{"id":35650,"date":"2024-04-26T00:57:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T00:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/26\/what-to-know-about-the-breakup-of-scotlands-coalition-government\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T00:57:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T00:57:00","slug":"what-to-know-about-the-breakup-of-scotlands-coalition-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/26\/what-to-know-about-the-breakup-of-scotlands-coalition-government\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland\u2019s Coalition Government"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/25\/multimedia\/25uk-scotland-explainer-1-lcvj\/25uk-scotland-explainer-1-lcvj-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland\u2019s Coalition Government\" title=\"What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland\u2019s Coalition Government\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Scotland\u2019s first minister, Humza Yousaf, on Thursday abruptly ended a coalition agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party, creating a new set of challenges for an embattled leader whose party has been engulfed in a funding scandal since last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A decision by the Scottish government to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/19\/climate\/scotland-climate-target-scrapped.html\" title=\"\">soften climate change targets<\/a>, and a disagreement within the coalition over <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/greens.scot\/news\/lived-experience-must-be-at-heart-of-trans-healthcare\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">trans rights policies<\/a>, had increased tension between the two parties, which have governed together since August 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Yousaf\u2019s decision to scrap the coalition appeared to take Lorna Slater, a co-leader of the Greens, by surprise on Thursday morning. She accused the S.N.P. of \u201can act of cowardice,\u201d adding that Mr. Yousaf could \u201cno longer be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-15h6bi9 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-31694f60\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Does this mean the end of the Scottish government?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Not for now. The Scottish Conservatives are pressing for a vote of no confidence in Mr. Yousaf, which the opposition Scottish Labour Party has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AnasSarwar\/status\/1783462813022761334\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">signaled it would support<\/a>, and that could take place next week. But that vote relates to confidence in Mr. Yousaf, not the government, so its implications are unclear even if he were to lose. In general terms, the rules make it difficult to force an early election that could drive the S.N.P. out of government in Scotland<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For now, the collapse of the coalition means that Mr. Yousaf leads a minority administration. But it is not the first time the S.N.P. has governed as a minority: it did so after the 2007 and 2016 elections. The Scottish Parliament has a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.electoral-reform.org.uk\/is-there-proportional-representation-in-scotland\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">more proportional electoral system<\/a> than the U.K. Parliament, as it was created with the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.scot\/-\/media\/files\/history\/scotlands-parliament-scotlands-right.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">explicit aim<\/a> of representing the diverse needs of the population, and to encourage compromise between political parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Yousaf said on Thursday that he hoped to continue to cooperate with the Greens but in a less formal way. However the S.N.P. will be two votes short of a majority and will have to reach out to other political parties in the Scottish Parliament to ensure that its key legislation passes.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-15h6bi9 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-762f4b82\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Where did it all go wrong?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Yousaf said on Thursday that the coalition deal had \u201cserved its purpose,\u201d but the main tension between the S.N.P. and the Greens was over climate policy after the government\u2019s decision to rein in its commitments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When Nicola Sturgeon was first minister, the Scottish government had made the ambitious pledge of cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by 75 percent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theccc.org.uk\/publication\/progress-in-reducing-emissions-in-scotland-2023-report-to-parliament\/#introduction\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a critical report<\/a> from an independent government-appointed commission in March found that goal was \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theccc.org.uk\/2024\/03\/20\/scotlands-2030-climate-goals-are-no-longer-credible\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">no longer credible<\/a>,\u201d and last week, the S.N.P. said it would scrap its annual targets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After that statement Patrick Harvie, a co-leader of the Greens, said that he was \u201cangry and disappointed\u201d but that he favored retaining the coalition because it had made significant achievements on climate and other policies. However, the Scottish Greens were planning to give their members a vote on whether to stay in or leave the coalition,<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>and no one knew how that would go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h3 class=\"css-15h6bi9 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-4669b294\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Was climate policy the only disagreement?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Policy on transgender issues was also contentious, with unhappiness among some Greens about a decision the National Health Service in Scotland <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/18\/health\/scotland-pauses-hormones-puberty-blockers-transgender.html\" title=\"\">to pause the prescription of puberty blockers<\/a> and other hormone treatments for minors. That followed an independent <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/09\/health\/europe-transgender-youth-hormone-treatments.html\" title=\"\">review of gender services<\/a> in England by Hilary Cass, a pediatrician. \u201cMany young people will be concerned about the effect of the decision to pause puberty blockers on their health care journey,\u201d <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GillianMacMSP\/status\/1782794153081864538\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said Gillian Mackay<\/a>, a Green member of the Scottish Parliament, adding \u201cour solidarity should be with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-15h6bi9 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-5f23825\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Why now?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The coalition deal was struck when Ms. Sturgeon was Scotland\u2019s first minister and leader of the S.N.P., which campaigns for Scottish independence. She resigned last year and her husband, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/18\/world\/europe\/nicola-sturgeon-husband-embezzlement-scotland.html\" title=\"\">Peter Murrell, was recently charged<\/a> with embezzlement of party funds while he was its long-serving chief executive. Ms. Sturgeon was arrested and questioned in connection with the same investigation last year but was released and no charges were brought.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The police investigation into S.N.P. funding plunged the party into crisis. Since taking over the leadership, Mr. Yousaf has struggled to assert his authority, and with a U.K. general election expected later this year, opinion polls show that Britain\u2019s main opposition Labour Party is mounting a renewed challenge in Scotland, where it was once dominant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For Mr. Yousaf, who already faced criticism on various issues, the options were narrowing. Faced with the choice of waiting to be told the outcome of a vote on whether or not the coalition deal with the Greens would survive, he decided to take the initiative. After announcing the end of the pact on Thursday, he told a news conference, \u201cThis is leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Asked by one reporter whether his approach had been that \u201cbreaking up is better than being dumped,\u201d Mr. Yousaf replied, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know, personally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/25\/world\/europe\/scotland-snp-green-government-coalition.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scotland\u2019s first minister, Humza Yousaf, on Thursday abruptly ended a coalition agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party, creating a new set of challenges for an embattled leader whose party has been engulfed in a funding scandal since last year. A decision by the Scottish government to soften climate change targets, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/25\/multimedia\/25uk-scotland-explainer-1-lcvj\/25uk-scotland-explainer-1-lcvj-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[33322,34807,3954,17431],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35650"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35652,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35650\/revisions\/35652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}