DETAILS of a “New-Zealand style’” co-operation agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens will be published this week.
There were reports of talks between the parties being at risk of collapse after a deal did not materialise last week.
However, sources claimed the delay has been in civil servants making sure the deal – which is “different” to the normal style of coalition – will work in practice, and the agreement will be out this week.
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Yesterday, a meeting of the Greens agreed a date of August 28 for members to vote on approving the agreement, which is required under the party’s rules.
A source said: “Most of the political discussion is done and dusted, it’s more about civil servants making sure it works.
Scottish Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie
“It’s no secret this is not going to be normal coalition that people are used to, it has got to be something a bit different. If it is different than a normal coalition or a confidence and supply type deal, then the civil servants have to do a bit more work on working out how that works in practice.
“I don’t think there is much to be read into the fact it’s taking a bit longer, it’s the bureaucracy side of it.”
While the Greens have previously agreed specific deals to pass SNP budgets, this would be the first time the SNP have entered a formal agreement with another party since it came to power in 2007 with Alex Salmond’s minority government.
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The New-Zealand model has seen Green Party MPs in that country take on ministerial portfolios while not being in an official coalition. The Greens are free to oppose policies outside of their ministerial remits
It has been reported one of the Scottish Greens’ eight MSPs is expected take on a ministerial office.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced talks had been launched on the creation of a co-operation deal between the two parties after May’s election, which saw the SNP fall just one seat short of an overall majority.
It is of little surprise that one of the biggest areas of co-operation is expected to be Scottish independence.
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Having a formal pro-independence bloc at Holyrood raises the question of whether this will have more impact on the UK Government being unable to say no to a request for a second referendum.
However, other issues such as the oil and gas industry will prove far more contentious – such as the plans for the proposed new Cambo oil field, which the Greens have been pressuring the Scottish Government to oppose.
Last week, Sturgeon wrote to Boris Johnson urging the Prime Minister to reconsider the drilling licence for the oil field off Shetland.
The First Minister said: “We are both well aware of the importance of oil and gas over many decades – not least in terms of jobs – to the Scottish and UK economies.
“We also understand that reducing reliance on domestic production of oil and gas, which we must do, without increasing imports – which would potentially increase emissions – depends on the development of alternatives.
“However, the answer to these challenges – given the urgency of the climate emergency – cannot be business as usual.”
The Greens said it was a “welcome step” for the government “coming off the fence” over the issue – while the Tories claimed it meant Sturgeon was putting the alliance with the Greens “ahead of Scotland’s economy”.
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