ABSTRACT
This chapter details the history of the Scottish Greens and outlines those factors which explain the party's lack of success. The Scottish Green Party has lacked political influence since its formation. The Green Party in Scotland developed rather more slowly than the English party. The end of the 1980s brought a period of relative electoral success for the Scottish Green Party. The Scottish Greens labelled 1994 "Year Zero', based on the hope that the party had reached its lowest point and could go on to recover. The Scottish environmental movement is very diverse in its objectives, levels of influence and tactics employed. The lack of media interest is another significant problem for the Greens. The Scottish Greens have been constrained by a rather inhospitable institutional structure, as have the UK Greens. However, the Greens in Scotland face some unique difficulties. Scotland's party system has been a powerful constraint on the Greens.
