--- election_year: 2019 party_id: scottish-greens party_name: Scottish Green Party party_leader: Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater political_spectrum: left-green victory: false government_outcome: opposition sections: - economy - taxation - health - education - housing - immigration - defence - foreign-policy - environment - transport - welfare - democracy-and-constitution - energy - devolution - science-and-technology - local-government --- # Scottish Green Party Manifesto 2019 ## Contents 4. Scotland’s Green Future 6. A Green New Deal 10. Emergency Action for the Planet 12. A New Democracy 14. Our Place in Europe 17. Our Candidates 18. A Just Society 20. Rebuilding our Public Services 22. Sustainable Transport for All 24. An Inclusive Scotland 26. A Fairer World ## Foreword **The social and environmental protections achieved in the EU are now in the hands of a chaotic Conservative government openly calling for a bonfire of regulations.** **This risks lives.** We need Green voices to fight for these protections, backed by a Green vision to strengthen and deepen them for the future. To do this we must co-operate with our European neighbours – this is why the Scottish Greens stand firm against Brexit. The UK Government’s years of austerity have destroyed people’s lives, resulting in a failure to invest in the new, sustainable economic future Scotland needs. Scotland urgently needs a Green New Deal to invest in our future and tackle the climate emergency. Other parties talk about environmental policies but have failed to act. We need more than platitudes. Greens have been the only ones to oppose ever-bigger subsidies and tax breaks for the big polluters, and we have a plan to create over 200,000 high-quality jobs for Scotland in a new economy. Scotland needs a green vision of the future, where everyone has the right to live with dignity, free from the fear of poverty. The current social security system, rather than supporting those in need, serves the needs of big business by enabling poverty wages and exploitation at work. Greens are making the case for a real social security system, based on a Universal Basic Income. This general election comes at a time of unprecedented threats to our democracy, our environment and our future. We face a government, a Prime Minister and a Brexit, none of which were backed in Scotland. The Scottish Green Party will stand up against those in Westminster who want to deny the right of people living in Scotland to decide our own future. The Scottish Green Party will fight for the sustainable, fair, caring and confident society we all know this country can become. A society with a future. **Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green Party Co-Leaders** ## A Green New Deal **The current economic system has brought us to the brink of climate collapse, while stagnating wages and job insecurity have left millions in poverty.** The Green parties of the United Kingdom are offering a Green New Deal that will: Tackle the climate emergency by accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon economy Create thousands of good-quality, secure jobs, including 200,000 in Scotland Improve wellbeing and build a more fair and equal society **A Green New Deal cannot be delivered by the private sector alone. We must rebuild the public sector to work alongside a well-regulated private sector to deliver this transformational programme.** Government must play a direct role in decarbonising the economy. We want: To use our plentiful natural resources and skilled workforce to develop a government-funded, progressive support scheme for renewables To reverse the Conservative government’s cuts to renewable energy subsidies. Our energy system must deliver emissions reductions, tackle fuel poverty and reduce energy tariffs, while bringing in new measures to reduce energy demand. To see public ownership of the grid, and a focus on collective energy production and distribution projects. A programme of “people-and place-centred industrial strategies” that commits to overhaul the powers and finance needed to enable regions and localities to set out their own industrial plans A programme to invest in warm homes for all, which would both increase energy efficiency and act as a major economic stimulus To redirect funding away from car-centred schemes towards green city and region deals to transform our transport network, by maintaining current infrastructure, decarbonising railways and investing in public transport, cycling and footpaths A network of regional banks, to ensure banks start working for the economy and communities, rather than the economy working for the banks As the climate emergency becomes ever more acute, there will be a global move away from fossil fuel use. Government must support the transition to a sustainable economy, built on regional industrial strategies that are owned and developed by unions, employers, local communities and local government. We need to target investment through bold, transformative support towards those communities across Scotland that currently depend on fossil fuel extraction. Failure to do this now is to let these communities down and condemn them to decline and economic collapse. We will prioritise investment in low-carbon industries to protect workers and their families from future shocks, and transition them away from this precarious economic situation as soon as possible. At this election many parties will be offering their version of a “Green New Deal”. The Scottish Greens have been leading the change to a new Green economy for decades, while other parties have bailed out banks, supported insecure low-wage employment and encouraged the use of fossil fuels. We are the only party in Scotland that can be trusted to deliver the Green New Deal that millions of climate strike protesters have called for. ## Emergency Action for the Planet **The world is waking up to the scale of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Young people have led the way, challenging governments to act now to save their future and that of the planet. We hear those calls and are pushing for action too.