Podcast appearances and mentions of derek bateman

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer both set out their stalls for 2023 with keynote speeches and in major television interviews.We examine these and question whether Labour, still so far ahead in the polls, is playing a Tory light card with its embrace of "Take Back Control".The NHS in England is under pressure according to Sunak but is in a crisis in Scotland caused by SNP incompetence claims Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane. He wasn't so eloquent when pushed on Conservative competence down south.We also question how safe the Health and Social Care system is in the hands of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt who called for its "denationalisation" in 2005 and presided over its increasing privatisation as Health Secretary.Hats off to Sky's Sam Coates and Tortoise Media for shining the light onto MPs' outside earnings, donations, and gifts. Theresa May getting big bucks for speeches?There's been no escape from the publication of Prince Harry's tell all book "Spare" and we are no exception, but with our own take on the monarchy beyond the soap opera.Meanwhile back at Westminster the Minimum Service Levels Bill seems set to become law placing draconian restrictions on the right to strike in the public sector.Lesley also pays tribute to Aonghas MacNeacail, and Derek Bateman. ★ Support this podcast ★

Recently, Heath Slater revealed the original names pitched for 3MB - The 3 Man Band. Mo & Gregg imagine a world with this different line-up, look back on WWE's lowest performing pay-per-view of the 90's, warn Sasha NOT to time-travel, skip the WWE Hall of Fame, and much more!

This week the boys discuss Goldberg going into the Hall of Fame, the Appearance of Ricochet & EC3 at the performance center, Updates from this week's Raw & Smackdown, and who will be at WWE 25th Anniversary of Raw!   Videos to Check out: EC3 in WWE as "Derek Bateman" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSH4-Ihvme0 Ricochet talks WWE arrival - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y59zjxGfGqU Goldberg enters WWE Hall of Fame - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3P9Kt_nO8A   Don't forget to Checkout Dizzle J's Match of the Week, which is posted on our Facebook page.   If you are a local Indy Wrestler, and you want a bio up on our website, contact us to make it happen!   Make sure you get involved and let us know what you want us to talk about!   Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JFWPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/JFWPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfwpodcast Website: http://justfreakinwrestlin.myfreesites.net

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

John Nicolson MP, the scourge of those Scottish political journalists whom he derided as "lazy", stepped into the Newsnet Radio studio to explain what really happened to our podcast host Derek Bateman. In a wide-ranging interview, the East Dunbartonshire MP discusses his dismay at coverage of the so-called "Daisley affair" involving a writer at STV's digital arm, plus life as one of the "SNP 56" at Westminster. The conversation covers Theresa May's performance on Brexit, the campaign to pardon gay men for historical "offences" that are no longer illegal in British law, and the scandal of the sale of Thomas Muir's former home in East Dunbartonshire, whose council has spurned the opportunity of help from a team led by one of the UK's most noted architectural historians. ewsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

What a busy news week it's been. From Jeremy Corbyn's massive leadership election victory (and all its consequences for Labour north and south of the Border) to the latest on Brexit, plus the arrival of US shale gas at Grangemouth and the revival of the fracking debate, the media old and new have been keeping very busy indeed. Podcast host Derek Bateman responded by inviting Angela Haggerty, left, editor of Common Space, and producer and columnist Maurice Smith into the Newsnet studio to chat about the week's events. What does international trade secretary Liam Fox actually mean when he talks about "free trade" post Brexit? Does the SNP really oppose fracking, or does it risk being hoist by its own petard in the economics v environment debate? Where does Kezia Dugdale go now? And... er, OK this won't appeal to everyone, but how important was that Celtic v Manchester City draw in the Champions League (with apologies to non- football fans). It's a lively discussion with plenty of forthright views, and essential listening for everyone engaged in Scottish politics.

It is being billed as one of the most polite campaigns of recent politics. Chris , Angus Robertson Tommy Sheppard and Alyn Smith have been traversing the nation at hustings among the Scottish National Party’s 120,000 members, debating which of them should be the next SNP deputy leader. The contest, brought about by the abrupt departure of Stewart Hosie in early summer, brings together four candidates of different politics and backgrounds. Each has a different vision for the way the job should be done, as the party gears up for “interesting times” following the UK referendum on Europe. Tommy Sheppard, who wants to strengthen the SNP’s organisational skills, visited the Newsnet studio to meet podcast regular host Derek Bateman and discuss the campaign, as well as his own personal journey from Labour to SNP. Tommy was a full time organiser for the Labour Party in Scotland during the 1990s, but left the party in 2001. He joined the SNP in the wake of the 2014 referendum, during which he had campaigned for Yes and rekindled his enthusiasm for politics.

