Newsnet Radio Podcast

What do you do when you get one of the most powerful women in Scottish local government in front of a microphone? Well you ask her all about the job, what she wants to achieve, and a few of your own hobby-horses too. Like buskers with amplifiers, who are too noisy for Derek Bateman's liking. Our podcast host raised all this and more with Susan Aitken, the ebullient leader of Glasgow City Council, who swept to power for the SNP last May. Susan, seen as one of the most creative leaders in local government, has a big job on her plate, with her party having displaced Labour for the first time in 40 years.

How should we in Scotland digest our international news? As the conventional Scottish newspaper industry grapples with the twin forces of intense competition from London titles and the Internet, foreign coverage has been marginalised. One of the few Scottish based journalists to continue to cover foreign affairs, Herald contributing editor David Pratt, returned to the Newsnet studio to discuss the media experience with our regular host Derek Bateman. He points to a lively international media surviving on the European continent, working in a mixture of mainstream and digital channels. Their conversation broadens to embrace the impact of social media, as well as Brexit, Trump and the double standards the West applies in the Middle East.

Scots are watching the Catalan controversy with more than a passing interest. As Madrid and Barcelona slug it out over the region's future status, more than a few people in Scotland are seeking parallels with the UK. Scots writer, author and broadcaster Rachel McCormack lived in Catalunya for several years, and also set up a Catalan cooking school in London. She has just returned from Barcelona, where she struck up old friendships and took the temperature of the Catalan debate, just as Spanish authorities strengthened their grip. She visited Newsnet to tell podcast host Derek Bateman and producer Maurice Smith her impressions from the Catalan front.

What’s all the fuss about? Priti Patel drops in on, er, 12 meetings while on “holiday” in Israel, including a friendly chat with the local prime Minister and before she knows it people are making a fuss and insisting she comes back early from a business trip to Kenya. It’s enough to make the ambitious International Development Secretary give up her job. Oh wait, she has. Then there’s dear old Boris, blundering through a statement that may condemn a British citizen to even more time in an Iranian jail. But never mind her, think of those nasty Remoaners trying to land poor Boris in the shite with the boss (whoever that is). In a week of glorious celebration for Scots everywhere, marking the anniversary when one of our own won the race to the White House and became President-elect McTrump, Derek Bateman invited writer and playwright Peter Arnott and TV producer Maurice Smith to the studio to chew everything over. You can tune in to their resultant indigestion now.

How was the 2014 independence referendum for you? It might seem a strange question, but academic and Yes campaigner Dr Peter Lynch has been reflecting on the local campaign he supported, in Edinburgh West. Now he has a new book, IndyRef to ScotRef, Campaigning for Yes, which details his impressions of that campaign ( which failed as Edinburgh West voted strongly No in 2014). He recalls the pride and partnerships that grew among activists as they leafletted, doorstepped voters and organised local events. And he draws a few conclusions about what went wrong, and what the YUes campaign might do better next time. Peter discussed the book and the campaign with Newsnet host Derek Bateman and journalist and producer Maurice Smith in a conversation that also embraced the Catalan crisis, sexism in politics and the week's events.

Last June was an unusually nervous time for the SNP. Riding high in successive post-referendum elections, suddenly majorities were shaky and canvassers were finding life tough at some doorsteps where folk had grown concerned about a Brexit-related indyref2. David Linden was among those in new SNP seats – won in the euphoria of the 2015 UK election – with a lot to defend. The new candidate pulled through in Glasgow East, holding the seat by a squeaky majority of 75. A few months later he is scornful of Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson and her 13 Scottish MPs and their performance since Theresa May’s hopeless June campaign. So what now? How is life for a nationalist MP in the Commons as the Government party tears itself to shreds over Brexit? Linden arrived at Newsnet to discuss all this and more with our regular host Derek Bateman. And he is frank about what he perceives as weaknesses on the part of Scottish Labour leadership contenders, and the debate over Brexit itself. Asked about his role as an MP, he quotes the veteran nationalist parliamentarian Winnie Ewing: “We are there to settle up, not settle down.”

The popular Newsnet podcast is back! Apologies, but a spam attack led to unforeseen problems, which resulted in a "lost week" for the podcast. Now we're back, with journalist Maurice Smith in the chair. His guest is Steven Purcell, for Labour politician turned business consultant, but still a keen observer of the political scene in Scotland. They discussed the latest turn of events concerning Brexit, with Theresa May once more prostrating herself  in Brussels while her spin doctors pretend she's in a powerful negotiating position. Then there's Scottish Labour, which is witnessing a struggle between Anas Sarwar and Richard Leonard for the right to lead the party back into second place.

