Addressing the cost-of-living crisis, the issue of poor housing, and protecting people from the far right. These are just a few of the priorities of Kate Nevens, the Scottish Greens candidate for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith in the upcoming elections to the Scottish Parliament.
But Nevens also has a political ambition to become the first Scottish Greens MSP for the Edinburgh constituency, alongside Lorna Slater, who is standing in Edinburgh Central. Edinburgh Central is currently held by the SNP’s cabinet secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture, Angus Robertson.
Who is Kate Nevens?
Nevens is an unapologetic feminist who is the number two list candidate on the Edinburgh and Lothians East for the Scottish Greens, as well as a constituency candidate for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith.
Having worked as a facilitator and researcher with young people, women, and activist groups in Scotland and across the world, Nevens is also a seasoned activist and campaigner. She has campaigned for many concerns including trans rights, abortion rights, migrant justice, and justice for Palestine, and has fought against issues including the arms trade and the two-child benefit cap.
Currently, Nevens and the Scottish Greens are promoting hopeful messaging to the people of Scotland in the election campaign by standing up to the far right and their hate, something that Nevens says the Greens’ strength on is “really appealing to people”.
Nevens’ priorities
Nevens’ priorities range from both regional and constituency, given her candidacy both on the list and in Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith. Her main priorities are addressing the cost-of-living crisis as well as poor housing. She believes that housing must be seen as a human right and that everything is done to make sure that people can access warm and secure housing. Nevens advocates for the building of more social housing, implementation of rent controls, and supporting the retrofitting of homes to bring down heating bills.
Nevens also talks about the extension of free bus travel, migrant justice, and the taking on of far-right, anti-migrant rhetoric. She wants to ensure the area has good community mental health provision for everyone.
The protection of local services from cuts was also a priority for her. Nevens also plans to get involved with community projects, campaigns, and local people – to listen and find out what the community wants from her as an MSP, should she be elected.
Electoral history in the making
In the upcoming Scottish elections, the Scottish Greens look set to gain a record number of MSPs with a recent Lord Ashcroft poll, at the time of writing, recording the party coming second to the SNP list vote and predicted to win 18 seats in Holyrood, 14 on the list, and four in constituencies across Scotland. Could Kate Nevens be one of those constituency MSPs?
Nevens is optimistic about the party’s chances with her saying that this year “might be our first year of winning a constituency”. The Scottish Greens currently have eight seats in Holyrood, all elected on the list.
Citing Edinburgh Central, the seat of SNP constitution secretary Angus Robertson, as the most winnable seat, Nevens believes that her seat of Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith is nearly as green as Edinburgh Central and the second-most winnable seat.
Nevens talks about the Scottish Greens having a lot of energy and momentum behind them right now, with a lot of voters on the doorsteps telling Green campaigners that “they haven’t left Labour, but Labour have left them”. The voters feel, according to her, that Labour have shifted away from their core values and beliefs and are considering voting for the Scottish Greens for the first time as a result.
When asked about the possibility of these Labour voters going to the SNP as has happened in the past in Scottish elections, Nevens said that she’s not finding Scottish independence coming up that much on the doorstep from former Labour voters.
Referencing Labour supporters in Edinburgh who are opposed to Scottish independence and who usually have questions about voting Green as a result, Nevens believes that either some are changing their mind on the issue or finding that it is not as important anymore, choosing to prioritise the cost-of-living crisis and everything else that is happening in the world.
Extending free bus travel and bringing in rent controls is appealing to Labour voters and with the cost-of-living taking dominance on voters’ minds, it may stop a shift to the SNP who are prioritising independence for Scotland and stop voters being put off the Scottish Greens due to their favourable stance on it. The party remain supportive of an independent Scotland.
Cost-of-living, fighting the far-right, and standing up for local communities
Kate Nevens is taking the fight for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith to the Scottish Parliament in the hopes of making a positive difference for her local communities, her region, and Scotland. With polling predicting a majority for the SNP, a historic, double-figured result for the Greens, and a double-figured breakthrough into Holyrood for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, Kate could well find herself sitting in the Holyrood chamber.
Regardless of the result, however, Nevens’ resolution “we all need to be fighting Reform and making sure all the left-leaning parties are really, really, strong against the far right … we need to be able to collaborate”, is really important and will no doubt be vital in the future of not just Scottish politics but UK politics as a whole.
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