The Reasons Behind the Scottish Greens’ Desire for a Republic
The Scottish Greens, who were until recently in a political partnership with the SNP, are calling for the abolition of the monarchy.
The Scottish Greens have unveiled their manifesto and have confirmed they want to create a “democratic republic” north of the border.
But the Green Party of England and Wales makes no such promise.
But there is nothing about abolishing the Royal Family in England and Wales.
The difference in policy stems from the fact that although they both have roots in the same party—founded as the Ecology Party (although originally simply called People) in the 1970s—the English/Welsh and Scottish branches agreed to an amicable divorce in 1990.
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A spokesman for the Green Party of England and Wales told The Epoch Times they are totally separate parties and he said the Green Party’s position on Scottish independence is that they are in favour of “self-determination.”
In the Green Party’s manifesto it says: “The Scottish people should be free to decide whether they want to remain part of the United Kingdom. Elected Greens at Westminster would support Scotland making decisions for itself.”
So in other words the English and Welsh Greens have no objection to Scotland becoming independent.
Get Rid of ‘Pomp and Pageantry’
The co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, said this week they wanted to remove the “pomp and pageantry” of the monarchy.
Speaking ahead of the party’s campaign launch in Edinburgh, Mr. Harvie said he wanted to see an independent Scotland which was a republic with a written constitution and an elected head of state.
He said: “The monarchy is a badly outdated and fundamentally undemocratic institution. It represents a different era and feels increasingly irrelevant and ridiculous in the 21st century.”
“Yet in a matter of weeks the full pomp and pageantry of monarchy will be on display when the King does the state opening of a new government,” he added.
Mr. Harvie said, “We should be able to challenge power and elect or remove our head of state through the ballot box, like most countries do.”
Power Should Not Be a ‘Family Heirloom’
Mr. Harvie, who shares the leadership of the party with Lorna Slater, said, “The Scottish Greens are the only party that is calling for an independent Scottish republic where power lies with the people rather than being banded down like a family heirloom.”
The SNP, which has long campaigned for independence, has never suggested getting rid of the monarchy or creating a republic.
During the 2014 independence referendum the-then leader of the SNP, Alex Salmond, insisted the monarch—who at the time was Elizabeth II—would remain “Queen of Scots” if the country voted to separate from the United Kingdom.
Mr. Salmond said he, “would be proud” to be the monarch of an independent Scotland.
The SNP has always said its plan was for Scotland to remain part of the Commonwealth and keep the monarch as its head of state, possibly with a governor general in the same way as Australia and Canada.
But the Scottish Greens want to go one step further.
The UK Supreme Court ruled in 2022 the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to hold a second independence referendum without the approval of the House of Commons.
On Thursday, Mr. Harvie was asked if the chances of holding a second referendum would recede if Labour won the most seats in Scotland on July 4.
It was put to him this would be a mandate for Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer to rule out another referendum.
But Mr. Harvie said, “I question whether a majority of seats under first-past-the-post genuinely reflects a mandate.”
“If they were to win 50 percent of the votes in Scotland, you would have to respect that, you would have to recognise that that was the way the majority of people in Scotland, the majority people choosing to cast their vote,” he added.
“I don’t think that’s likely to happen, but if any political party was to get that level of 50 percent-plus support, other parties would have to respect that,” said Mr. Harvie.
He went on to say, “It has to be for Scottish voters to be able to determine that decision for themselves, not that decision being made in Whitehall for them.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