It has been a funny old week for the Labour Party in Scotland. While the UK wonders if it might actually elect Jeremy Corbyn to be Prime Minister, Scottish delegates spent the party conference in Brighton sharpening their knives as their leadership campaign became publicly divisive. Who will win the leadership, and does it matter? Newsnet Radio host Derek Bateman invited Common Space editor and media commentator Angela Haggerty and journalist and producer Maurice Smith to read the runes.

As Theresa May prepared her latest Brexit speech in the bizarrely chosen venue of Florence, Newsnet took time to record a fresh analysis of the European situation. This latest podcast features Kirsty Hughes, head of a new think-tank, The Scottish Centre on European Relations (SCRE), taking a broad view of the UK government’s lack of progress on Brexit, and how the EU nations might respond. Kirsty joined regular host Derek Bateman and journalist and producer Maurice Smith. So what happens next with Brexit? How will May’s speech go down in the EU capitals? What about trade? Scotland? The trio also discuss the ongoing situation in Catalunya, where the Spanish government has sent in federal police in an attempt to block an independence referendum scheduled for October.

What does Brexit mean for the devolved nations of Britain? We know so much about the political debate in Scotland, but what about Wales? Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales voted by a majority to leave the EU. That was a blow to the nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, and the movement overall. So where is Welsh opinion now? What do people there make of the idea of a Westminster “power grab” as the UK parliament sets out to accrue powers as they return from Brussels, post Brexit? Derek Bateman invited Professor Richard Wyn Jones, director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, to discuss the Welsh perspective. He looks back on the impact of the Brexit vote, the follies of the Cameron government and what it all means for the Welsh Government as it grapples to respond. The result is a fascinating discussion of issues with which we in Scotland are all too familiar, but from the Cardiff perspective (and some Norwegian perspective too – tune in to find out more…)

What is Scotland's place in the world? In the post-indyref, pre Brexit environment, can Scotland's voice be heard amidst the light and heat of global politics? As the EU faces upheaval, Russia flexes its muscles and Trump makes more protectionist noises in Washington, what of the Scottish perspective? John MacDonald thinks Scotland should indeed have that voice. He is the academic and thinker behind CABLE, Scotland's new international affairs online magazine. With just three issues online, he and his various contributors have established the venture quickly. He joined Newsnet Radio host Derek Bateman and journalist and producer Maurice Smith to discuss the ideas behind Cable and the need for Scottish voices to be heard internationally.

Another week in Scottish politics, another Scottish Labour upheaval with the abrupt resignation of erstwhile leader Kezia Dugdale. Another week in British politics came with more revelations of Tory malice / incompetence, not least in the UK Government’s cack-handed and unlovely handling of the so-called Brexit “negotiations”. Another week in American politics and … no, no that’s enough nonsense without adding Trumpets (reddit!)… Our regular podcast has Derek Bateman summoned renowned Scottish author and playwright Peter Arnott and journalist and producer Maurice Smith to read the tea-leaves – before promptly accusing them of being a pair of softies when they revealed Kezia sympathies… there’s just no pleasing some people. Have a listen, anyway…

Yes, this week witnessed "GERSmas", the annual frenzy that accompanies the economic figures that mean all things to everyone as soon as they are released. GERS - Government Expenditure and Revenues, Scotland -- is an attempt by civil service statisticians to show much tax is raised in Scotland by Government bodies, and how much public money is actually spent here.Always controversial and hotly disputed, the GERS figures became the focus of debate during and after the independence referendum campaign. Podcast regular host Derek Bateman invited Dr Craig Dalzell, an economist and co-authot of various Common Weal papers on the subject, to explain GERS and discuss their implications. The results, as ever, are fascinating and particularly to independence supporters in Scotland.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s Steven Purcell! Here at Newsnet Studios we have been waiting Steven’s arrival for some time since the June general election. And although it took a while, we think it’s been worth it. Why Steven? Well the former leading Labour figureBrexit was the first to say on this medium that Jeremy Corbyn would astound the critics, and also that the SNP would lose seats in the north east of Scotland. Podcast host Derek Bateman invited Scottish politics’ very own clairvoyant to come and share his analysis of the scene, and discuss what next for Scotland. Derek and Steven are joined by journalist and producer Maurice Smith. Is British politics re-aligning? How many Yes voters from 2014 are swayed by the Corbyn message? Can Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP win back seats lost to the Tories? Might the fall-out from Brexit still have a few twists and turns that might help or hinder the independence cause? How on earth are the Tories still in power?