** Tackling climate change needs a new approach. We will fight for: Action to reduce emissions by 80% by 2030 – setting targets is not enough A commitment to keep fossil fuels in the ground, including permanently banning fracking across the UK Phasing out North Sea oil and gas extraction and supporting transition to renewable energy An end to nuclear power in Scotland by closing the two existing plants as soon as possible without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Rethinking our approach to development and transport in a way that supports energy efficiency and active travel Transformation of land use systems to help us store carbon in soils and plants **We need a government that is serious about making these changes and embedding radical climate action in all its policies.** Membership of the EU has given us the tools to protect our most important wildlife, clean up our rivers, seas and air, and improve animal welfare standards. These hard-won environmental rights and protections are now at serious risk. Scottish Greens will fight to ensure these powers are not thrown away at the very time they are needed most, but are upheld and transferred to Holyrood if Brexit happens. Despite current protections, our wildlife faces many threats and needs urgent action to safeguard it for the future by: Giving our most important habitats and species strong protection and positive management Completely rethinking how we fund agriculture and fishing, to benefit wildlife, store carbon and protect soils and water, as well as produce food Committing significant effort and resources to large-scale habitat restoration Climate change and species extinction are global issues requiring an international approach. In our collaborations with other countries, we will continue to drive forward the radical action that UK citizens demand and our planet needs. ## A New Democracy **The Scottish Green Party supports independence for Scotland and the right of the people of Scotland to decide their future. But while Scotland is part of the UK, we have a duty and a right to defend and try to extend its democracy. The Johnson government’s bid to evade Parliamentary scrutiny in its attempt to implement a no-deal Brexit, without a majority or a mandate, shows even the UK’s flawed democracy is in serious danger. This evasion required action by the Supreme Court to stop it.** We will work to make Britain truly democratic. We call for a written constitution devised through citizens’ assemblies and a constitutional convention. We want policy-making on other issues to benefit from public expertise and creativity in this way, especially in tackling the climate emergency. We support: Proportional representation for all elections Extending votes to 16-year-olds and all those normally resident in the country Replacing the House of Lords with an elected second chamber Reforming electoral law for the age of social media. Recent political events have shown that greater political education is needed to equip all people to take part in our democracy. All young people should gain an understanding of our democratic system of government as part of their education before their 16th birthday. We advocate job-sharing for MPs, to increase disabled representation in particular, and will work towards a gender-balanced parliament. Devolution of powers must continue. We will fight for more powers over tax, social security, employment, migration and energy to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and local councils, with constitutional protections as in many European countries. People have a right to privacy. Any surveillance of the population should have democratic oversight and we oppose any form of mass surveillance, whether by the state or by private corporations. We will fight unaccountable security services and untargeted state powers to intercept emails and phone records. We will introduce a Digital Bill of Rights to protect net neutrality and online privacy. ## Our Place in Europe **Scotland voted to stay in the European Union.** **We believe that Scotland should remain in the European Union.** Our Scottish Greens’ vision for the EU is: * a people’s Europe * a free and fair Europe * a democratic Europe united in peace * a Europe that welcomes refugees * a Europe that is connected by fast and green public transport * a Europe with an independent Scotland at its heart We would fight to strengthen the European Parliament as the democratic heart of Europe. A parliament that has strengthened digital rights and sought to rein in the banks and major corporations. We want to be part of an EU working to end the economics of inequality, corporate power, and unsustainable growth. These are problems that do not respect borders, so it is only through co-operation that we can tackle them. The people of Scotland should continue to enjoy the benefits of European Union membership. To enjoy the same workers’ rights as other European citizens. To live in a land that benefits from the EU’s environmental protections. To enjoy free movement, with the opportunities for education and employment that it brings. In contrast, the UK government’s chaotic negotiations have moved from negotiating a “hard Brexit”, to actively preparing for a disastrous no-deal Brexit, to one where they will accept any deal offered. Polls show that most people across the UK want to stay in the EU. After the lies and cheating by the Leave campaign in 2016, any Withdrawal Agreement must be put back to the people for a final say, with the option to Remain on the ballot paper. In any new referendum we will proudly campaign for Remain. But whatever the UK result, the