Greens 'must reach out' to voters

The Greens say they are not a single-issue party

The Scottish Green Party has been urged to "reach out" to get its message across to a wider audience.

North East Scotland MSP Shiona Baird issued the call at the opening of the party's two-day conference in Dundee.

Issues on the agenda over the weekend include green jobs, justice and a call for a Scottish "food revolution".

Ms Baird told delegates the party was gaining strength and that "now is the time for us to go further with growing confidence and even greater urgency".

"We must reach out to ensure that our message is heard loud and clear," she said.

Greens are the only party to connect the economy and communities with the environment and quality of life Shiona Baird MSP

There are seven Green MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, and Ms Baird said the party had to build on that success.

"The basic issues people really care about are central to the Green agenda, from the dinner table to the boardroom, and the Greens are the party with a commitment to principles and a long-term vision beyond the next election to the next generation," she said.

Ms Baird argued that Scotland needs to triple its investment in marine energy or lose out on the prospect of 7,000 jobs.

And she insisted: "Greens are no single-issue party.

'Food revolution'

"Greens are the only party to connect the economy and communities with the environment and quality of life.

"It is others that further the single-issue obsessions of their paymasters."

Ms Baird was later elected as joint leader of the party, along with fellow MSP Robin Harper.

The Greens have adopted a new system whereby members will elect male and female co-conveners every year.

Ms Baird said: "We Greens have always placed equality at the heart of our politics - and electing both a woman and a man to represent the party is simply our way of underlining our commitment to gender balance in our politics."

"Reaching out" is the theme of the conference, which sees the formal launch of the Greens' "food revolution" campaign, calling for radical changes in the way food is produced and sold.

Basing your economic strategy on how big the economy is is like me basing my health on how big my waistband is Mark Ballard MSP

Scottish TUC general secretary Bill Speirs spoke during a debate on greening the economy.

He told delegates that unions and the Greens disagreed over economic policy and over nuclear power.

But he said: "There are also areas where we have much in common - for example on the issue of developing wave and tidal power technology in Scotland."

He said this could harness the skills and knowledge developed over generations in the manufacturing industry.

"There are also a range of social justice issues where I believe we can work constructively together, from gay rights to justice for asylum seekers, and from opposition to nuclear weapons to campaigning for justice for all in the Middle East," he added.

Cut energy use

The Greens' finance spokesman Mark Ballard, MSP for Lothians region, attacked the use of gross domestic product as an economic indicator.

"Basing your economic strategy on how big the economy is is like me basing my health on how big my waistband is," he argued.

He said that the dash for economic growth was illusory and argued that Scotland should aim to cut energy use, reduce waste and curb the power of multinationals - supporting local endeavour instead.

Saturday's debates also included an emergency motion calling for the Black Watch troops in Iraq to be immediately placed under UN control.

The motion, which was passed unanimously, said this should be followed by the withdrawal of UK and US troops and the instalment of a peacekeeping force.