What next for the Scottish independence movement? With support apparently stalled in the polls, indy still runs high in terms of public support -- higher, indeed, than current support for the Scottish National Party? The loss of 21 SNP seats, and the apparent surge that favoured the Tories especially in north east Scotland, came as a blow. But is it really that great a setback, when considered against the greater scheme of Scottish politics and where it might be headed? Robin McAlpine, director of the left think-tank Common Weal, arrived in the Newsnet studio to chew over the current situation with our regular host, Derek Bateman. What does it mean for the pro-independence movement, and where could constitutional politics turn next? Above all, he urges a new form of conversation with those who have been opposed to change. It makes for a fascinating discussion.

This week's keyword is "turbulent". Brexit, Trump, you name it. Turbulent politics and politicians. A turbulent electorate and the social fall-out of the economy, immigration and the rest. Podcast host Maurice Smith invited Chris Stephens, MP for Glasgow South-west, to discuss all this, as well as his experience at Westminster. As a member of the SNP's much-vaunted intake of 56 MPs in the UK election of 2015, as the party rode the crest of a post-refendum surge, he has witnessed a Tory administration "in action" and up close. The SNP suffered a setback in June 2017, but Stephens - who joined the party as a teenager following Jim Sillars' stunning Govan by-election victory in 1988 - survived. Here he looks ahead to what today's politics mean for his constituents, and his party as it attempts to plot the way ahead.

Brexit threatens to undermine the economy, the constitution, and all of our lives in different ways. Is there anything to be said for it? Is there anything to be said for the issue that has dominated the Tory Party for decades, and now engulfs the whole of the UK? How are our politicians responding? How are we responding? Podcast host Maurice Smith invited The National columnist Shona Craven and writer and activist Christopher Silver to the Newsnet Radio studio to discuss all the implications, as well as the week's political events in general. The result is a thought-provoking discussion.

It is July, but not quite the silly season. We invited two of Scottish politics' keenest observers to the Newsnet studio to chew over everything - well, most things - that have been going on over recent weeks. Let's just say it covers Russian honeytraps, quotes The Godfather and speculates on everything from world domination to fake news. Top Scottish author and playwright Peter Arnott and journalist Angela Haggerty joined this week's host, Maurice Smith, left, in a discussion that covered Trump and the Russians, Brexit and even what comes next for the Scottish independence campaign, in the light of Nicola Sturgeon's coming "re-set". Amazingly, they failed to mention Th*re*a M*y, Britain's zombie PM. But no doubt we'll catch up with greetin' Theresa another time.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon may be planning a "reset" on Scottish independence, but what does that mean for those who support the idea? Is it a campaigning reset, mainly to do with the timing of a second referendum, or something more fundamental? Dr Elliot Bulmer, former research director of the Constitutional Commission, argues that the drawing up of a formal constitution for a proposed independent Scotland would be a good place to start. He believes that without a written vision for how a future Scotland might be run, people will continue to struggle with the concepts behind the independence argument. Speaking to podcast host Derek Bateman from his current base in Amsterdam, Bulmer - who authored "A Model Constitution for Scotland: Making Democracy Work in an Independent State" - states the case for a formal approach to independence.

Woke up this morning… a year on from the day Nigel declared to be “Britain’s independence day!” (Cue cheers of lard faced gents in ill fitting suits)… and what a year it’s been. Chaos, rising prices, a falling pound and a Prime Minister described openly by her own party members as “a dead woman walking”. The anarchists among us are delighted. The satire writers bordering on delirious. Their only worry is that they could actually make this all up, because it’s real, or as “real” as Theresa May might allow it to be. Podcast host Derek Bateman invited our regular contributor Prof Iain Docherty, of Glasgow University, to chew the Brexit fat with journalist and documentary maker Maurice Smith. Subjects varied from the Scottish economy to Brexit, the start to EU negotiations and, oh, ll sorts of stuff.

A week on from the election that everyone won (and lost) and its implications are becoming clear. The UK is virtually leadership, the Tories continue attempting to cobble a deal with the DUP and in Scotland there is much debate about the future direction of the independence movement. Robin McAlpine (main picture), head of the think tank Common Weal, arrived at Planet Newsnet to discuss all this and more with podcast host Derek Bateman (left) and journalist and TV producer Maurice Smith. McAlpine has been involved in the publication of various papers that envisage how a future independent Scotland might work. He believes independence needs broad support before a second poll is called. A fascinating discussion of the options facing Scotland, and the Scottish parties, in the wake of an extraordinary election campaign that failed to resolve the UK’s political position, only days before Brexit negotiations with the EU are supposed to begin.

