THE new era dawned on Glasgow City Council as the 85 members gathered for their first official civic duties since the election two weeks ago.

All four parties at the City Chambers find themselves in new territory.

The SNP are in charge for the first time ever. Labour are getting used to their new reality of opposition.

The Tories are in the previously unlikely position of having an actual group instead of just one councillor.

The Greens find themselves as the party the SNP will most likely look to first when they need a friend.

If the first meeting is anything to go by the next four years are going to be intriguing.

Labour are obviously still smarting from their defeat albeit expected and not as bad as it was once feared and will look to bloody the SNP noses as often as possible.

The SNP have promised a big change agenda and will need to be politically clever to get things done.

The Tories can look forward to being relevant in council politics in Glasgow again.

It is the Greens however that hold much of the key to which way the council moves in crucial decisions.

At the first full council they gave a pretty clear indication of how they will proceed and it basically said do not ever take our support for granted.

They may be the smallest of the four parties with seven councillors but how that seven votes is critical.

They backed the SNP, as the largest party, for the Lord Provost, but in a minority council backed a Labour candidate, the second biggest party for the deputy provost role.

They also brought forward the amendment to defeat the SNP on the all-powerful Executive Committee.

Over the next five years every decision the SNP wants to get through the council needs to be backed by either Labour, The Tories or the Greens.

Because they are both pro –independence parties it has been thought the Greens would naturally align themselves with the SNP.

However the politics of independence, referendums and the constitution has not been as important inside the City Chambers as it has to people outside.

The Greens are a diligent group who want to be seen as respecting democracy and Green principles.

They will look to put those above the temptation, if it exists, to do over the pro union Labour and Tory parties.

I would suggest anyone who thinks otherwise probably hasn’t met a Green Glasgow councillor.

Having actively thwarted a bid for SNP majority control of the Executive Committee and proposing the new structure the Greens have laid down a marker their support cannot be guaranteed.

In Martin Bartos and Martha Wardrop they have experienced and knowledgeable councillors who will expect business conducted properly and fairly.

The first few months of this new council is uncharted territory and will be a learning process for all.