THE Scottish Greens’ membership has seen a spike recently, overtaking the Scottish Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
The Greens announced 800 new members last week representing a 10% increase on their total six months ago.
Following the membership announcement, the Scottish Greens have announced a further 400 new members in the past week alone.
The Greens claim that this shows the clear demand for the “eco-socialist” policies which they promulgate and provides a solid platform from which to campaign in next year’s Holyrood elections.
This membership surge has not yet, however, been reflected in the polling for next year’s election.
The Greens have consistently hung between 5 and 10% for the past year, despite steadily increasing their support for the past four years.
The Greens are expected to increase their total of the vote from the last Holyrood election in 2021 but still lag slightly behind the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives and well behind Labour, Reform UK, and the SNP.
Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay believes that fact the Greens overtaking a wealthy, centuries-old political heavyweight like the Conservatives in membership is a positive sign ahead of the election – which can be held no later than 7 May 2026.
In a statement, she said: “In the last week alone, we have seen over 400 people joining our movement and helping us to take our message to every part of Scotland.
“It means that we have 1,200 more members than we did six months ago, giving us a strong base for the Scottish election.
“The surge in our membership shows that there is a clear demand for eco-socialist policies that make people’s everyday lives better.
“That is what the Scottish Greens are offering.
“Last weekend we had our biggest party conference for a decade, and I was delighted by how many new faces there were in the hall.
“There is an enthusiasm for bold ideas and policies and that is exactly what we will be working to deliver between now and next May.”
The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) has seen a similar surge in membership, with 140,000 people now counting themselves as members of the party.
This is following the election of Zack Polanski – with his “eco-populist” vision – as sole leader of the GPEW in September, and his high level of subsequent visibility on the national media and on social media.
The Scottish Greens are, however, a separate party from the GPEW, and severed ties entirely in 2022.
The Scottish Greens also elected new leaders in August this year, with Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay taking over from Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, who led the Greens to their best election performance in 2021.
Mackay continued: “Green MSPs make a big difference.
“It is Greens that delivered free bus travel for everyone under 22, banned new incinerators, removed peak rail fares saving commuters hundreds of pounds, secured a real living wage for public sector workers and scrapped school meal debt.
“With more of us we can do even more.
“I am proud that we have more members than the Tories and Lib Dems.
“It is time for Labour to show the same transparency as we have by opening their books and being honest about their membership figures.
“People want hope and they want change, and we are the ones offering it. It is the Scottish Greens who are standing up for our communities and our climate.”
Scottish Labour have not released their membership figures since 2021, when a total of 16,467 showed that the party had lost over 4,000 members since the previous disclosure in 2019.
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