A Guest Post by Allan Petrie.

For years, the Scottish Greens have positioned themselves as a pro-independence party, claiming to stand alongside the Yes movement in the fight for Scotland’s self-determination. However, when you examine their actions rather than their rhetoric, it becomes clear that they have used the independence cause as a mere tool to secure list votes and gain power at Holyrood. Their involvement in government has not only failed to advance the cause of independence but has actively harmed it by fostering incompetence, division, and policy disasters.

Since the 2014 referendum, the Greens have capitalised on disillusionment with the SNP’s lack of progress on independence. They have presented themselves as a radical, principled alternative, encouraging Yes voters to back them on the list vote. This strategy has worked, giving them influence in Holyrood far beyond what their actual support levels should justify. However, once elected, they have done nothing meaningful to push for independence.

Instead of using their position to hold the SNP to account on delivering a strategy for independence, they have prioritised their own ideological agenda, one that has alienated many traditional independence supporters. Time and again, the Greens have been more focused on social engineering projects than on creating the conditions necessary for Scotland to break away from Westminster.

When the SNP entered into a coalition style agreement with the Greens, allowing them ministerial positions, it was sold as a means to strengthen the pro-independence majority. The reality has been a disaster. The Greens ministers have been out of their depth, making blunder after blunder in crucial areas of governance,

Patrick Harvie’s Energy Catastrophes: Harvie, given responsibility for zero-carbon buildings, pushed through policies on heating and insulation that were unaffordable, impractical, and out of touch with working class realities. His ideological obsession with banning new gas boilers without a workable alternative led to anger and confusion, particularly among older and rural Scots.

Lorna Slater’s Deposit Return Scheme Debacle: Slater’s attempt to introduce a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans collapsed under its own weight due to poor planning, lack of business consultation, and sheer incompetence. The scheme was an embarrassment, scrapped after it became clear it would do more harm than good to small businesses.

Transport Chaos: The Greens have pushed policies that have made transport less efficient and more expensive, from Low Emission Zones that disproportionately hurt working class Scots to their disastrous handling of ferry procurement, leaving island communities cut off.

These failures don’t just reflect on the Greens, they damage the credibility of a pro-independence government. Every policy disaster gives unionist parties ammunition to argue that Scotland isn’t capable of running its own affairs. The Greens, far from being an asset to independence, have become a liability.

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of the Greens presence in Scottish politics has been their role in fracturing the independence movement. Instead of uniting Yes supporters around the common goal of Independence, they have prioritised pushing the divisive gender ideology that has driven many lifelong independence supporters away.

The Greens have been at the forefront of pushing self-ID laws and aggressive gender policies that the majority of Scots do not support. Their stance on these issues has led to the demonisation of women’s rights campaigners, the harassment of those who dare to question their ideology, and a general atmosphere of intolerance within the independence movement.

This has had real consequences. Many former Yes voters, particularly women and older voters, have felt alienated and abandoned. Instead of focusing on how to persuade more people to support independence, the Greens have wasted time policing language, attacking feminists, and branding anyone who disagrees with them as a bigot.
At this point, it’s fair to ask: are the Greens really an independence supporting party at all? Their actions suggest otherwise. While they claim to back independence, they have done nothing to advance it. They have not pressured the SNP for a clear independence strategy, nor have they proposed any serious roadmap for breaking free from Westminster.

Their real priority is their ideological crusade, and independence is just a useful vehicle for them to gain power. By latching onto the Yes movement, they secured votes and influence. But once in power, they have done nothing but damage the credibility of the independence cause.

The Scottish Greens have conned the Yes movement for years, pretending to be allies while actually being a drag on the cause. Their ministerial incompetence, divisive policies, and failure to advance independence prove they are not fit for purpose. If Scotland is to move forward towards independence, the movement must recognize that the Greens are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem.

It’s time to stop giving them list votes. It’s time to stop pretending they are real allies of independence. And it’s time to build a new pro-independence strategy that prioritises competence, unity, and a real plan for Scotland’s future.