Vote like our future depends on it for genuine change - Lorna Slater

Scottish Green Party co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie during the party's General Election manifesto launch at Summerhall in Edinburgh

It is something Green activists hear on the doorstep all the time, mainly from people who understandably want to see an end to 14 years of Tory rule and feel the only way to do that is to vote Labour.

That’s why it’s so disappointing that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is planning to keep so much of the Tories’ terrible legacy in place.

A Brexit that Scotland rejected and that has cost us jobs, given us higher prices and curbed our right to live, study and travel in Europe. A continued hostile environment against refugees and migrant communities. A brutal two-child benefit cap that has plunged children and families into poverty.

They have already ripped up their flagship £28 billion climate plan and have refused to back an arms embargo against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. They’re talking about change while offering business as usual.

In comparison, every vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote for a bold and positive vision for our city and our country.

It is a vote to rejoin Europe and invest in our huge renewable potential. It is a vote to end the toxic and painful legacy of Tory cuts and ensure a real living wage for all workers.

It is a vote to cut emissions and support people and planet, funded by progressive taxes on polluters and the super wealthy.

The next five years will be crucial for our environment, but if we are to put our climate on the agenda then we need to vote for parties who will prioritise it.

Over these last few weeks I’ve travelled all over Scotland and have spoken to a lot of people who are concerned about our future.

Whether they are in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Falkirk or Forres, where I’m writing this column ahead of a local event, people are worried about our planet and what condition we are leaving it in.

The Tories are toast, especially in Edinburgh where they don’t have any MPs, so we can vote without any fear of them getting elected around here.

It’s not just the Tories we need rid of, it’s the policies and vision that they represent.

Our future can be so much better and brighter, but only if we take the opportunity to vote for it.

This Thursday, don’t settle for more of the same. Vote like our future depends on it and vote for genuine change. Turning the page on 14 years of Tory governments is crucial, but so is what replaces it.

Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party co-leader​​