The Scottish Greens Co-Convenor Patrick Harvie came bounding off a train from Glasgow this afternoon looking for all the world as though he had not been up all night.
The adrenaline of tripling the number of Scottish Greens at Holyrood has clearly helped his energy levels. They are now a larger political group at Holyrood than the Lib Dems who are now in fifth place with five MSPs. This means that they will have a stronger voice in the Scottish Parliament when it convenes next week. There are so many new MSPs in various political parties and undoubtedly this will mean they need some time to settle down.
But the newest of the Lothian representatives, Andy Wightman, told The Edinburgh Reporter this afternoon that he knows what he wants to do, and that there is more to his agenda than just Land Reform for which he is renowned.
#SP16 Andy Wightman Scottish Green MSP from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.
He said: “Fundamentally it is about power, it’s about where power lies, how it’s distributed and how it’s exercised and who the people are accountable to. That is an issue about democracy, tax and governance in general. But I am going to take a close interest in the question of empowerment and democracy and how we can make the parliament more transparent and open and how it can hold power to account.
But having six MSPs rather than two, and having two of those in Lothian will make a difference. it will allow the workload to be shared more evenly. Wightman continued: “At a parliamentary level we will be able to cover all the briefs in parliament much more effectively. It’s a big leap forward and we are certainly looking forward to getting down to work.”
Andy Wightman will join Alison Johnstone to represent Lothian at Holyrood. Both were elected as list MSPs.
Patrick Harvie was joined at the photo call today by his very tall colleague Ross Greer who was elected last night as the MSP for the West of Scotland. He will be the youngest MSP at Holyrood.
Ross Greer MSP, Europe spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said: “This is a historic result, marking the first time a Green has been elected in the West of Scotland and demonstrating that we are a truly national party, reaching more communities than ever. To be the youngest MSP ever elected is exciting for me personally but more importantly, it shows the confidence Scotland has in our young people. I’m looking forward to bringing bold Green ideas to Holyrood and to making the case for our membership of the European Union as the referendum fast approaches.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