Well well well.... welcome to 1974 or thereabouts. A dithering Tory PM. Undue influence awarded to a belligerent set of Ulster Unionists. Europe. Where to go next... In the wake of the election result, three weary chaps gathered at Newsnet HQ to chew it all over and spit out some analysis. We invited others, but some threw sickies and others found paying jobs in the studios of the major broadcasters who probably paid them in curly sandwiches and coffee sludge. Regular host Derek Bateman was joined by the redoubtable Prof Murray Pittock (pictured, top)and journalist and documentary producer Maurice Smith. Here's the trio's first take on what it all means for Treeza, Nicla and everyone else....

This week's podcast is a wide ranging discussion that starts with the theory of economic democracy and takes the listener into more blunt analysis of where Scotland and Britain stand in the UK election campaign. Prof Cumbers joined Derek Bateman and regular contributor, playwright and author Peter Arnott, who chewed over another grim week in British public life, overshadowed as it was by the murder of 22 people and maiming of any more by a suicide bomber in the foyer of a Manchester concert venue. What happens between now and election day on May 8? It seems (if YouGov polling is correct) that Theresa May has turned an unassailable lead of 20 points into a nail-biter. Can Corbyn catch her? Or is this just another poll of the type that claimed a late surge to Yes in September 2014? Whatever, there may even be a chance that this election might turn out to be interesting after all...

Halfway through the general election campaign, the various party manifestos slipping into the public consciousness, and the opinion polls remain largely unchanged. Is the UK sleepwalking towards a massive Tory majority? Are their Scottish bedfellows going to consolidate the opposition vote north of the Border? What on earth is Labour up to? How are the SNP responding to all this? And if the Tories win, will they interpret victory as good reason to fend off a second independence poll, or even to diminish Scottish devolution? Podcast regular host Derek Bateman summoned the collective opinions of journalists and commentators Angela Haggerty, editor of Common Space and Sunday Herald columnist, and Maurice Smith, TV producer and media commentator, to make some sense of it all.

Susan Aitken, the woman taking charge of Glasgow, arrived in the Newsnet studio to reflect on her first week at the helm of a council that has been run by Labour for more than 40 years. Elected as an SNP councillor just five years ago, she finds herself now running a minority administration at Glasgow City Chambers, having finally wrested control from Labour. Now Aitken and colleagues hope to implement an ambitious programme of improvements and tackle key issues - social, economic and environmental - facing the city. She joined podcast host Derek Bateman and Glasgow based journalist and producer Maurice Smith to discuss the task ahead.

Andrew Tickell enjoys studying failure. The law lecturer, political blogger and media commentator kicked off these theme as part of a conversation about our dearly beloved (unelected) Prime Minister, who has called an election next month in order to award herself some legitimacy. Well that's our script for the "bloody difficult" Tory leader in her pending wartime fantasy involving Europe. Andrew arrived in the studio to discuss all this and more with podcast host Derek Bateman, during a day when Mrs May's party took an unprecedented number of council seats across Scotland, mainly as the Labour vote dropped to embarrassing levels. Her tartan sidekick Ruth Davidson is claiming it as a victory for "the union" of course. And why not, what else would she be claiming?

It's hard to run a weekly political podcast and ignore the fact that Scotland has two elections to undergo over the coming weeks. Scottish council elections are next Thursday (May 4), rapidly overshadowed by Theresa May's long-denied "snap election" of June 8. Scottish academic Dr Peter Lynch, who previously wrote a history of the SNP, visited the Newsnet studio to chew over the meaning of it all with regular host Derek Bateman. Should we mock Mrs May for all those times she said there would be no election before the fixed term date of 2020? Or should we admire her political instincts, striking when Labour is 20 points behind in the polls and UKIP seem to be imploding in England? Either way, her handling of Scotland has been poor, and nationalists have been enraged by the sayings and rings of her Scottish party leader, Ruth Davidson. "Who's going to vote Tory in Scotland in 2017?" asked Peter. "It's the people who are most vehement in their opposition to independence."

