The feud between Patrick Harvie and Fergus Ewing looks unlikely to abate, with the Scottish Government's Active Travel Minister describing the veteran SNP MSP as not bright or articulate. 

The Scottish Green co-leader also said the backbencher was part of a “generation that simply hasn’t moved on” and accepted the reality of climate change.

He also described Alex Salmond as a "discredited figure."

READ MORE: Fergus Ewing: Green tail is wagging SNP dog and deal must end

Last week, writing in this paper, Mr Ewing described Mr Harvie and his party as "hard left extremists who should be never be anywhere near government." 

He has called on Humza Yousaf to scrap the Bute House Agreement, warning that power sharing has left the SNP "tarnished, damaged and diminished."

A number of SNP politicians and former Scottish Government ministers have criticised the pact in recent weeks, in part because of high-profile policy failures including the chaotic and delayed Deposit Return Scheme, and the controversial and since abandoned Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).

Former finance secretary Kate Forbes suggested the party should “check-in” with members about the content of the deal. 

In an interview with Scotland on Sunday, Mr Harvie was asked what he thought of Mr Ewing and Ms Forbes.

He said: “I think very different things about the two of them. We’ll probably agree and disagree about a range of different things, but one of them is a bright and articulate person and the other is not.”

Pressed further, he added: “The other is Fergus Ewing.

"He represents a generation that simply hasn’t moved on and come to terms with the reality of what the climate emergency requires of us all collectively.

"I don’t think that’s true of Kate Forbes despite the fact that I will fundamentally disagree with her on certain issues.

"For example in the way that she raised some of the issues around HPMAs, I don’t think that was in a knee-jerk reaction of just saying this is a bad idea and it shouldn’t happen.”

READ MORE: They're killing us: SNP MSPs call Bute House Agreement to be looked at again

Asked why there were critics of the deal within the SNP, Mr Harvie said: "I think there are some in the SNP who need to go back and reflect on the experience of being a minority government in the last session, the toxicity of that, and recognise that the public respond well when politicians find common ground and look to cooperate and build consensus.

“Even looking at the SNP’s fortunes, people who are stirring up hostility within the SNP’s ranks, they should be asking themselves whether they have far more to do with the SNP’s polling numbers at the moment than any individual policy delivery.”

Earlier this month, during his show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, former first minister Alex Salmond described Mr Harvie as a "total idiot."

 

The Green said the ex-SNP leader was a “discredited figure."

He also and said the pro-independence electoral pact proposed by Mr Salmond's Alba party would be “absurd”.