people of Scotland must not be prevented from making their own choice. Scotland’s Parliament has been repeatedly ignored and undermined by the UK Government since the 2016 referendum. If the UK does leave the EU, existing devolution arrangements must be protected, and any repeal of European legislation must respect devolution, with no new reservations added to the Scotland Act, and all changes to devolved policy areas agreed by the devolved nations. Scotland must be allowed to maintain a close relationship to Europe. If we cannot stop Brexit, we will do all we can to ensure that the damage done by the UK’s exit from the EU is minimised. We will fight for Scotland to retain as close a relationship as possible with the EU. We will push for the Brexit deal to include the retention of freedom of movement, including the rights of EU citizens to remain in the UK and for young people to study, work, live and travel in the EU We will campaign for the preservation of environmental protections and the principles and regulations which protect human health, animal welfare, data and workers’ rights. Before the end of any transition period, we must be able to choose between staying in a post-Brexit Britain or becoming an independent country, able to fully rejoin the EU ## Our Candidates **Highlands & Islands** Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey — Ariane Burgess **North East Scotland** Aberdeen North — Guy Ingerson **Mid Scotland & Fife** Dunfermline & West Fife — Mags Hall Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath — Scott Rutherford Stirling — Bryan Quinn **Central Scotland** Airdrie & Shotts — Rosemary McGowan Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill — Patrick McAleer East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow — Erica Bradley-Young Falkirk — Tom McLaughlin **Glasgow** Glasgow Central — Elaine Gallagher Glasgow North — Cass McGregor Glasgow South — Dan Hutchison **West Scotland** North Ayrshire & Arran — David Nairn East Dunbartonshire — Carolynn Scrimgeour West Dunbartonshire — Peter Connolly **Lothian** Edinburgh East — Claire Miller Edinburgh North & Leith — Steve Burgess Edinburgh South — Kate Nevens Edinburgh South West — Ben Parker Edinburgh West — Elaine Gunn Linlithgow & Falkirk East — Gillian Mackay Livingston — Cameron Glasgow ## A Just Society **Our Green New Deal will ensure this transition to a new economy benefits all.** **We want an end to the scandal of working poverty – this means abolishing exploitative zero-hours contracts, upholding employment and trade union rights and closing the gender pay gap. Those who do the same work deserve the same wage, regardless of age. We believe everyone should be paid a living wage and will remove the current differential rates of the minimum wage for under-25s.** Our vision is to ensure everyone earns enough to allow us to phase in a four-day working week, shifting our society away from excessive working hours and towards one that values community action, caring and learning. Our social security system has been made continually crueller and more inefficient by recent governments. The “family cap”, the “benefit cap” and the “bedroom tax” have hit women and disabled people hardest, and must be reversed. We need to build upon the Scottish Greens’ success in Scotland, where we pushed the Scottish Government to remove sanctions from devolved aspects of social security. The roll-out of Universal Credit has been an unending disaster that has pushed already vulnerable people further into poverty. It must be scrapped. Instead, we propose a Universal Basic Income: a non-means-tested monthly payment to everyone, set at a level that allows people to meet their basic needs. This will eliminate “poverty traps” and remove stigma, as well as acting as a real safety net, enabling people to choose their own types and patterns of work. Pensions should provide a guarantee for people in retirement, and we support the campaign for transitional protections for all women born in the 1950s, betrayed by changes to pension law. Everyone deserves a good home. We want help for first-time buyers by aiming for a gradual reduction in housing costs. We support axing buy-to-let tax breaks, reducing VAT on repairs, and community-led approaches to building affordable homes. Wealth inequality, which has ballooned over recent decades, is a gross injustice that needs addressing. This requires a wealth tax on the wealthiest 1%, a Land Value Tax, and laws to limit pay inequality, so the top salaries in a company are not disproportionately higher than those of the lowest-paid workers. ## Rebuilding our Public Services **Brexit threatens our public services, particularly in the event of a catastrophic No Deal. Leaving Europe without a deal risks the NHS losing access to vital medicines and other supplies it needs. The immense contribution that European citizens living and working in Scotland make to our schools, care homes and hospitals is also at risk. That is why we need to stop Brexit.** We support a public NHS that is free at the point of use, and want to see that principle extended to social care. We believe drug use should be treated as a health issue not a matter for criminal law. We believe that everyone deserves a warm, affordable and accessible home and support rent controls to give a fairer footing to renters. Health, social care, education, housing and many aspects of transport are already devolved to the Scottish Parliament, where Green MSPs are continually pushing the Scottish Government to go further, creating a better Scotland through a bolder parliament. However, the choices of an out-of-touch Conservative UK Government hell-bent on cutting taxes for the richest has a knock-on impact on Scotland’s ability to invest in the NHS and other vital services. Change at Westminster is needed to roll back the past ten years of austerity and invest in our communities. Education is a right, not a privilege. The whole of society benefits from high-quality education being universally available, and it should be equally accessible at all stages of people’s lives. ## Sustainable Transport for All **Transport is now the largest source of greenhouse gases in Scotland, and these emissions are still rising. This has been driven by the continued promotion and growth of car use and flying, and a decline in cycling, walking and bus travel.