Cor blimey, turn your back for an instant and before you know it that Theresa May’s gone and called an election! What’s that all about? Didn’t she say there was no need for one until after she’s led Blighty to glorious Brexit negotiation victory? Anyway rest assured she certainly doesn’t think there’s any need for a Scottish independence referendum. Why, that would be a needless distraction for a government that should get on with its day job. In fact perhaps all the opposition should just get on with knitting or whatever, while Mrs May concentrates on her day job as Head of Brexit. Yes, it’s been another week on Animal Farm. The farm we used to call the UK, where everyone stuck together and whistled the Dambusters theme while getting on with our work as, er, bankers and property speculators and well, whatever really as long as it wasn’t hard work and involved trade unions. Podcast host Derek Bateman called on the assistance of regular guests, playwright and author Peter Arnott and journalist and TV producer Maurice Smith, to work out what on earth has been going on.

We are living in an unpredictable world, with wars in the Middle East, turmoil in Europe, and the Trump ascendancy in the United States. What should we make of all this, and is there a particularly Scottish perspective? Journalist and foreign correspondent David Pratt, a contributor to The Herald and Sunday Herald, has just returned from one of his frequent trips to war-torn Iraq. He tells podcast host Derek Bateman about the role of the war reporter, and differing approaches of the media to coverage of foreign affairs. David believes there are lessons to be learned in Scotland, both in the context of our media and future politics.

Nicola Sturgeon in the USA, Donald T***p in Florida, MSPs at Holyrood. This week has been a routine one in politics, which led us to discuss the First Minister's trip to the US, and the Scottish Parliament's record in scrutinising the executive. Joining podcast host Maurice Smith this week was regular contributor Steven Purcell -- an independence supporter who's been out canvassing for Labour in Glasgow -- and experienced researcher and campaigner Robert McGeachy. Robert has co-written with former MSP Mark Ballard a new book which advises groups on how to manage campaigns and lobby the Scottish Parliament and government. It's aimed at public and private bodies as well as the third sector, and is aimed at being a "do it yourself" guide for organisations who can't afford those slick lobbyists who are supposed to be getting put on a register by parliament sometime soon...

It has been a strange week of gestures and symbols. Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon met in Glasgow, agreeing to disagree, before the Scottish Parliament went on to support a request to approve a second referendum on independent. That vote, carried by 69 to 59 as the Scottish Greens supported the SNP, was immediately followed by Mrs May' rejection. The next day she finally wrote her letter resigning the UK from the UE (Article 50), and Ms Sturgeon promptly wrote a letter to Mrs May asking for a vote (Section 30). Her office even issued a helpful photo to match the Prime Minister's. Intrigued? Podcast host Derek Bateman invited Yes blogger James Kelly of ScotGoesPop! to discuss what it all means.

We wonder where the birdies is... Climate change, renewables and the need to keep the lights on... the dawn chorus is starting earlier and it's causing havoc with Derek Bateman's sleep pattern. Well maybe...This week, as Spring sprung, Derek invited Scottish Greens' activist and campaign communicator Zara Kitson and journalist and TV producer Maurice Smith to join him for a podcast that reviewed the week's events, including the terror attack at Westminster, the curtailed independence debate at Holyrood, and the general state of Scottish and British politics. Oh, and they also discussed climate change and its impact on Scotland.

Independence means you’ll be poor, says Radio 4 Today presenter John Humphrys. We’ll stop writing you cheques, says The Telegraph… Two bizarre establishment responses to Scotland’s constitutional debate from recent days. Where does this assumption of a poverty stricken independent Scotland come from? Podcast host Derek Bateman took up the issue with economist Dr Craig Dalzell, of the independent and left-leaning think tank Common Weal. Why does London dominate the UK economy and how can the resulting imbalance be challenged? What might an independent Scotland’s economy actually look like? Derek and Craig chew over the possibilities in our latest podcast, recorded as the SNP reflect on the first few days’ political response to last Monday’s declaration of a new referendum.

Was this the week we all realised that things might change and never be the same again? Philip Hammond doesn't care about the self-employed. Theresa May doesn't care about EU citizens living in Blighty. The unelected, undemocratic House of Lords are making a stand for, er, democracy. According to some commentators, Scotland is closer to independence, and the clock is ticking on a united Ireland. Who'd have thunk it? Podcast host Derek Bateman welcomed author and playwright Peter Arnott and journalist and documentary producer Maurice Smith to the Newsnet studio to try and make sense of it all, on condition that nobody would mention D*n*ld Tr*mp. It never nearly worked...

