THE Scottish Greens are planning to make widespread use of the Saltire during their Holyrood campaign in an attempt to win over left-leaning SNP voters.
Over the years the flag has become commonly associated with the larger pro-independence party and it is expected to play a significant role in the Greens’ election publicity material over the coming months.
Ian Dommett, the former marketing director for Yes Scotland, has been working on the use of the Saltire and other imagery for the Greens which will be unveiled when the party officially launches its campaign in Glasgow on Monday. Six key election messages will be announced at the event which will introduce candidates to the press and party activists.
Among its campaign pledges will be an outright ban on fracking as well as more radical land reform measures – issues on which the SNP has been criticised by environmental campaigners and which there has been internal dissent over.
A Green insider told The National: “Fracking and land reform will be major features in the campaign. Our policies go further than those of other parties and we believe they are more in step with public opinion.
“On fracking we believe we are more in step with the SNP’s membership than the SNP are. Our policy is clear, we want an outright ban on fracking. On land reform we would like to see a ban on off shore tax havens being allowed to own land in Scotland.”
The Greens are standing in three first-past-the-post constituency seats at the May elections, including in Glasgow Kelvin where co-convener Patrick Harvie is standing, but the party’s wider campaign will focus on persuading people to vote for it on the list or second vote which allows MSPs to be elected through the proportional representation system.
The party believes it can get at least one MSP elected in each of Scotland’s eight regions, giving Holyrood a strong Green presence.
They will be bidding to take list votes away from the SNP, which polls suggest will win the majority of constituency seats and form the next Scottish Government with an increased majority.
However, in terms of the list the Greens will also face competition from Labour and the radical left alliance Rise which is keen too to get MSPs voted via the list system.
Ross Greer, top list candidate for the West of Scotland told The National: “This election is about the kind of parliament we want to see. The question of who will form the government is unlikely to have a surprising answer. Greens are in a strong position to deliver the bolder Holyrood most people are looking for. On issues such as fracking and land reform, our clear and unambiguous positions are in line with public opinion and with our biggest ever campaign we are able to deliver that positive, optimistic message about Scotland’s future to communities across the country.”
Tax has become a key theme in the campaign after the announcement by Scottish Labour this week that it would increase Scottish income tax by a penny – a move opposed by the Greens as well as the SNP.
The Greens insider said: “We are keen to kickstart a debate about a more progressive tax system in Scotland. Labour’s attempt to do that should be welcomed, though we don’t believe it was the best way to do it. We want council tax replaced but until then we believe councils should be allowed to set their own rate of council tax as a way of raising revenue.”
The party is expected to outline its tax proposals before its manifesto is launched in the spring.
An SNP spokesperson said: “Voters should vote for which party they wish to form the government – the only way to guarantee that Nicola Sturgeon is re-elected First Minister is to cast both votes SNP.”
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