Scottish Greens cannot afford bitter civil war

There must be something about a leadership election that drives a political party to the brink of civil war.

We saw it with the SNP and the Tories, with both parties paying a heavy price with voters. After all, if you can’t be seen to get on with your colleagues, how can you expect the public to put trust in them.

But now it is time for the Scottish Greens to have a go – and it could not have come at a worse time.

The latest opinion poll from Survation from the middle of March suggests the Greens could end up with a record 10 MSPs in 2026, up from eight in 2021.

That would be a big result for a party that is finding its feet again in opposition after the abrupt conclusion of the Bute House Agreement last year.

But the seeds of unrest from within the party have been growing, and are now in full bloom.

Patrick Harvie announced he would stand down as co-leader of the party in the summer, once a replacement has been found.

It is the first time he will not be at the helm of the party after 17 years.

If recent history is anything to go by, when a politician steps down after a significant number of years without an obvious successor, chaos can ensure.

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Just look at the SNP leadership election after Nicola Sturgeon stepped down, creating a schism between MSPs and party members.

Unfortunately for the Greens, they are heading straight there.

But the Scottish Greens do have an obvious replacement to Harvie, I hear you say.

Ross Greer’s name is almost synonymous with the Scottish Greens and he was a key negotiator of the Bute House Agreement, which saw the party enter government for the first time.

Greer has not said whether he intends to run for leadership, but there are doubts as to whether he would divide the party further.

We will get on to this, but first let’s look at the chaos that has ensued after Harvie announced he was stepping aside.

Complaints were made against Harvie and his co-leader Lorna Slater after they both announced they would seek re-election for Holyrood 2026.

You may think this is a trivial issue given we are seeing politicians from other parties announce they are standing – but the Greens have very specific rules designed to make the process fair, regardless of stature within the party.

It is understood Harvie used the party’s mailing list to tell the entire Scottish Green membership he planned to seek re-election as an MSP.

And Slater took to TikTok to say she will miss co-leading the party with Harvie, before announcing she was seeking re-election as co-leader.

On April 1, she posted to her more than 1,800 followers: “I’ll be standing for co-leader again when the party votes for a new leadership team to take us into next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.”

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However, party rules mean she is only allowed to do this during a specific campaigning period set by the party, and only after nominations have closed.

Neither of these things have happened yet, although there will be a contest this summer.

Regular members of the party warned the actions of their co-leaders was unfair because it allowed them to use their platform to have a head start, with a source telling the Sunday Mail the co-leaders “believed they are above the membership”.

It caused the party’s internal elections officer to step in, seemingly referencing the fall out in a letter to all members to remind them of the rules.

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The message read: “To be clear, using party mailing lists to announce a candidacy is not permitted.

“To all those considering standing for selections and internal elections this year it’s worth remembering that there will be a specific period for campaigning – once nominations have been closed and been confirmed.

“I would strongly encourage people to refrain from widely sharing their intention to stand for selection or internal election until nominations for each have closed.”

The elections officer then warned the rules were there to ensure elections were “as fair as possible”.

It may seem relatively minor but it left a sour taste in the mouths of many of the 7,000 paid members.

An insider told The Herald earlier this week that Slater could lose in her leadership bid, warning she risked causing “reputational damage” to the Greens in the process.

The feeling amongst the members I have spoken to is there is a real desire for change in leadership, particularly after the end of the Bute House Agreement.

While Greer is seen to be an obvious replacement for Harvie, sources described him as too close to the current leadership and simply representing the “status quo” which may not take the party in the direction it needs to make a statement in 2026.

An insider said Greer did not hold the same level of “charisma” or “popularity” with party members that Harvie holds, adding he was “not particularly well suited” to leadership.

Greer last year hit back at claims of misogyny labelled at him from a wing of the party, arguing there was a “toxic culture” of “bullying”.

Patrick Harvie also recently came out swinging against the infighting. He warned members against anonymous briefings against other Green members.

Mr Harvie acknowledged that it is not just his party that is prone to infighting. After all, the SNP was fortunate to recover from the damage done by Humza Yousaf versus Kate Forbes. The jury is still out on whether the Scottish Tories are clear of their infighting.

But for the Scottish Greens, the party cannot afford a dramatic leadership election full of bitter infighting.

Senior figures in the party have touted the 2026 Holyrood election as being potentially historic, with hopes a record number of MSPs will be elected.

That’s why Harvie is right to warn members. If they’re not careful, it’ll be memorable for all the wrong reasons.