So, two English by-elections. Labour lose a safe seat to the Tories but fight off UKIP to retain another one. So Jeremy Corbyn lives to fight another day, before his seemingly inevitable defeat at the hands of Theresa May. Is that the real scenario? Where are the Lib Dems? And what does it all mean for Scottish politics, if anything? Kezia Dugdale is in Perth cajoling her party into readiness to fight the SNP in a second independence referendum. One of Scotland's keenest academic observers of politics, Glasgow University's Professor Murray Pittock, dropped into the Newsnet studio to consider the week's events with podcast host Derek Bateman. The result is a crisp analysis of where we stand right now, within the context of Brexit, the collapse of Scottish Labour and the independence campaign.

Sometimes on Newsnet Radio we use our weekend podcasts to reflect on political events near and far, using that landscape to compare and contrast with the situation here in Scotland. This week the conversation ranged across US, British, Irish and Scottish politics. A few familiar characters popped up, from Donald Trump to Tony Blair, to the leaderships of Ulster's Democratic Unionist Party to Podcast host Derek Bateman was joined by CommonSpace editor and Sunday Herald columnist Angela Haggerty and Adam Ramsay (left), Scottish-based co-editor of openDemocracy UK. This week Adam helped break a fascinating story about Leave campaign funding being channeled via the DUP, a revelation that has been taken up during the current Northern Ireland Assembly election campaign. Adam, Angela and Derek reflected on the current national and international tensions involving populist politics and the media. In a week when Trump spent 77 minutes in a media conference condemning "the media" for not reporting his "facts", that tension has entered centre-stage. Journalism is undergoing a rebirth both in the mainstream and newer alternative versions, thanks to the surge in political populism and the need to check facts and lies, but funding is an ongoing issue.

Well, if Scotland was under any illusions about its place in the "Mother of Parliaments", they were shattered during the past week's bizarre debate on the triggering of Brexit under Theresa May's Tory Government. That's certainly the view of the SNP MPs who attempted to file 50 varied amendments to the government's Bill, itself presented only after Mrs May was forced to do so by the Supreme Court. The Government response was - to say the least - hostile. Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady came into the Newsnet Radio studio to recount his week in Parliament, and the impressions he gained, to our regular podcast host, Derek Bateman. This was a week where Scottish interests on Europe were cast aside by a Government bent on a so-called "hard Brexit", and unwilling to make exceptions for Scotland. The question for Scottish MPs now is: What next?

Never mind the bollocks, here come the Supreme Court judges. Whatever your views on the Scottish constitution, you at least know now that our shiny devolved parliament may not amount to a large hill of beans when it comes to decision-making. The Supreme Court's decision to force the UK Government to put the triggering of Brexit negotiations with the European Union before Parliament was welcomed by many. But it was accompanied by a decision that the devolved legislatures of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales did not have to be consulted in any formal way. Although the decision was no shock to Scottish legal observers, it undermines the promises made in the Smith Commission report that provided the basis of the most recent Scotland Act which awarded more powers to Holyrood. Then, politicians assumed that the "Sewel Convention", by which the Scottish Parliament be consulted on issues concerning any changes to devolved matters, had been enshrined in law. The Supreme Court effectively ruled this week that this did not pertain to Brexit, effectively leaving all power in such matters to Westminster. What does this all mean, and should we be alarmed by it? Podcast host Derek Bateman turned to Andrew Tickell, political blogger and law lecturer, to find out more. They were joined by journalist and film-maker Maurice Smith as they chewed over all this and the week's other political events in Scotland, London and Washington.

So what can you see by the dawn's early light? As Washington plays host to the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, the Newsnet podcast took its weekly snapshot of Scottish, UK and international politics. With our host Derek Bateman today were Iain Docherty, Professor of Public Policy and Governance, and journalist and TV producer Maurice Smith. They were given the task of unravelling all that is going on between Donald Trump and the American press, Theresa May and Europe, Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May. Yes, it has been another week of intrigue, manoeuvring and backstabbing. Somehow, somewhere, it is clear that something is going on. What we cannot quite agree on is what that something actually may be - the end of history, or just another chapter in the crisis of capitalism?

Exciting, isn't it? Only a few days now before the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, and de facto "leader of the free world", Donald Trump. It has a great ring to it, no? A second generation Scot who made it good, only decades after he emerged in New York to sup on a big, beautiful silver spoon held around his tiny hands by his proud Lewis mommy. It's enough to warm the blood of even the coldest-hearted Jock...surely? How we'll marvel at this son of Scots soil as he proudly takes the oath of office, watched by a captive audience worldwide, attended by his able manservant Nigel McFarage, head of the Clan McFarage.... OK, OK, you've brought up your porridge and choked on an oatcake. Podcast host Derek Bateman welcomed ex-politician and keen observer of politics Steven Purcell and journalist and lecturer Peter Geoghegan to chew the fat this week, covering the Trump election. Plus fake news, and of course the Russians, the British, the media, the Labour leadership, the plight of lazy liberals, the Mondeo drivers, the Blairites, the Irish, the Northern Irish, the Brexiters....in fact (almost) the lot.

