Last week I stood here to announce the ending of the cooperation agreement between the SNP and the Greens: the Bute House Agreement, and that the SNP would seek to govern as a minority government. I made that decision as leader of the SNP because I believed the Bute House Agreement was the right one for the party I lead, and I still do believe that to be the case. But most importantly, I believe it was the right decision for the country.
My hope was to continue working with the Greens, in a less formal arrangement as the SNP moved into a new phase of minority government. Unfortunately, in ending the Bute House Agreement in the manner that I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset I caused Green colleagues.
For a minority government to be able to govern effectively and efficiently, trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental.
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