Two years since the Scottish referendum, 13 weeks since the Brexit vote, where stands Scottish and UK politics? What are Theresa May and her merry prankster band of Tory Brexiteers actually up to, and how can Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP and other Scottish politicians respond properly, putting some flesh on the bones of their demand that the Scottish majority to remain in Europe be honoured somehow. Leading academic and keen observer Prof Iain Docherty and journalist Maurice Smith joined podcast host Derek Bateman to discuss all this and more, pondering the economics of Brexit, and of Scotland regardless of the constitutional outcome. You can listen to a fascinating analysis of our current political situation by clicking on the audio file above, or download it from your usual sources. Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

Imagine a Scotland with a place of its own at the international table. Alyn Smith certainly can. A Scottish member of the European Parliament since 2004, his impassioned plea to colleagues not to ignore Scotland post Brexit referendum made headlines across the Continent. Alyn visited the Newsnet studio to share his view of the post-Brexit situation for Scotland in Europe. He believes that the Brexit vote is already doing the UK repetitional damage across the Continent, and he fears the situation will become worse in future. He blames the Tory right and its supporters in the media for the “appalling” British stereotypes of the EU and people of various nationalities. He also traces the current anti-immigrant sentiment to former Premier Gordon Brown’s controversial “British jobs for British workers” campaign pre 2010. He also discussed his bid to become SNP deputy leader with podcast host Derek Bateman, setting out his case for the job. Alyn is standing against three other candidates, Angus Robertson MP, Tommy Shepherd MSP and Cllr Chris McEleny. You can listen to Alyn and Derek by clicking on the audio file above, or via iTunes and other podcast delivery services. Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

What makes a former Labour Party spin doctor make the decision to support Scottish independence? Simon Pia, once close to Better Together leader Alistair Darling and other leading party figures, has concluded that Scotland must take the leap, and he is ready to support a second referendum. He visited our podcast studio to explain the reasoning behind his decision to host Derek Bateman, citing Labour’s disengagement from its voters and supporters. Simon, former journalist and now a regular broadcast pundit, believes Labour has no-one to blame but itself for the predicament. He explains the dilemmas facing many Labour members and supporters, both at UK level and in Scotland. He reflects on some of his work for the party, and what happened as its support went into decline. And he admits he voted “no” in 2014 with a heavy heart. This is an open and forthright chat that reflects the heart of a Labour supporters unease with Scottish politics, and the journey that many are on, one way or another on the constitutional road. To play the interview, press the audio file above, or download it from your usual podcast service.

Eric Joyce, once one of the rising stars of an ascendant Labour Party, could be a man haunted by his own failings and his remarkable fall from grace and departure from politics after a serious of drink related incidents. Eric Joyce , a former Army officer and MP for Falkirk West for 15 years, has been rebuilding his life after a long-expected exit from parliament last year. His time of reflection, and the Brexit vote, has led to a developing support for an independent Scotland. The former MP visited the Newsnet studios to meet podcast host Derek Bateman for a free ranging discussion of Brexit and Scottish independence, covering issues such as the future structure of the military, the role of Scotland as a continuing EU member, and the “new norm” that favours independence over other constitutional solutions. He points out: “I literally do not know any of my friends who don’t think that Scotland should be looking very seriously at independence, and most of them are Labour people. People in England are thinking why should Scotland want to go along with a Brexit under the Tories, when they could stay in Europe?” He believes an independence referendum must happen before Theresa May presents a fait accompli to the electorate in 2020. Joyce described Labour in Scotland as “headless chickens” and believes leader Kezia Dugdale has taken on the job too soon. It is another fascinating listen, so click on the audio file above or download in the usual way. Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

Independence for Scotland. We are certainly talking about it, but is anybody doing any proper planning about how Scotland gets there? Robin McAlpine, head of the independence leaning think-tank Common Weal, is challenging the constituent parts of the Yes campaign to think carefully about how it lifts support for independence into the majority, He doesn’t believe that UK Brexit vote is enough to convince enough Scots to back a breakaway, even though a clear majority backed remaining in the European Union. He has produced a book, Determination, setting out his argument for a thoroughly thought-out and meaningful campaign for Scottish independence. Here he discussed his ideas with podcast host Derek Bateman. What follows is a fascinating discussion. “We cannot keep saying to people the same things as last time, and expect a different result,” argues Robin. “The people who will win the next referendum will look pretty much like the people who voted Yes last time around.” Robin argues that defeat in 2014 has not been followed by a proper political “autopsy”, because of the massive growth of the SNP and the fact that Scotland hurtled quickly into the 2015 UK and 2016 election campaigns. Listen to his case by clicking the audio file above, or downloading to your usual service. “Determination: How Scotland can become independent by 2021”; Robin McAlpine; Available from Common Weal; £5.00 Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

