Two Green Deputies will enter the Scottish Executive. The Scottish government has tied up with the Greens to strengthen its climate policy, just weeks away from hosting COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland’s economic capital. The coalition also aims to pressure British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to authorize a new referendum on Scottish independence.
This is the first time in the UK. Two members of the Green Party will join the Scottish government led by Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon. government and the Scottish Green Party”.Post-Covid Green Recovery, Responding to the Climate Emergency and Creating a More Just CountryThe names of the two new members of the government have yet to be released, but they will come from the ranks of parliament where eight Green lawmakers sit.
The Scottish government is showing a green paw just weeks before COP 26, the international summit of heads of state on climate to be held in Glasgow in early November. The agreement signed with the Green Party contains several commitments to green this nation that is part of the United Kingdom, which has enjoyed some degree of autonomy since 1998. So they plan to strengthen public investment in infrastructure that emits fewer greenhouse gases: public transport, offshore wind and marine energy, energy efficiency, etc.
Denial of “business as usual”
“The stakes could not have been higher, with the arrival of the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland finds itself in a position to show leadership on climate“Says Greens Party co-leader Lorna Slater. For Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the agreement with the Greens should strengthen her government’s action.”(this agreement) believes that “business as usual” is not enough – we need courage, courage and that we would do things differently. that’s what we offer“She says.
It is also a way to take Scotland a step further. The agreement explicitly provides for a referendum to be held before the expiration of the parliamentary mandate. By aligning with the Greens, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) gained an absolute majority in parliament, having survived only one seat in the previous May elections. This strong power would allow him to increase his pressure on the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, to hold a referendum on independence.
The first referendum, in 2014, ended in failure for the separatists. But since Brexit, which was opposed by most Scots, the idea of the United Kingdom separating from other countries and returning to the European Union has taken hold.
Arnaud Dumas, @ADumas5