A lost majority for the SNP... then Brexit...now Trump... Who dares to predict what 2017 might bring, after all that? Surely only a fool would even attempt to do so? Luckily, Newsnet Radio found a few such fools and ordained them the task of ruminating through the tea-leaves of the year that's past, and making some bold predictions for the one that's ahead. Podcast host Derek Bateman was joined by CommonSpace editor and Sunday Herald columnist Angela Haggerty, playwright and author Peter Arnott, and columnist and producer Maurice Smith, all of them challenged to make sense of the madness. It's fair to say they made a decent fist of it, although the lessons of the recent past probably dissuaded them from making firm forecasts (ever again? Ed.) Together the quartet share their angst about the past, present and the future in a discussion featuring several megs culpas, some bad jokes, and a notable impassioned plea on behalf of millennials from Angela. Yes, it is truly a cornucopia of political analysis, incorporating incorrigible optimism and desperate near-despair as the group assess what it all means for Scotland, the UK, Europe, the world and possibly the universe. In other words, a great start to our 2017 series of Newsnet podcasts.

The media in Scotland, a subject always sure to stir controversy, but one that remains important as Scottish politics demands centre stage attention. The SNP's dominance of Holyrood, Brexit, Trump and all the rest of 2016's political news, means that a diverse, popular, articulate and well resourced media is in great demand; or, it should be. Instead, the Scottish press continues to struggling with resourcing as the transformation from print to digital continues to be painful. Meanwhile the broadcast sector remains under intense political scrutiny, as the BBC Royal Charter is renewed and Scotland still waits to find out what that might mean north of the Border. Host Derek Bateman invited journalist Michael Gray, of Common Space and The National, and columnist and producer Maurice Smith into the Newsnet Radio studio.

Craig Murray, scourge of the Blairite establishment during his time at the Foreign Office, and critic of the SNP after the party's refusal to let him stand as an election candidate, is always an interesting listen. This weekend he visited the Newsnet studio to discuss current event in the US and elsewhere with our regular host Derek Bateman. And, in true form, the man who was Ambassador to Uzbekistan until he objected to that country's oppressive style of government, has a book to promote. He has written a fascinating account of Scots-born Sir Alexander Burnes, a distant relative of the great poet Rabbie Burns, and one of the British Empire's earliest and best-known spies. Burnes died in Kabul as he attempted to make peace during the first Afghan War in the 1830s in one of the most colourful episodes of the British Empire.

World affairs are getting so scary, so baffling, that people are grasping for historical parallels. Is it the 1930s all over again? The cataclysmic 1970s or Thatcher / Reagan 1980s? Where are the parallels to tumultuous votes that result in the UK choosing to leave Europe, or – gulp! – President-elect Trump? This week’s podcast host Maurice Smith put those questions and more to guest commentators Zara Kitson of the Scottish Greens, and our regular contributor Chris Silver. Both “millennials” and Yes voters in the Scottish referendum, they consider what it all means at local and Scottish level. What do people want? If communities feel excluded, what attracts them to future political solutions. Have the SNP got the answers, or is it much more complicated than that? The result offers a refreshing insight into what is going on in Scottish politics, and where it might be leading.

What on earth is happening to the British economy in the wake of the Brexit vote? Chancellor Philip Hammond’s revelation that Brexit may lead to additional costs of £60bn to the UK – and that’s just an early estimate by the Office of Budget Responsibility. Tory promises to have wiped out public debt first by 2015 and later by 2020 have been shattered, and Hammond revealed that the country will need to borrow a further £122bn by the latter date just to stay afloat. So much for austerity. What does all this mean for the economy, for Scotland’s relationship with Britain (and Europe), or for high-cost “prestige” spending such as the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system? Respected academic Prof Mike Danson visited the Newsnet studios to discuss with podcast host Derek Bateman, while journalist Maurice Smith joined them to chew over the broader issues facing the economy.

Alex Neil, one of the Scottish National Party's most prominent figures, shocked some colleagues when he revealed recently that he voted for Brexit in the EU referendum last June. The Airdrie & Shotts MSP visited Newsnet Radio studios to explain the thinking behind vote, and what he thinks the Scottish Government should be doing as it tackles the implications of the UK opting to leave the European Union. The veteran MSP, who served as a Minister in the 2007 and 2011 administrations, says that other SNP figures took a similar position on Europe. He tells interviewer Maurice Smith why he backed Brexit, and sets out his case for an SNP independence campaign within the terms of a UK that has left the EU. The former SNP minister believes Scotland should be demanding that all powers to be returned from Brussels to London must be devolved to Holyrood in every area that relates to Scotland: a significant shift of emphasis from the Scottish Government's current position.