Where next for the Scottish media? And what exactly is it anyway? We invited a group of people from the industry into the studio to discuss the type of media Scotland needs, and what is being done to achieve it. We chose a recent book – Christopher Silver’s Demanding Democracy: The Case for a Scottish Media* – as the basis for an informed discussion about Scotland’s traditional, “mainstream”, media and its newer digital counterparts. Our guests Angela Haggerty, Kevin McKenna and Christopher Silver himself joined journalist and producer Maurice Smith in a conversation that travelled all the way from life in traditional and digital newsrooms to the Daily Mail, Leveson Inquiry and the Wee Ginger Dug. Our group are all media practitioners in various guises. Angela is editor of Common Space and a Sunday Herald columnist, and Kevin is a regular contributor to The Herald, Observer and The National. Combined with Christopher’s writing experience and Maurice’s career in newspapers and broadcasting, the group’s experience spans decades of journalism in Scotland – decades that have witnessed massive change in politics and the media. The main thrust of Demanding Democracy is that Scotland needs a stronger media that is more appropriate to the needs of modern society. It covers the relative decline of the newspaper industry, the growth of digital for both mainstream and “new” media, and different models including Scandinavia, where larger media are obliged to effectively cross-subsidise smaller concerns. Our group examines the current media landscape, how it may develop and what should happen next, including the BBC, new media and existing newspapers. It’s a fascinating listen, so click on the audio file above, or download from your usual sources. * Demanding Democracy; Christopher Silver; See www.word-power.co.uk Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

Brexit aside, the Labour leadership battle has become the second internal psycho drama to grip a political party over recent weeks. Jeremy Corbyn has been forced to face new contender Owen Smith this summer, as the fight for Labour’s soul has spilled into the public domain. The Corbyn phenomenon seemed to stop at the border last year, as the Left winger swept to power across the UK backed in part by a youthful movement of new members who have swollen Labour’s ranks to more than 500,000. In Scotland, however, Labour’s fortunes have been rather different, as new leader Kezia Dugdale struggled to define the party position post the 2014 referendum. So what next? Podcast stand-in host Maurice Smith invited up and coming Labour figure Rhea Wolfson into the studio, taking a brief break on Friday from her current campaign to be elected to her party’s national executive (NEC). Rhea, co-chair of Scottish Labour’s Young Socialists, GMB branch secretary and a prominent Scottish “Corbynista”, discussed Donald Trump, Indyref 1 & 2, Brexit and the future of the Labour Party – in Scotland as well as the UK. The resulting conversation reflects some of the thinking going on within Labour’s Left, represented by Momentum, which is backing Rhea’s NEC campaign. Listen now by clicking on the audio file above, or downloading from your normal source. Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you. [Derek Bateman is away]

Chilcott. Leadsom. Theresa May. Installing a clown as Foreign Secretary. The sacking of Michael Gove. Does the Westminster summer panto never end? Would we want it to? And what about Scotland? All of these questions – or some of them – were addressed by Newsnet Radio regulars author and playwright Peter Arnott and ScotGoesPop blogger James Kelly as they and stand-in host Maurice Smith grappled with current events. Harold Wilson’s observation that a week is a long time in politics has rarely been illustrated to be so true – remember that it’s actually only three weeks since that momentous Brexit vote that threatens to remove Britain from Europe and to cleave Scotland from Britain. Are we closer to a second referendum on Scottish referendum, or not? What are we to make of new Prime Minister Theresa May’s trip to Edinburgh to meet First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Friday morning? What does it all mean? When shall we get back to “normal” and stop having to ask so many questions? Or is chaos the new normal in Scottish, British and European politics? Note too that Donald Trump is polling more strongly in the United States … It all makes for a fascinating listen as our podcast group chew over the latest twists and turns. Click on the audio file above, or download the podcast at your leisure… Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you. [Derek Bateman is away]

Hoodwinked by a perfidious Leave campaign, or disillusioned by globalisation, it is important that political parties and activists understand what motivated Brexit voters, rather than demonising them as ignorant people or even racists. That thought arose quickly when Newsnet podcast host Derek Bateman got together with guest contributors Steven Purcell and Zara Kitson. As Derek remarks: “Politics? Bloody hell…” They have been doing a lot of thinking too about the Scottish dimension on Britain’s constitutional crisis and what the opposition parties should be saying and doing. In another thoughtful podcast – recorded just as the Chilcot inquiry was being published – Steven, Zara and Derek share opinions about Scotland’s options and what may (or may not) happen next. It is another fascinating listen in our regular series. Click on the file above or download via your usual sources (search for Newsnet.scot podcast). Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.

