THE Scottish Greens have knocked back Alba’s call for a cross-party pro-independence convention ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections.
On Friday, Alba MSP Ash Regan called for a convention to be held a year out from the Holyrood elections, insisting that “energy” needs to be rebuilt if independence is to be a “realistic proposition” to voters.
The call echoed a speech given by SNP depute leader Keith Brown to his party’s conference last year, where he backed “a convention of all democratically elected representatives – in the Scottish Parliament, at Westminster, in our councils – who support Scotland’s right to choose”.
However, the SNP sidestepped Alba’s latest calls – and the Greens have now poured cold water on the proposal.
“The Scottish Greens are indeed supporters of Scottish independence,” party co-leader Lorna Slater told Bauer News. “We believe in a fairer, greener, independent Scotland as a member of Europe, but we're not prepared to join Alba's conference.
“We have significantly different visions about what an independent Scotland would look like that doesn't really align with Alba’s.”
Slater said that there was a “a democratic block to the people of Scotland having their say”, saying that the UK and Scottish Governments needed to enter discussions about how to move past it.
“It's going to be a real problem for the UK Government to continue to hold that block in place,” she added. “It's an undemocratic situation.”
Pushed on whether Alba’s conference could be a way to break down that roadblock ahead of 2026, Slater said: “Next year's election will be about a lot of different things. The idea that some sort of election result – as led by Alba – is going to change the UK's mind is not an approach that I think will work.
“It's up to the Scottish Greens and the SNP and all the independence-supporting parties to set out that case, to get the people of Scotland on side, and that's what we'll continue to do.”
Alba have proposed using every national Scottish election, for Holyrood or Westminster, as a de facto referendum on opening independence negotiations.
Slater was speaking ahead of the Scottish Greens conference, which will take place in Stirling this weekend.
She is facing a challenge for her role as co-leader, which will go to a vote in the summer.
Patrick Harvie, who has been a co-leader or co-convener of the Greens since 2008, has said he will not stand again.
