The Scottish National Party and the Greens: a ‘joyous’ union?
This ‘cynical alliance’ has only one aim, says the New Statesman: bolstering Nicola Sturgeon’s case for a second referendum
“When is a coalition not a coalition?” When it’s called a “Co-operation Agreement”. That, said Chris Deerin in the New Statesman, is the name for the newly-minted deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens, by which the two pro-independence parties will “jointly run Scotland for the next five years”.
Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP gets a built-in majority for its legislation in Holyrood – for which it was previously “one MSP short” – but still retains nearly all the power. The Greens are given two ministerial roles, and the profile of their party and its co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater will be raised.
The Scottish Greens are “by far the most left-wing party ever to have held power in the UK”: their manifesto for May’s Scottish elections displayed an “open hostility to business and the private sector”, and a “student politics” approach to tax. The new 50-page “Bute House Agreement” tries unconvincingly to reconcile “Green puritanism with Nat pragmatism”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But ultimately, this “cynical alliance” has only one aim: Sturgeon wants a second referendum, and she thinks that having another nationalist party in government bolsters the case for holding one.
Still, you’d have to agree that it’s a “political masterstroke” on Sturgeon’s part, said Stephen Daisley in The Spectator. “Folding the Greens into her government takes an entire opposition party out of the picture, gives the SNP a partner in crime with whom the blame for failings can be shared, and silences the potential for criticism from the pro-independence left.” Just look back to the Cameron-Clegg coalition to see how they work: “the dominant party gets stability and the junior partner gets the flak”.
Don’t underestimate the Greens, said Gerry Hassan in The National. They are the fourth most-popular party in Scotland, with eight seats at Holyrood. They have already gained many concessions from the SNP in return for their support at crucial votes. Yes, they take a hard line on the climate and “the self-destructive nature of capitalism”, but so do many voters. This agreement merely formalises the important role that the Greens already have.
I have one small question about this “joyous new union”, said Euan McColm in The Scotsman: “What point does it serve?” The SNP could rely on support from the Greens in Holyrood anyway, before this “heavily caveated” deal. There are some pretty big chasms between the two parties, not least that the nationalists are in favour of economic growth and the Greens are against it. This pact is “pointless and risky” for them both. Opposition parties should be “delighted”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Long summer days in Iceland's highlands
The Week Recommends While many parts of this volcanic island are barren, there is a 'desolate beauty' to be found in every corner
By The Week UK Published
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?
Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
By The Week UK Published
-
5 deliciously funny cartoons about turkeys
Cartoons Artists take on pardons, executions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?
Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
By The Week UK Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The clown car Cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Joe Biden's legacy: economically strong, politically disastrous
In Depth The President boosted industry and employment, but 'Bidenomics' proved ineffective to winning the elections
By The Week UK Published
-
How will Elon Musk's alliance with Donald Trump pan out?
The Explainer The billionaire's alliance with Donald Trump is causing concern across liberal America
By The Week UK Published
-
Netanyahu's gambit: axing his own defence minster
Talking Point Sacking of Yoav Gallant demonstrated 'utter contempt' for Israeli public
By The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published