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Debate, discussions and musings on politics & culture with Alastair Stewart and guests.

Alastair Stewart


    • Sep 26, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 15m AVG DURATION
    • 70 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Darrow Discussions

    Alastair Stewart, Orbit Comms. | Politics Galore Ep.162

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 36:02


    Trussed up like a Prime Minister: will our new PM stick to the Tories' mandated menu or serve up something less palatable and, either way, how do we ease Scotland's constitutional constipation?

    Alastair Stewart & SCGA | Politics Galore! Ep.151

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2022 30:05


    This week we welcome friend of the podcast Alastair Stewart of Orbit Communications and discuss the new Scottish Council on Global Affairs. Enjoy! ScottishPoliticsScottishParliamentScottishPoliticsParliamentScotlandUKUKpolitics

    Alastair Stewart, Orbit Comms. | Politics Galore Ep.127

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2021 37:59


    "This week we welcome Alastair Stewart of Orbit Communications back to the podcast to talk about the SNP/Green deal and Scotland's approach to international affairs. Enjoy!"

    Politics Galore! Ep93. 25 Sept 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 34:37


    In this episode we talk with Alastair Stewart of Orbit Communications about the position of the Scottish Tories and about innovation in community engagement & consultation. Enjoy!

    Politics Galore! Ep80. 3 April 2020 (Guest)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2020 36:42


    Coronavirus straight up with a twist of Scottish politics. Made remotely whilst working from home. Not a baked potato but hey, still a treat! With returning guest, Alastair Stewart of Orbit Communications. "From a social distance there is harmony."

    Politics Galore! Ep71. 9 Jan 20

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2020 37:34


    Happy New Year! We're back, talking about independence. No not that one, we mean for Scottish Labour and the Scottish Tories! We're joined by Alastair Stewart of Orbit & The Scotsman, who raises the intellectual level of the podcast to unheard of highs! Enjoy!

    BBC Radio Scotland with John Beattie - Is Churchill a war criminal?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 17:15


    Alastair Stewart defends Sir Winston Churchill against charges of war criminality and white supremacy on BBC Radio Scotland with John Beattie and guests Ross Greer MSP and Professor Lucy Robinson. (January 2019)

    Review | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2019 11:09


    Fleming gives us his best Bond book. Brutal and heartbreaking it’s the best characterisation of his signature creation in the entire series.

    Best places to chill during Edinburgh Festival season

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2019 13:33


    A few thoughts on some of the best places in the city that you can sit, relax and enjoy the Festival atmosphere.

    Review | El Tonel, Almerimar - Spain

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2019 9:38


    One of, if not the best, restaurants in Almerimar, Spain to visit.

    Retrospective | Gotham

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2019 13:19


    What a missed opportunity Gotham was, and how frustrating we only got to see the Dark Knight for a moments in its final scene. When are we going to get the Batman series we deserve?

    Review | The Dhabba, Glasgow

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2019 4:56


    Fantastic North Indian cuisine in Glasgow. Worth visiting if you're through from Edinburgh and a little lost with what to choose for dinner!

    Review | Apple Music or Spotify?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2019 17:58


    Can Apple Music come out on top? Can Apple continue to defend its circular economy and high prices?

    Retrospective | The Inbetweeners

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2019 6:26


    Teenage nostalgia yes, but the film sequels are truly appalling.

    Retrospective | Mr Holmes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2019 11:09


    The grand finale for Sherlock? Not quite.

    Retrospective | Superman Returns

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 24:18


    The film we didn't need at the time, but filled with the optimism we desperately deserve now.

    Retrospective | The Man Who Would Be King

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 11:04


    A very serious contender for the best film ever made.

    Retrospective | Cruel Intentions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 9:19


    Does this classic pass the test of time?

    Retrospective | Brothers of War

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 8:03


    A disappointing and deeply flawed film that could have, and should have had, the making of a masterpiece character study of the realities of war.

    Review | The Digital Inferno by Paul Levy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 7:40


    ‘Digital Inferno’ is available to buy here.

    Retrospect | The Ghost

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 7:27


    Remember the paranoia of the 2000s with Blair and George W.Bush? The Ghost is a refreshing hark back to almost simpler days; brilliantly playful and highly enjoyable. Both a must-watch and a must-read.

    Review | Wings, Edinburgh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 4:02


    One of the best hidden treats in the city.

    Review | Why you should be reading Ian Gardiner's books

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 7:12


    A wonderful series of books from author and ex-military man Ian Gardiner published by Pen & Sword books. The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War The Flatpack Bombers: The Royal Navy and the ‘Zeppelin Menace’ In the Service of the Sultan: A First-Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency

    Review | Dishoom, Edinburgh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 6:22


    Maybe just the best Indian food in Edinburgh.

    Restrospective: Devil’s Pass

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 5:03


    One of the better horror movie's of the last 10 years; Devil's Pass is a good, nice play on the found-footage horror drama.

    Retrospective | The Grudge

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 10:30


    Can you salvage Western adaptations of Japanese horror movies? Possibly, but you need to understand what made them terrifying in the first place.

