Latest news with #Harvie
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Patrick Harvie has a nerve to carp from the sidelines about meeting
He should remember that his team's actions resulted in the resignation of the very FM who would have been more likely to deliver the outcome he now so desperately seeks. READ MORE: Greens press SNP over secret Israeli ambassador meeting As I recall, the Green's weaponisation (maybe we'll go, maybe we'll stay) of the Bute House Agreement to force through polices beyond their seven-MSP support resulted in Humza Yousaf terminating the agreement. That, as we now know, led in turn to Yousaf's own demise at the hands of a bullish Harvie et al. Perhaps Harvie, rather than sharing his mercenary outrage, would be better to reflect on how his own actions might have contributed to this apparently more conciliatory approach from the current SNP leadership than either he or I would like. I Easton Glasgow
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Protesters gather outside court for Palestine activists hearing
The women, aged 31, 34 and 42, were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 after the incident at the Leonardo factory in Crewe Road North, Edinburgh on Tuesday, July 15. (Image: Alan Simpson) Police Scotland said their counter-terrorism unit is leading the investigation and enquiries are ongoing. READ MORE: Palestine Action co-founder set to challenge UK Government terror ban One protester outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where the three women appeared on Monday, held a sign saying: '20,000 children killed! Labour's action helps Israel murder them'. (Image: Alan Simpson) Others had signs saying 'Gaza: stop the genocide' and 'Freedom for Palestine'. (Image: Alan Simpson) Banners were also displayed for the pressure group Campaign Against Arms Trade and people waved Palestinian flags outside the court in Chambers Street in the capital. READ MORE: Harvie urges SNP to explain secret talks with Israeli diplomat (Image: Alan Simpson) Leonardo produces weapons for the Israeli military including guns used in the maritime blockade of Gaza and its wholly-owned subsidiary RADA Electronic Industries makes software which supports the country's 'Iron Fist' system which provided cover for tanks used in the ground invasion and levelling of Gaza, according to the Who Profits Research Centre.
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Scottish Greens reveal Glasgow list rankings for Holyrood
The long-serving MSP and co-leader who is stepping down from that role will go into the Scottish Parliament election next year as number one on the party list. It means if the Greens secure enough support for one MSP once again, he will be re-elected for the sixth time in a row. READ NEXT: All the latest changes to Glasgow city centre streets explained Harvie leads the list in the city with activists Ellie Gommersall second and councillor Holly Bruce in third spot. (Image: Newsquest) The Greens have narrowly missed out on electing two MSPs in Glasgow on a number of occasions and are hopeful next year will be the year the manage to succeed. The [[Scottish Greens]] have announced their slate of candidates for regional lists ahead of next year's Holyrood election. The party hopes to return a record number of MSPs at the ballot box next May. Lorna Slater, Co-Leaders is top of the Edinburgh and Lothians East list and Gillian Mackay who steered the abortion protest buffer zones law though parliament top for Central Scotland and Lothians West. Ross Greer who has spearheaded the campaign against a developer which owns Flamingo Land resorts building a park on the banks of Loch Lomond is top in West of Scotland with Cara McKee second. While in the Highlands and Islands MSP Ariane Burgess is top with councillor Chris Leask second. The tops spots are completed by Mark Ruskell, MSP in Mid Scotland and Fife with Mags Hall second. Guy Ingerson is the list nominee for North East Scotland and Laura Moodie for South Scotland. READ NEXT:Man 'banned' from Glasgow city centre after Palestine protest The SNP secured eight MSPs in 2021, its highest since devolution. A recent poll indicated that the party could secure 15 MSPs, giving the Scottish Greens a stronger voice in Parliament to push for bold, fair and progressive policies that champion people and planet above corporate greed. Lorna Slater, Scottish Greens Co-Leader, said: 'Next year's election is pivotal for the future of Scotland and our planet, that's why I am delighted that Scottish Green members have selected such a strong group of lead candidates who will deliver real change in Holyrood. 'Greens have been the only influential left-wing force in the Scottish Parliament for decades, delivering free bus travel for young people, scrapping peak rail fares, and securing tax reforms to ensure the richest in society pay their fair share to support the services we all rely on, like our NHS. 'With more Green MSPs, we can continue to push for the climate emergency to be taken seriously by other parties who want to protect corporate profits rather than our planet, and to fight back against the toxic climate change denialism from the far-right. Scottish Greens won't give up on our planet's future. 'Electing a record number of [[Scottish Greens]] is the only way to secure the pro-independence majority in [[Holyrood]], and to continue advancing the case to rejoin the European Union. It is a cause that Scottish Green MSPs will continue to make on the doorsteps across the country and in the chamber at [[Holyrood]].' The full Glasgow list is: Patrick Harvie MSP Ellie Gommersall Cllr Holly Bruce Iris Duane Cllr Seonad Hoy Malena Roche Rana Noor Mohamed Isabel Ruffell Kit Renard
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Patrick Harvie brands radical left challengers 'out of order' as he addresses Greens' 'smugness'
