THE Scottish Greens are on track to beat the SNP in Edinburgh Central and secure the party’s first ever Holyrood constituency win, Lorna Slater has said.
The party’s former co-leader made the claim as she formally launched her campaign in the seat on Tuesday, which will see her up against the SNP's Culture and External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson.
While the Scottish Greens have consistently elected MSPs via the list vote, the party is yet to pick up a Holyrood constituency win.
The National understands the party is confident that could change in May – with eyes particularly set on Glasgow South and Edinburgh Central.
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“The polling is looking pretty good for this seat. With the boundary changes in Edinburgh Central, this does make it winnable for the Scottish Greens. And the latest poll has us winning it,” Slater said – referring to the recent Norstat poll commissioned by The Sunday Times.
“Obviously, we're not taking that for granted. And we are doing the work on the ground.
"It's my personal aim to knock on every single door in Edinburgh Central. I don't know if I'll manage it, but I'm going to give it a good shot, just so we make sure that we are speaking to everybody, listening to people's concerns, and really showing up.”
Robertson has previously claimed that Edinburgh Central is a two-horse race between the SNP and the Scottish Tories, to which Slater said the minister is “being a bit cute”.
“I think Angus can read a poll as well. But, of course, it's not in his interest to highlight how well the Greens are doing. So, he's telling a slightly different story there.
"The Tories don't have any chance in Edinburgh Central. It's a very progressive part of the world.”
Slater said that she thinks Gaza might be a “personal issue” for Robertson during the campaign.
He was previously engulfed in a row over a meeting with Daniela Grudsky, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, amid the genocide in Gaza.
The meeting was not publicised but came out after the diplomat posted about it on social media.
“Some of the decisions he's made in that space are probably not going to be supported by people who are really supportive of a free Palestine and the Palestinian cause,” Slater said.
“And to be fair, Angus has made some other questionable calls. Last week, there was this awful Freedom 250 event in the Scottish Parliament where they had the American consul there, and I didn't go. I saw them setting up for it as I left. I'm like, are you actually kidding me?
“In a week where an American citizen has been shot in the face by American secret police, where they're threatening a takeover of a Nato country in Danish territory Greenland, where they've illegally invaded Venezuela.”
She went on: “I'm shocked that that wasn't cancelled, and Angus Robertson spoke at that. That's a pretty questionable call for him to normalise Donald Trump's America in that way.
“I don't think that's ok.”
The Scottish Greens also announced on Monday that local activist and former General Election candidate Iris Duane will run for the party in the Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill constituency in May.
It's the same seat that the Scottish Labour candidate, MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, withdrew from after revelations about her friendship with a sex offender.
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