The Scottish Green Party held their autumn conference at Greenock over the last weekend of October.
The conference was an opportunity for members to vote on policies and discuss the new budget.
It was their first conference since the collapse of their cooperation agreement with the Scottish National Party, which caused Humza Yousef to resign as First Minister in May
Lorna Slater, one of the party’s co-leaders, used her conference speech to outline the party’s achievements.
These include free bus travel for young people and asylum seekers, raising the living wage, and abolition of peak rail fares, among others.
She emphasised the party’s commitment to climate-friendly policies, saying:
“It is a worry to me that, without the Scottish Greens in the room, the SNP will cower away from the real actions that are needed to tackle climate change and the nature emergency.”
Green Members of the Scottish Parliament have successfully blocked multiple planning applications in national parks, including plans for luxury resorts near Loch Lomond and Park of Keir.
Slater also highlighted the importance of rent controls, describing the “housing emergency” facing Scotland.
During her speech, she said the Scottish Greens are a “proudly progressive party”, adding that:
“We will never give up on our vision of a fairer and more equal independent Scotland within the EU.”
Patrick Harvie, the other Scottish Greens co-leader, took a more critical approach in his speech at the conference.
He called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reverse the cut on winter fuel payments, describing it as “one of the cruellest cuts for years.”
Harvie also emphasised the Greens’ support for Gaza, saying:
“When genocide is being inflicted, we all have a moral duty to stand against it.”
“It is long past time for a watertight arms embargo and it is long past time for an end to all trade with the illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” he continued.
Other issues discussed at the conference included land use, rewilding, and ad-free cities.
There were also events for young Greens members and workshops on manifesto and policy development.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s Agreement with Scottish Green Party Lorna Slater” by Scottish Government is licensed under CC BY 2.0.