A vote for modernity and defining our own path. That's how self-described "musician, writer, thinker and pest" Pat Kane describes the independence vote Scotland might have had back in 2014 as he reflects on all that has happened since. He warns that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government risk being sucked into what he describes as "the Brexit maw", and somehow misses the boat on achieving a better future for Scotland as they grapple with Westminster's confused and all-encompassing relationship with Europe. Pat discusses Scotland's Brexit dilemma with podcast host Derek Bateman covering the risks facing Scottish universities, cultural life and modern outlook in a broad discussion. He calls on Scottish political leaders to be bold and provide people with a powerful and persuasive vision of the future, via Scottish independence. But he also insists that the SNP must tack to the left, and deliver policies from the left, to succeed.

We invite two leading Yes figures, bloggers James Kelly (ScotGoesPop!) and Paul Kavanagh (WeeGingerDug) and what happens? Donald Trump gets elected that’s what. Still reeling from the Great Ginger Dumpling’s Washington triumph, James and Paul got together with regular host Derek Bateman to try and dissect how it happened, what happens next, and what it might all mean for Scotland, Britain, Brexit, the EU and everything else that sprang to mind. The truth of course is that no-one really knows what happens next. The year that brought us Brexit, and now Trump, may eventually lead to the fabled IndyRef2, in which both of this week’s guests have more than a passing interest.

What a weird world we are living in right now. A world where Japanese car manufacturers suddenly reverse all their concerns about Brexit and commit to spending millions in Leave-voting Sunderland, but without any UK Government promises of subsidies… Yeh, right. But the intoxicating fumes of Japanese lobbying and Tory plotting may be having an influence on otherwise-sane people everywhere. Perhaps even in Scotland some are thinking the unthinkable. Might Brexit work out just fine for everyone? Will the SNP ever hold a second independence referendum? Could Ruth Davidson – Scotland’s Politician of the Year as of Thursday night – actually be a future, gasp, First Minister? Podcast host Derek Bateman tapped out the hallucinogenic contents of his genuine fake 1960s peace pipe and invited former Scottish Labour leading light Steven Purcell and journalist and producer Maurice Smith to examine the ashes. Our long-suffering producer Amanda recorded those bits that were fit to publish…

"Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes / No" asked the front page of the Daily Record on Friday. Yes, the Daily Record, creators of "The Vow" and a bastion of the Labour Party for longer than anybody cares to remember. The paper's three page position statement was prompted by the stance of unelected UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who has ruled out negotiating anything that recognises Scotland's big majority to Remain during her looming Brexit negotiations with the European Union. What can we make of it all? First Minister Nicola Sturgeon published a consultative Bill on a second independence referendum on Thursday. The Scottish constitutional debate is entwined now with Brexit, as predicted by many and articulated now by a major newspaper which has hitherto supported the Union. Podcast host Derek Bateman enlisted playwright and author Peter Arnott and producer and journalist Maurice Smith to discuss all this and more for this week's programme. As ever it is a fascinating listen.

Michael Russell MSP, the man called back into Government to help deal with the consequences of Brexit, spoke about the task facing the Scottish government as they attempt to second guess Westminster and establish the way ahead for Scotland. Interviewed before the end of the SNP autumn conference in Glasgow, Russell told interviewer Maurice Smith that he is already hearing from major employers who have “many concerns” about the implication of the UK’s exit from the European Union, and what it may mean in terms of “passporting” in the case of financial services operations, but also in employment of key people and access to existing markets. Reporting to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Russell is preparing the ground for detailed negotiations with the so=-called “Brexit Minister”, David Davis MP. The two met informally soon after the Scottish minister’s appointment in August. His comments came during a conference which was dominated by Brexit and the Scottish response, with First Minister Sturgeon threatening Westminster with the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum if there are no serious concessions to Scottish interests. This follows a hardening of Downing Street’s attitudes towards Brexit negotiations, which are expected to begin before the end of March. The Scottish Government is concerned that its UK counterpart is ignoring the Scottish vote in favour of remaining within the EU, despite earlier signals from Prime Minister Theresa May soon after she became the UK’s second unelected Prime Minister of the last decade.