Government Goes Green

For the first time in both Scottish and UK history, the Greens are in government. Maggie Chapman MSP discusses the party’s remarkable rise, and what the future holds in their power-sharing agreement with the SNP.

Words by Thomas McCann

The 6th of May 2021 is one of the most significant dates in the history of the Scottish Green Party, as they claimed eight seats in Holyrood. This was the party’s most successful election result, and it turned the heads of the big players.

Another important date for the party is the 28th of August 2021, which is when the vote for a SNP-Green power-share was ratified. It was, for all intents and purposes, a coalition. This put the eco-socialists in government for the first time, bringing them a long way from their humble beginnings. The hippies of Holyrood got themselves a seat at the cool table.

Maggie Chapman is one of their sitting MSPs, and has been heavily involved in their recent rise to the top. Despite the Scottish Greens being a part of the legislative process, she believes the party were still a bit of an unknown up until the events of 2014.

“There’s a sense of risk attached to voting Green,” she says, “because there isn’t necessarily a full understanding of the party or an idea of trust in being able to deliver.”

“The independence referendum changed that quite significantly. It gave us a platform from which we could actually reach significantly more people than we’d ever been able to reach before. We were talking about Scotland in a way that I think was very attractive to people”. It may have thrust them into the mainstream, but they did not get the result they wanted. The turnout for the referendum was historically high, and both the SNP and the Greens realised they had an issue on their hands that the public were very passionate about. Chapman believes that COP26 could be another catalyst in reaffirming their side of the debate.

“Are we keen on another independence referendum in this parliamentary session? Absolutely.”

“Maybe I’m speaking too soon,” she continues, “but I think COP probably gives us another lever in that (the independence debate), because if we see what comes out of COP as being weak and poor and not good enough for Scotland, never mind the rest of the world, then I think that gives us a

little bit more impotence around it.” “The demand for the right to determine our own future grows, and I think it is growing. There’s a democratic imperative there.” From our conversation, it appears that COP26 is the next battleground of the independence debate. When it comes to the Scottish Greens, the rela“The demand tionship with the SNP is an interesting topic. The SNP is a centre-left party, for the right to who have teamed up with a left-wing party. So I had to ask, have the Greens sold out in exchange for access? determine our “I think there are things that we would probably do a bit differently own future if we didn’t have the co-operation agreement.” “Of course there’s compromise. grows.” That’s kind of how political cooperation has to work. We’re only two months into it and I think there are going to be some very difficult issues over the next four and a half years, I’m certain of that. Whether we are able to work through those issues remains to be seen.” Maggie Chapman is one of the architects of the modern Scottish Green Party, and the sentiment from within the camp, as well as on the outside, seems to be that the party is on the cusp of something bigger. These eco-warriors, who were once sneered at and dismissed, could just be Scotland’s saviour from the climate crisis. Maybe a tall order, but the Greens are determined to keep growing and growing.

Maggie Chapman MSP Courtesy of Carolyn Scott