Back in the early to mid-80s, the Greens – or the Ecology Party as they were till 1985 – were a mere dot on the Scottish political landscape and were generally, if unjustly, perceived as being a single issue party.
While it could be argued that the Greens already punched well above their weight given their parliamentary numbers, it was to be the independence referendum that would be the making of them in general, and Harvie in particular.At a stroke, it became the Greens’ ticket to the political mainstream as the SNP were eager not to be seen as the only party backing independence.
Following the last Holyrood election, the SNP – again short of an outright majority – took the bold decision to try to tie the Greens into a more formal arrangement. After lengthy negotiations, the deal was sealed with the Bute House Agreement. The Greens got a couple of junior ministerial posts and the SNP got a stable and working majority. Or so they thought.
Now out of government the Greens have decisions to make. They seem likely to back the SNP on a vote-by- vote basis – but what about their commitment to independence?