SCOTTISH Green members are set to vote on whether to remain in government with the SNP after concern over recent policy decisions.
The move was sparked as Green members expressed anger over puberty blockers for under-18s being "paused" in the wake of the Cass Review, and the Scottish Government dropping some of its climate targets this week.
Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said things had “come to a head”, with calls from members for a debate about the way forward. Meanwhile SNP leader and First Minister Humza Yousaf told reporters “it’s a Green Party process” while sharing the value he places in the alliance.
A date for an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) for the Greens is yet to be decided after it was triggered by a member petition - which has been described as a “grassroots win”.
READ MORE: Scottish independence march in Glasgow: What it was like in the crowd
Did they initially support the Bute House Agreement (BHA)? Do they wish to see a complete ditch of the coalition? Do SNP members also want a say? Will Greens hear out their leadership?
We spoke with both Greens and SNP members to hear their thoughts.
Here is what members had to say.
“I voted for the BHA but it hasn't worked out and it's past time to leave.
“Greens entered government in good faith but have not been treated like equal partners. The SNP is a directionless party, a sinking ship that we've tied ourselves to. We hear a lot from our leaders of the value of having Greens in the room and the need for action, but we get little but promises of future action and the SNP regularly breaks it's promises.
“Humza Yousaf broke the BHA to pass a council tax freeze which helps the middle class and hurts societies most vulnerable. That, scrapping hard campaigned for climate targets, and devastating cuts to colleges, is too high a price to pay for a Green voice in a room full of SNP ears not listening." - Niall McGeechan, Scottish Green
“I was behind the BHA in the first place - I agree with the principle that all independence parties in the Parliament should be working together, particularly in the instance there was to be a referendum. I also had a far higher more positive view of the Greens than I have now.
“Further to this, in most cases of a coalition, the senior partner benefits electorally, and the junior partner suffers, as we saw with the Tory LibDem coalition, and I felt confident the BHA would do the same for the SNP. The opposite has happened, with the Greens going up in the polls, and the SNP coming down. From my canvassing it’s not because of anything the Scottish Greens have done in government - it’s because climate change is creeping up the agenda.
“Since then, there has been several Scottish Government policies which have struggled to take off - for example the DRS, which even though we know was stopped because of Westminster interference, it is, and they are, - rightly or wrongly - widely perceived as being a result of the Greens in Government.
“My preference now would be to return to the previous settlement, where deals were reached on an issue-by-issue basis.” – Anonymous, SNP
“Regardless of the EGM vote, I will make a balanced judgement on the day - only by reflection and political education can we grow from the experience of this coalition government. We need maximum dialogue both within the Green party and between us and the progressive movements. I look forward to a mature conversation over the coming months.” - Tánaiste, Scottish Green
“I think both parties should have a vote one it, obvs if SGP go first and decide to leave Gov’t then fair enough. But if they voted and decided to stay the SNP should vote.
“I voted for it in 2021, but I’d lean towards voting against it today. I thought Lorna Slater performed well in the 2021 election and I looked forward to seeing her as an MSP, but her performance as a minister has been less than stellar, and it’s currently hurting the SNP on the doors. I spend more time with potential voters defending the BHA than anything else.
“Circumstances have changed, we should be allowed to re-examine a democratic decision taken before circumstances changed, I’m sure I’ve heard that before somewhere.” – David Birkett, SNP
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“I'm very disappointed by the slow progress made on Scotland's climate targets, which has caused them to be abandoned. Having ‘Greens in the room’ appears to have had little effect, yes we got (after a long fight) free bus travel for under 22s but everything else appears to either been derailed or vetoed.
“This of course isn't all the SNPs fault but the decision about if we remain in the BHA isn't about the SNP it's about what's right for the Green party.
“How will I vote? I don't know, I signed the open letter not because I want us to leave but because I think it's right that members get a say, a lot has changed in the last few months/weeks/days and as a democratic party it's right our members review how the BHA is working for us.” - Heather Herbert, Scottish Greens
“Some Greens don’t understand that government is a tough and often unrewarding job. It involves difficult decisions and the kind of dips in polling the Greens are now seeing.
“Regardless of your views on the BHA, Scotland wants to see stability and delivery - not more drama.” – Anonymous, SNP
“I’m a member of the Scottish Greens and voted for the BHA. Despite recent events I still strongly support it.
“I firmly believe that being part of the Government provides us (the Scottish Greens) with a much stronger voice and influence than outside the government (where we would place as the fourth largest party with much reduced direct influence. Indeed, a lot of the change and policy that can be attributed to the Greens being part of the government would not have happened (or at least not to the extent it has) if the Greens were not in government.
“The very nature of a cooperative agreement is that two parties work together. Neither party is guaranteed exactly what it wants and both parties must compromise to get legislation passed. That is simply the way in which good government should work, else we end up with one party’s vision (however desirable or not it is to people.).
“If the BHA comes up for voting on again by either or both the party’s memberships, as a Scottish Greens member I will vote for it again without hesitation.” – William Shirriffs, Scottish Greens
READ MORE: Scottish Greens will never stop fighting for action on climate crisis
“I’m a member of the SNP but sadly I feel that everything that has went wrong, every stick used to beat the indy cause whether it is the GRR or the bottle return scheme can be retraced back to the Greens.
“Coalitions in my experience don’t work. It’s a shame and I am all for the environment and sympathise with a lot of the green policies and appreciate their support for indy but they have dragged down the independence cause in my opinion.” – Phil Papazian, SNP
"The last 48 hours has been exceptionally difficult both internally and externally within Scottish Greens. The announcements both on climate change targets, and transgender healthcare really have angered members.
“Over 100 of us have called into question the BHA, and rightly so. Promises are being broken; targets are not being met. Disappointingly, although our leaders are backing us with an EGM, they still will not admit the BHA is past it's time. Instead, they seem more interested in remaining in Government than siding with members". – Jordan Henderson, Scottish Greens
READ MORE: Listen to Humza Yousaf's speech from Scottish independence march in Glasgow
“When Neil Gray welcomed the decision to pause prescribing puberty blockers and then SNP Ministers delayed £9 million for gender identity services, it was a deep betrayal to the trans community, despite the FM saying he will be the First Activist.
“Now for Mari McAllan to announce that The Scottish government has ditched its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 after accepting that it is now "out of reach”, along with the above it’s a deep betrayal of the BHA.
“I firmly believe that the BHA should be honoured and I don’t blame the Scottish Greens voting on the future. I also firmly believe that the SNP and Scottish Government should reverse these betrayals before it’s too late.” – Amber Roberts, SNP
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