Scottish Greens to launch alternative vision of independence in new paper

07.11.2022 - 11:47 / dailyrecord.co.uk

The Scottish Greens will lay out their left-wing vision for independence at an event in Edinburgh today.

Party leaders will use the launch to claim independence is vital to tackling climate change and the global economic chaos.

The Greens are the junior partners in a Scottish Government led by Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP.

Despite the Government releasing several papers that have attempted to reboot the case for independence, the Greens will publish their own separate case this morning.

They are more committed to an earlier phasing out of fossil fuels than the SNP and have their differences on economic issues.

Sturgeon believes sterling should be ditched at some point after independence, while the Greens are more impatient for a new currency.

The Greens are also against an independent Scotland joining NATO, unlike the SNP which is in favour of the Alliance.

Their paper on climate change will be the first in the ‘Independence: For People, For Planet’ series.

Co-leader Patrick Harvie will say in a speech that paper will show “the transformative potential of independence”.

Fellow leader Lorna Slater will say Scotland should be “in the room” as an independent nation leading by moving away from fossil fuels.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The Greens have swapped environmentalism for nationalism. The central mission of their deal with the SNP is breaking up the UK – not the climate.

“To be launching a fresh push for separation in the middle of COP27 says it all. None of the answers to the global problems we face can be found in a border or a flag.

“They should instead stop blocking the quicker rollout of solar power, get the trains running smoothly and get on with an emergency nationwide insulation programme.”

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