Derek Bateman is joined in the studio by Maurice Smith, Professor Iain McPhee and Angela Haggerty.

The murder of Labour MP Jo Cox last Thursday has raised many issues relating to the tone of political debate and the role of politicians in society. This week’s podcast – recorded shortly after the event and the initial public reaction – considers the fall-out from the shocking turn of events during a campaign that has been notable for its vicious exchanges in the media and out on the campaign trail. Two of Newsnet’s regular commentators – blogger James Kelly of ScotGoesPop and writer Christopher Silver – joined Newsnet Radio podcast host Derek Bateman in the wake of the Cox murder and before the appearance in court of the man arrested soon afterwards by West Yorkshire police. Newsnet Radio podcasts continue thanks to your subscriptions. If you can support them, and our news analysis service, please subscribe whatever you can afford.

Is it possible to think of Scotland outside Europe? Our special guest this week is author, presenter and social historian Billy Kay, who argues that our relationship with Europe is so intertwined with our history – stretching long before the Act of Union – that it would be unnatural to turn our back on the Continent. Billy points out that Scottish sea trade with the Baltic states, Scandinavia and Russia was crucial to our merchants long before the 18th century. We have long links with Russia and Poland, so much so that Scottish societies of merchants existed there in the 1500s. He points also to the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on French educational history, and long links to Italian and French places of study. Today’s podcast is a valuable discussion that puts Scotland firmly in the European context. Billy and his host, Derek Bateman, discuss the prospects for next month’s EU referendum, its implications for Scotland, and even the impact of a “Brexit” vote on Scottish public opinion and European views of Scotland in that scenario. Billy remains of the belief that Scotland will be independent, although he accepts the referendum may be several years away. Here he explains why. Newsnet Radio podcasts continue to thank you for your subscriptions. If you can support them, and our news analysis service, please donate whatever you can afford.

This week’s Newsnet Radio podcast found our panel in fickle mood, picking over the implications of the Scottish elections, and looking ahead to another referendum, this time over Britain’s EU membership. Will our visits to the polls never end? We have three regular contributors with chair Derek Bateman this week: playwright and author Peter Arnott, Green activist Zara Kitson, and journalist and documentary producer Maurice Smith. Zara was speaking amidst the disappointment of just failing to win a Scottish Parliamentary “list” seat for the Greens in Glasgow. The quartet discussed the impact of Ruth Davidson’s supposed “Tory revival” in last week’s poll. Is it real, or did the Scottish Conservative leader simply manage to motivate a rump anti-SNP vote? What will the SNP do with their third successive term of office? Is the result terminal for Labour, or can they mount an unexpected revival after tumbling into third place? And would a Brexit vote enhance or diminish the chances of “IndyRef2”? Thanks to your continued support, our election campaign podcasts will continue up to the EU referendum in June. Newsnet.scot is run by volunteers – no salaries or crowd-funders – and so your one off payments and subscriptions help greatly towards maintaining everything as well as funding occasional commissions. Peter Arnott’s play Shall Roger Casement Hang? set in the aftermath of the Easter Rising will run at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, May 20-28 Maurice Smith is producer of Scotland’s First Oil Rush, a history of the West Lothian shale mining industry, which is broadcast on BBC Two Scotland on Tuesday May 17 at 9pm.

So everybody lost and everybody won, as is usually claimed in the aftermath of every poll. Our team of experts gathered at the Newsnet Radio studio after very little sleep to share their views of winners, losers, uppers and downers with host Derek Bateman. The big loser, of course was Labour. Under leader Kezia Dugdale, the party slumped to third place in the polls. The SNP won an unprecedented third term, but leader Nicola Sturgeon was narrowly denied an overall majority, which means her administration will have to do deals with other parties to get key decisions approved at Holyrood over the coming five years. The Greens progressed, although not as far as they had hoped, as all those SNP second votes piled up, not only to their benefit but also that of the Tories, who shocked most observers by reaching a clear second place. What does it all mean for the governance of Scotland, for each party and even for the UK? Scottish politics continues to deliver surprises and it really does seem to soon to say what any of this means for the cause of Scottish independence. Thanks to everyone who contributed to supporting our election campaign coverage, and especially the podcasts. We are delighted to confirm that we will be able to carry on the programme beyond the Scottish election campaign, and on to the European referendum on June 23. If you can support Newsnet with a one-off payment or a voluntary subscription, please help by donating via Newsnet.scot.

