GREEN politics is “an idea whose time has come” activists at the Scottish Green conference were told yesterday.

Green co-convener Maggie Chapman told activists: “The culture of Scottish politics has been transformed. People are more engaged than ever.

“Green parties across the world were founded on the principle of radical democracy. It’s an idea whose time has come.”

Chapman said that the Ineos scandal and the the Volkswagen revelations were proof that politicians needed “new, accountable ways of doing business for the modern world”.

“Let us involve all who come here in the project of creating a better Scotland, and then make it real,” she told activists.

It was by far the biggest party conference the Scottish Greens have held. Around 700 people took part in the events in Glasgow’s SECC.

The party membership surged to 9,000 after last year’s referendum and senior Greens are confident they can return eight MSPs in May’s election.

During the conference, former Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns told delegates that Scotland had experienced austerity politics “40 years before anyone else”.

Sir Harry said the closure of shipyards and steelyards in the west of Scotland was a “catastrophe”, the effects of which are still being felt.

“The way I like to think of it the west of Scotland got austerity 40 years before anyone else, as communities and jobs and earnings fell apart,” he said.

“What we’ve seen is social chaos that has emerged in younger people as an increased risk of death from drugs, alcohol, suicide and violence.”

Sir Harry warned: “What we have seen in the last 40 years in the west-central Scotland will emerge in Greece and emerge in the countries across Europe that have been affected by this insane austerity.”

It was a busy day at conference yesterday. As well as launching the first every Scottish Greens Trade Union group, the party also passed policy on rents, paternity leave and space.

There was near unanimous support for the Greens to campaign for the UK to remain part of the EU. However, the party said they would have their own independent campaign rather than join the official In group.

After a sometimes heated debate the party also voted to not sit in the House of Lords.

The Green motion on paternity leave would see parents able to take 18 months’ parental leave.

Zara Kitson, a Green candidate for Glasgow in next year’s Holyrood elections, said: “In the Nordic countries, leave is distributed in a far more equal and flexible way, giving mums and dads more freedom and choice.

“The provisions proposed by the Scottish Greens would encourage more equal sharing of childcare duties in two parent families and would enable same-sex couples to divvy up care as they see fit.”

There was also support for the Living Rent campaign which would see rents dependent on the value of the property and see any increases capped.

The policy would also see rents move towards “indefinite tenancies as default”, instead of the usual six-month, short-term contracts.

Greens also backed space travel for scientific purposes and urged caution on space tourism.

The policy read: “We recognise the benefits of space exploration in terms of furthering our understanding of our planet and the universe.

“We are opposed to the concept of ‘space tourism’ as its environmental impact cannot be justified in terms of benefits to society, and it can only be available to the very wealthiest individuals.”