Scottish Greens 'riding Same Wave' As Green Party As Membership Boom Continues - Beritaja

The Scottish Greens are celebrating different rank surge arsenic the statement seeks to triumph its first ever constituency spot astatine adjacent year's Holyrood election.

Last week, the statement announced 800 caller members had joined successful the past six months - representing a 10% increase.

Now, much than 400 group person signed up successful the past week alone.

The rank now stands astatine 8,680 - the highest level since 2016 - and is much than the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Liberal Democrats.

MSP Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said: "The surge successful our rank shows that location is simply a clear request for eco-socialist policies that make people's mundane lives better.

"That is what the Scottish Greens are offering.

"Last play we had our biggest statement convention for a decade, and I was delighted by really galore caller faces location were successful the hall.

"There is an enthusiasm for bold ideas and policies and that is precisely what we will beryllium moving to present betwixt now and adjacent May."

The Scottish Greens returned 8 MSPs successful the 2021 Scottish parliament election, pinch this being their champion consequence to date.

The statement is now aiming to prime up much seats successful 2026 - and will beryllium competing for constituency arsenic good arsenic location database votes.

As portion of the power-sharing Bute House Agreement pinch the SNP, the Scottish Greens championed free autobus recreation for under-22s, was astatine the forefront of the scrapping of highest ScotRail fares, and helped unafraid a nationalist money to constitute disconnected millions of pounds' worthy of schoolhouse repast debt.

However, the statement was criticised for the Scottish government's doomed deposit return scheme (DRS).

Ms Mackay and Ross Greer were elected caller co-leaders of the Scottish Greens successful August. The brace replaced Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

Speaking to Beritaja, polling master Sir John Curtice said the Scottish Greens look to beryllium "riding overmuch the aforesaid wave" the Green Party successful England and Wales is presently enjoying.

The statement southbound of the separator precocious boasted a rank of much than 126,000 people, marking an 80% surge since Zack Polanski took complete arsenic leader past month.

Sir John, a governmental intelligence and professor of authorities astatine the University of Strathclyde, said of the increases: "I simply presume it's mostly the merchandise of overmuch the aforesaid phenomenon, which is disenchantment pinch authorities amongst those connected the near - the people who are not concerned about migration etc.

"The group who support the Greens thin to beryllium alternatively further to the left. They're surely very overmuch socially liberal."

Sir John said Ms Mackay and Mr Greer are yet to make overmuch of an belief connected the public.

He added: "Polanski has had a very bully start. He's sewage charisma, he's sewage presence, he is very self-assured.

"I'm looking guardant to the leaders' statement which has Polansky versus (Nigel) Farage.

"They're some each the things that Keir Starmer, John Swinney, Ed Davey, Kemi Badenoch and Russell Findlay are not."

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Sir John noted that the Scottish Greens - which is chopped from the Green Party - is not doing arsenic good successful the Scottish polls compared to the Green Party crossed the remainder of the UK arsenic it faces stiff title from the SNP.

However, while the Scottish Greens are enjoying a roar successful membership, the SNP has mislaid thousands of supporters.

Recent financial accounts showed SNP rank fell to 56,011 arsenic of 1 June 2025, down from 64,525 astatine the aforesaid clip past twelvemonth and little than half of its highest of about 125,000 successful 2019.

Sir John said the SNP will beryllium "worried" by the truth supporters "have gone to the Greens, peculiarly connected the constituency vote".

He added: "So, you've sewage about 10% of existent Yes (independence) supporters who opportunity they're going to ballot for the Greens connected the constituency vote.

"We'll hold and spot really overmuch the Greens conflict the constituency seats because they don't usually conflict much than the occasional one."

Despite First Minister John Swinney's latest scheme for different independency referendum, Sir John believes the SNP will request a "great woody of luck" to triumph a mostly astatine Holyrood.

Earlier connected Friday, 3 Scottish Green councillors successful Glasgow and 1 of the party's apical candidates successful the metropolis defected to Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's Your Party.

Sir John said: "Certainly, 1 of the things that will perchance make life much difficult for the Greens is if so the Corbyn task does return off."

The professor added: "But we're not location yet astatine the moment."