Waiting for The Gift of Sound and Vision The Media in Scotland With Iain Macwhirter, Derek Bateman, Kirstin Innes, Fiona Ferguson, Peter Arnott, Ross Colquhoun, Rob Mackenzie and Martin Lynch.

For the 41st episode of the For A' That podcast Andrew and I were joined by broadcaster and blogger Derek Bateman, former Socialist MSP and member of Women For Indy, Carolyn Leckie and writer and blogger William Duguid.First we talked about the Sturgeon/Lamont stramash. At the risk of going against one of the things we thought was bad about it, was the real knockout blow actually delivered to the political process itself? Is it too simple just to say it was awful and move on? Were they both equally guilty? Do we (or well, the media) need to start using alternative formats.Secondly we talked about the recent activities of the Tory government who seem to have been going round businesses begging them to say something negative about independence. Should we just be a bit stronger and tell them where to go?Another topic was the Women for Indy project and the report it is going to publish shortly. Carolyn let us know what the main problems and outcomes were, and how much work there still is to do in this area.We also got on to the crowdfunding stories in the last week. Amazing, certainly, but why has this phenomenon started to gather pace and can we be sure the money is going where it's needed most?There is all that and more in the new episode.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttp://www.womenforindependence.org/http://derekbateman1.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://twitter.com/carolynleckiehttps://twitter.com/PeatWorrierhttps://twitter.com/WomenForIndyhttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/http://williamduguid.blogspot.co.uk/https://twitter.com/WilliamDuguid1

Derek Bateman is the guest for the 45th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast.Here is what his BBC biog says about him...Derek Bateman is a veteran of the Scottish news scene having begun as a trainee reporter with the Scotsman in his teens and spending the last 45 years covering politics and current affairs in various guises - as a reporter with the Glasgow Herald, political editor of Scotland on Sunday, a foreign correspondent for STV's international output, a correspondent for the Observer and commentator and presenter at Radio Scotland.Over the years he has specialised in politics, international affairs and Europe having been a regular observer of EU affairs in Brussels and Strasbourg. He followed the Troubles in Ireland from Dublin and Belfast and as a reporter and radio documentary-maker for BBC Scotland he has worked in Russia, Finland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, France, the Basque Country, Catalonia, Denmark, Iceland and the Deep South of the United States. He has presented two presidential elections from Washington. He made a location documentary series on the Quebec referendum in 1995 and another on the handover of Hong Kong to China the following year.Among the highlights of 20 years at the BBC - for him, if not the audience - are co-presenting Good Morning Scotland for 10 years and presenting the Saturday current affairs review Newsweek Scotland. He is a regular presenter of Westminster and Holyrood election night coverage and of by-elections. He occupied the presenter's chair for the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The thing is though, Derek decided to chuck it all in so he could have his say in the Scottish Independence debate and since then his blogs have been lighting up the debate.This podcast should lively up your evening a fair old bit as well.Hope you enjoy...LINKShttp://derekbateman1.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/category/the-scottish-independence-podcast/

This week’s @lesleyriddoch Podcast is full of lectures. From Kirkintilloch; where Lesley reflected on the legacy of Tom Johnston and the community spirit to Govan and the latest news about shipbuilding. In common with a lot of bloggers, like Derek Bateman, Lesley has a different view of the proceedings, unlike the MSM. If you didn’t make it along to the excellent Nordic Horizons event; ‘Nordic Cooperation with Mary Hilson and Johan Strang, Lesley gives you the highlights about how the Nordic nations are practically working together. (Still worth listening to a recording of the event…it’s lively and thought provoking.) And …finally, there’s news of another insight into Copenhagen, coming in December at the next Nordic Horizons meeting.

David McLetchie, Henry McLeish and Mike Daly get together with Derek Bateman to discuss bugging, privacy and mobile phone directories, Climate change targets and Afghanistan. Lesley is away this week and will be back the following week.

Derek Bateman stood in for Lesley and guess what ? MPs' expenses was the hot topic.