Patrick Harvie has launched an attack on those within the Scottish Greens trying to halt him being re-elected next year. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Patrick Harvie has branded radical activists attempting to oust him from office as 'out of order' as he admitted the Scottish Greens have a problem with 'smugness'. Mr Harvie, who is standing down as co-leader of the Scottish Greens this summer, is running again to be re-elected as an MSP on the Glasgow regional list. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater (Picture: Jane Barlow) But party activists, who have been highly critical of the Greens going into government with the SNP and believe the party is not radical enough, have challenged him for his bid to re-enter Holyrood next year. In a social media video ahead of the internal selection contest, three activists - Ellie Gomersall, Iris Duane and Councillor Seonad Hoy - insist that "a fresh start" is needed for the Greens, and that internal power has been "consolidated into a smaller and smaller group of people". The so-called 'Glasgow faction' is hoping to oust Mr Harvie ahead of next year's Holyrood election. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Mr Harvie has hit back, saying the Greens must work with others and be a broad church. He told the BBC: 'For a long time, the Greens sometimes were guilty of - and sometimes even felt satisfied about - just saying 'we're right, everyone else is wrong'. "Sometimes that can make activists feel satisfied. But it doesn't achieve very much. And I think to a lot of voters it comes across as smugness." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Addressing some of those within his party trying to remove him from running for office next year, Mr Harvie claimed some "never accepted the legitimacy of the decision on the Bute House Agreement' with the SNP, adding that they 'set out to try and undermine not just the position of the party but some of the individuals [involved]'. Mr Harvie said: 'That behaviour is out of order.' Ahead of Humza Yousaf pulling the plug on the Bute House Agreement, some party activists had grown frustrated about criticism of their party from some in the SNP, who they believe used the Greens as a scapegoat. Ahead of Mr Yousaf tearing up the co-operation deal and sacking Mr Harvie and fellow co-leader Lorna Slater from their government jobs, activists had called for a vote on whether to continue with the Bute House Agreement. Mr Harvie has always insisted that party members would have ultimately voted to continue being part of the government. But the row heaped pressure on Mr Harvie and Ms Slater. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One of the candidates hoping to become a co-leader of the Greens in the coming weeks, Ross Greer, has said he would be "absolutely willing" to work with the SNP again, but not while Kate Forbes was involved in government.
Spectator
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Why Ross Greer would be good for the Scottish Green party
Ross Greer is for Palestine, trans rights and riling up the Daily Express, making him the ideal candidate to lead the Scottish Greens. At an event in Glasgow today, the West Scotland MSP put himself forward as a successor to Patrick Harvie, who is standing down after 17 years at the helm of the environmentalist party that occasionally takes an interest in the environment. Under Harvie's leadership, the Greens have prioritised cultural and identity politics over economics and ecology, helping to push the Gender Recognition Reform Bill through Holyrood and press for free bus travel for asylum seekers (an idea pinched by the SNP-run Scottish government). The pragmatic radicalism on offer from Ross Greer is a wiser course to take Harvie and co-leader Lorna Slater became the first Green ministers in British history when they joined Nicola Sturgeon's devolved administration in its final two years. The alliance was not politically productive (the gender bill was blocked by Westminster and a bottle recycling scheme came to nothing) and it ended badly (Harvie and Slater were abruptly booted by Sturgeon's successor, Humza Yousaf) but the exercise proved the Greens could misgovern just as well as any other party. Greer cut his teeth working on the Yes Scotland campaign during the 2014 independence referendum. Since entering Holyrood in 2016, he has made a name for himself as a gammon-baiting, woker-than-thou, omnicause progressive, with a lanyard for every occasion and every liberation. He's fond of the Soviet anthem, the chant 'We're selling the Falklands when Thatcher dies' and taking his Scottish parliament oath with a raised fist. He calls Churchill a 'white supremacist' and 'mass murderer', his dream dinner date is the IRA revolutionary Michael Collins, and he recently tried to remove all references to 'His Majesty' in Scottish public bodies and legislation. In other words, he's adorable. However, despite Greer's gift for leftist posturing, he has earned himself the enmity of a faction known as the Glasgow group: Green councillors and activists who reckon the far-left party could be a lot farther left. Greer understands that an ideological lurch would kill the golden goose. The Greens have a growing voter base of young, urban, precariously middle-income graduates to supplement their more traditional support among the comfortably retired, the guilty affluent, and assorted cranks. This Deliveroo-Waitrose alliance is essential to the party's development and, on current polling, will give them their best result yet at next year's Holyrood elections. That is unless they trash all the work they've done and cascade down a purity spiral, narrowing their own ranks and pushing away hyper-progressive, theoretically social democratic voters who identify with the Greens' culturally leftish messaging but would suffer materially from meaningfully socialist fiscal policies. At his launch, Greer stressed the importance of being more than 'a party of protest' and while he hammered home the need to tax the 'super rich', he struck a more nuanced note when questioned on raising additional revenue from higher earners. In common with most other parties in British politics today, the Greens are economic populists and have settled on wealth taxation as a way of costing expensive policies (e.g. universal free bus travel) without having to confront hard questions about income tax. Telling the electorate the brutal truth, that if they want quality public services taxes on basic and middle-earners will have to rise, would go down like a dose of strychnine on the doorstep. Keeping their voter coalition together requires the Greens to stick to Zohran Mamdani-style vibes-based progressivism. They need to make a great deal of noise about taking on the rich and powerful but pursue a melange of populist fiscal reforms and high-status social policies that might inconvenience the rich and powerful here and there and will definitely upset the traditional-minded among their number. One thing these policies certainly will not do is alter the fundamentals of the economy in a decisively egalitarian direction. People vote Green for one of two reasons: to prove that they're good people or to stick it to those they resent. The principal business of a Scottish Green leader is to maintain and, with any luck, expand these electoral blocs. Sharper ideological definition is likely to have the opposite effect, which is why the pragmatic radicalism on offer from Ross Greer is a wiser course to take. Skelp the super-rich but keep the middle earners and modestly wealthy on board by selling them leftist vibes at centrist prices.
