Tories have betrayed their promises on economy and democracy, says Greens co-convener
TORY POSTURING in Edinburgh left the co-convener of the Scottish Greens determined to fight back over hypocritical claims made against his party ahead of this week’s key debate on Scotland future.
Tory MSP Annie Wells, narrowly elected on the Glasgow list despite scraping only 2,062 personal votes, claimed the Greens were ignoring its promise for a fresh referendum to comes about due to the “will of the people”, as written in its 2016 Holyrood manifesto.
Patrick Harvie, Greens co-convener, made it clear he’d take no lectures from the Tories over the chaos following the Brexit vote – accusing Wells and her party of failing to show the “slightest interest” in achieving a deal for the people of Scotland.
He said it was “nothing short of a disgrace” that senior Tories, who spoke out in favour of the EU and single market, had quickly abandoned both positions despite the vote in Scotland.
Read more – Independence or Tory Brexit: Scottish Parliament to debate country’s future
“If that’s the kind of parliament you thought you were joining, one which would simply roll over and let Scotland’s future be decided by anyone other than the people who live here, I can assure you that I and my colleagues will make every effort to prove you wrong,” Harvie warned Wells.
The spat comes on the day (Tuesday 21 March) when temperatures are set to rise in the Scottish Parliament over the prospect of a fresh independence referendum during 2018/19 when the Hard Brexit deal proposed by the Tories is expected to be signed.
Tensions have also grown between the unionist parties and the Scottish Greens as the local election fast approach on May 4 with the party challenging Labour for third place in the polls.
The pro-independence Scottish National Party and the Greens hold a majority, while the unionist Tory and Labour parties want to prevent a future referendum.
Picture courtesy of National Union of Students
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