scottish Greens co-leaders has said that the party’s electoral success "scares some people" in response to recent attacks on the powersharing deal with the SNP.
It comes following the news that some backbench SNP MSPs are unhappy with the Bute House Agreement, according to a report in The Herald.
However, writing exclusively for The National, Patrick Harvie (below) said some of those criticising the party come “from the right wing of the independence movement” while others are “former Greens who never really embraced the social or economic dimension of Green politics”.
The Glasgow MSP also insisted that the SNP-Green co-operation deal is the "biggest asset" for delivering Scottish independence and keeping the issue on the agenda.
He also branded the attacks as "predictable" and "desperate" in a comment piece for The National.
Speaking to the Sunday Mail, Harper said that the party had become “careless and cocky” and that it was “really important” for Labour to get into power at both Holyrood and Westminster.
Harvie said: “Unprecedented electoral success has brought us the opportunity to put policies into practice as never before.
“And that scares some people. Some of them are from the right wing of the independence movement, who never moved on from ‘Scotland’s oil’ generation despite the reality of the climate emergency fossil fuels have caused.
“Sadly, some are even former Greens who never really embraced the social or economic dimension of Green politics and wanted us to be little more than an environmental pressure group.
“Both these viewpoints end up helping only the status quo, and the parties which aim to protect it.”
Harvie said the Tories had “manufactured a toxic culture war against marginalised minorities” because they are “expecting defeat” at the next General Election.
He also took aim at Labour saying they have been “grazing in the wilderness for so long that some have forgotten what it’s like to govern, while others are terrified of offering any kind of change at all”.
In recent weeks, several senior SNP figures have been among those to speak out about the Bute House Agreement, calling for members to be allowed a vote at the upcoming party conference in October.
Former finance secretary Kate Forbes said she felt that the SNP should “check in” with members on how they felt about the deal.
Elsewhere, the party’s policy convener Toni Giugliano called for “transparency” among any members who spoke out against the deal.