** We will prioritise investment in a publicly-owned rail service, accessible municipal bus networks and new green city and region deals to make cycling and walking safe and accessible for all. We will continue to oppose the governments at both Holyrood and Westminster giving tax breaks to the aviation industry, and demand a tax on aviation fuel that reflects the true cost of flying. We oppose the building of an extra runway at Heathrow which would encourage more flights every year. Tackling long-term health problems by investing in active travel such as walking and cycling – rather than high-carbon transport infrastructure– is a high priority. Our road network should be redesigned to support active travel, with better pavements and cycle paths. This must include integrated routes to help those with restricted mobility to enjoy the same freedom to travel as other members of society. We will reform Vehicle Excise Duty and end the freeze on fuel duty, to encourage greener choices and allow greater investment in sustainable transport and addressing air pollution. Our long-term aim is provision of free public transport for all and in the immediate term we support extension of free bus travel to everyone under the age of 21. ## An Inclusive Scotland **Greens are working towards a welcoming Scotland where everyone is valued and can contribute, whatever their background or abilities and they are represented at every level of society.** We celebrate Scotland giving sanctuary to many people fleeing war and violence, and allowing them to settle and thrive. We would give an immediate right to work to refugees and asylum seekers, and provide access to sufficient income to live with dignity. We want to see students allowed to extend their visas to work following study, so they are able to gain further practical experience and contribute to the country where they have trained. Brexit must not be used as an excuse to water-down or repeal existing legislation, including the Equality Act 2010. We fully support the rights of all EU citizens to live and work in the UK, and the right of all those normally resident in the country to access health, education, social care, housing, employment and social security services. We believe that LGBT+ rights must be both protected and extended. The law must continue to protect LGBT+ and disabled people from discrimination by ensuring the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter are enshrined in UK and Scottish law. We oppose any effort to repeal the Human Rights Act of 1998. To create a society that is accepting and welcomes LGBT+ people, we will ensure that tolerance and acceptance are part of the curriculum and cultural fabric of our nation. We stand in solidarity with trans and non-binary siblings who continue to face institutional and societal discrimination. We support reform of gender recognition legislation and procedures, in line with international best standards, giving trans people the protection and dignity they deserve. ## A Fairer World **We believe the UK should be a global citizen, forging positive relationships with other countries to tackle international challenges, and welcoming those who come to live, work and study here.** We will work to strengthen the international response to the climate emergency, in ways that deliver climate justice. This means opposing unjust trade deals, building fair trade relations and promoting ecologically sustainable development to help all countries cope with the impacts of climate change. The UK’s approach to immigration and asylum has been a disgrace. Huge numbers of people have been treated with contempt by a brutal and institutionally racist system. Outsourcing asylum accommodation, deporting vulnerable people, and the indefensible Windrush scandal demand nothing less than abolition of the Home Office. It must be replaced with a human-rights-based system, whose purpose is to ensure justice, safety and dignity for all who need it, not to deport as many as possible. Once Scotland has control of its own immigration and asylum system, we will make sure that system is humane and compassionate. We oppose NATO membership and want the replacement Trident nuclear weapons system cancelled, saving at least £200 billion over the next 30 years. The UK should reduce military spending and reorient the armed forces away from the projection of power and towards defence and UN-sanctioned peacekeeping and international humanitarian efforts. We demand an end to the sale of arms to repressive regimes, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, and an end to public funding of arms manufacturers. We will continue to stand up to the Trump administration, which has attempted to disrupt our democracy. A vote for those who are happy to walk hand-in-hand with this dangerous extremist is a vote in support of bullying of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society. We will forge links with activists and communities in the US and around the world, who are most threatened by his administration, including those working on climate change and science-led policy, and campaigners for human rights, social justice and equality. **From fighting for action on the climate emergency, to challenging austerity, to defending Scotland’s place at the heart of Europe, the Scottish Green Party are the only Scottish party taking the challenges of today seriously.** **Let’s build a new Scotland together.**