    Restrospective | Predestination

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 11:57


    Perhaps, maybe just, the best time-travel movie ever made?

    Review | Maison de Moggy, Edinburgh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 6:26


    If you love cats, you'll love here. A bit expensive to be sure, but a lovely way to spend an hour with family or friends.

    Retrospective | The Last Samurai

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 7:55


    A spectacularly underated film from 2003.

    Review | 'The Broken Journey: A Life of Scotland 1976-99' by Kenneth Roy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 10:43


    A wonderful book, well worth a read to understand contemporary Scotland to find out the real, social story of the country.

    Retrospective | Why we miss Peter Capaldi as The Doctor

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 34:47


    Doctor Who really should have taken a well deserved break after Peter Capaldi's departure from the show. Why? Because he really showed us what the character was capable of.

    Better Call Saul - Time to call last orders after season 5?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2019 14:42


    I''m worried that Better Call Saul is in danger of harming Breaking Bad with going on past season 5. A finite story is what made Breaking Bad great and now would be a terrible time for its prequel and sequel show to break that tradition.

    Review | 'The Rivals' by Murdo Fraser

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 8:27


    A fabulous must-read on a near forgetten era of Scottish history.

    Review | Sikunder Burnes: Master of the Great Game by Craig Murray

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 10:53


    If you're a fan of Flashman and 'The Man Who Would Be King' - this is the book for you. ‘Sikunder Burnes: Master of the Great Game’ available from Birlinn

    Why Marvel films are the sugar rush and DC movies are the meat on the bone

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 17:19


    Alastair gives his theory as to why DC films are lagging behind their Marvel counterparts

    Retrospective | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 9:27


    Was the O.J Simpson trial the beginning of reality television as we know it? Alastair discusses.

    Retrospective | The Iron Lady

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 14:19


    Meryl Streep struggles in a highly pointless film. Listen to find out why.

    Why film marketing departments should have their budgets slashed

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 10:25


    Aren’t you tired of knowing everything about a film before you see it? Worse still it looks great but turns out to be terrible.

    Restrospective | Logan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 19:56


    I'm struggling for words other than masterpiece and genius.

    Why it's time for The Grand Tour to end

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 12:13


    Sadly it was never Top Gear, but even Clarkson's-era had run it's course. Isn't it time to wind up shop?

    Why it's time to kill James Bond

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 12:50


    With Bond 25 on the way, it's time to kill the character. Just in this film. Let's give him a damn good send off because while Daniel Craig may be leaving we all know...Bond will return, anyway.

    Why Superman eating breakfast could save DC on TV

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 10:55


    One of the problems DC faces is it's failing at the box office and the TV shows are avoiding their central heroes - Batman and Superman. Isn't it time to give the public what they want and launch brand new Batman and Superman TV shows to rival the success of Marvel?

    Review | Churchill: The Lost Interviews

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 16:15


    Absolutely, underrated comedy gold. A must watch: Watch Churchill: The Lost Interviews here. Website: Churchill: The Lost Interviews Presented by Toby DeWinter and Kaylosia Productions Starring Richard Beenham

    The dangers and the warnings of Huxley, Bradbury and Burgess

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 20:35


    Dystopian TV adaptations are on the rage these days but how are these systems held in place? What technology operates to make sure the people are kept compliant? 1984 and Big Brother has passed into the political lexicon, but also cliche. A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 and A Clockwork Orange offer a more explicit, more specific, explanation.

    Why Inception is the greatest film ever made

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 19:25


    A mildly hyperbolic title, but Alastair makes the case for why Christopher Nolan's 2010 film Inception is not only his defining work, but why the film is one of the best films ever made.

    How Aristotle got Star Trek right

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 17:45


    Why has Star Trek: Discovery failed to live up to expectations? Why have the reboot movies not had the same emotional resonance? The answer comes from a curious source, Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' and his 'modes of persuasion'. Alastair discusses.

    Boris Johnson - PM - What are his options?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2019 14:57


    As Boris Johnson assumes the premiership, what options are available to him as he goes forward to bring the country back together?

    Through the mirror, darkly: Reviewing The Handmaid’s Tale

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2019 19:06


    Alastair & Zorica (ft. Alastair) discuss The Handmaid’s Tale. Is The Handmaid’s Tale good television? Does it work best as a keyhole look into the world of Gilead or are you desperate to understand how this world came about? Also Josh from The West Wing is in it.

    Star Trek | Picard trailer discussion

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2019 17:05


    Oh, goodness please make sure it’s not Discovery. Zorica Ilin and myself chat about our hopes and dreads for he new Picard series. Will it boldly go?

    Retrospective | Batman Forever

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2019 11:31


    Is Batman Forever maybe, just maybe, the best of the 'original' Batman movies?

    Retrospective | Star Trek: Discovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2019 10:45


    What does the new Star Trek series offer? Can a prequel possibility serve as a realistic run-up to the time of Kirk's Enterprise?

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