Podcasts about scottish tories

Join Fiona, Marlene, and regular guest Lynne as they dive into the most pressing topics in Scottish and Westminster politics. From Labour's disastrous welfare cuts and the ongoing battle over PIP (Personal Independence Payments) to the Scottish Tories desperate attempts to run down Ferguson Marine,  the trio offers insightful analysis and opinion.  Tune in for an eye-opening discussions on topics as diverse as the dangers of the nuclear industry, the latest Believe in Scotland litterpicking campaign, and Canada's spirited stand against Trump's aggressive rhetoric.  Stay informed with topical chat, thought-provoking clips, and expert commentary on current events shaping our world today. Chapters: 00:00:53  Nicola Sturgeon cleared  00:02:16  Decolonising Scotland 00:08:41  Lorna Slater - return of the Deposit Return Scheme  00:11:03  Believe in Scotland litterpicking campaign 00:14:44  PIP - Labour's Poll Tax Moment? 00:16:04  Stephen Flynn calls out Labour's manifesto 00:18:36  What is PIP and who is affected? 00:20:07  Diane Abbot calls out Starmer 00:24:29  Richard Murphy on other options for Reeves  00:27:50  Will Scotgov mitigate PIP? 00:31:11  David Kelly, the nuclear industry's tritium crisis 00:34:17  Graeme Downie plays patsy for Labour  00:36:49  Dorothea Barron, women see round corners 00:38:55  Ferries bad say hypocritical Tories 00:46:33  Reform UK - not what they say on the tin 00:56:53  Elbows Up Canada! #scottishpolitics #PIP #elbowsup   The Scottish Independence Podcasts team produce a NEW podcast episode every Friday search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts.  Remember to like and subscribe! Contact Us: indypodcasters@gmail.com  Visit our website https://scottishindypod.scot for blogposts, newsletter signup and more episodes Subscribe for free to our Youtube channel @scottishindypodExtra for more of our video footage and clips.  video premieres most Tuesdays at 8pm If you've enjoyed this podcast you might like to buy us a coffee?  https://ko-fi.com/scottishindependencepodcasts or choose us as your Easyfundraising good cause. Music: Inspired by Kevin MacLeod, Industrial Cinematic by Kevin MacLeod  

Alistair Grant, Rachel Amery, Alexander Brown and David Bol discuss the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform UK in Scotland. Rachel then sits down with Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, to discuss the future of Gaelic following a big week for the language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon is joined by Sunday Mail Political Editor John Ferguson and Scottish Express Editor Ben Borland on the Planet Holyrood podcast to discuss the hot talking points at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. This week Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves continue to come under criticism for their negative narrative, claiming ‘things are going to get worse before getting better' and the cutting of winter fuel payments. The SNP also dubbed the Prime Minister "the king of freebies" after it emerged he has received more gifts and tickets than any other party leader in recent history. Anas Sarwar's chances of becoming First Minister have also been harmed by Downing Street blunders and Treasury control freakery. And finally, the Scottish Tories will announce their new leader on Friday, with former Sunday Mail journalist Russell Findlay the favourite to take the post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie delve into the challenges facing the new Labour government in the aftermath of Keir Starmer's first conference speech as Prime Minister. Labour stood on a platform of "Change" but is it immediate enough for the electorate?Where will the money come from in Rachel Reeves upcoming budget?Is the new government facing mid-term blues already, only months after the election?Anas Sarwar has said no austerity but how do you define austerity?ALSOThe Scottish Tories and Reform?Will the Scottish Tories even make it to 3rd place in the 2026 election?Are there any ideas in the race to be Scottish Tory Leader?Does Reform have a constituency in Scotland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are one month (or in Welsh units, two First Ministers) on from the 2024 General Election, and finishing our mini-series of analyses into the results in each of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom with a look to the North to try and understand more about the people and priorities of Scotland. For well over a decade the central debate has revolved around the country's constitution future inside or outside both the British and European Unions. However, the emergence of a successful UK Labour Party in England has been mirrored by a resurgence of the Scottish Party, while myriad forced and unforced errors have weakened the once all-powerful SNP. So how did Labour make such a comeback, where next for the SNP, how will the Scottish Tories build on their remaining support, and what future the Greens, Lib Dems, and Reform? And at the heart of it, what are the Scottish people looking for in their national and union leadership? To discuss we are joined by Dr Fraser McMillan of Edinburgh University and the Scottish Election Study. You can find out more from Fraser here: https://x.com/frasmcm As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Scottish Conservative Leadership Candidate and former Olympian, Brian Whittle, takes on challengers. "I'd struggle to vote for Russell Findlay"Douglas Ross standing in General Election was "disrespectful" and cost Tories the seat. "We got what we deserved" in General Election.Scottish Tory leaders have failed on communication.Scottish Tories - too much PR and not enough policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Scotland the men's Euros are over. We try and go beyond the football itself and look at the coverage of Scotland's games ,and if this latest set of defeats at a major competition tells us anything about our Scottish psyche.If the team lost the Tartan Army definitely won the hearts of the German people. What is so special about Scottish fans?It was the turn of the Scottish Tories to launch its manifesto on Monday. Rishi Sunak dutifully took a break from Gamblegate( more of this later) to pop up and offer his support to Douglas Ross. Two soon to be departed leaders? We go over it, so you can avoid the pain.Ross also appeared on Good Morning Scotland and Gary Robertson grilled him on devolution, reserved issues, and the democratic road to indy ref2.Yet another manifesto launch. This time the SNP's Climate and Just Transition. John Swinney has made a direct plea to Sir Keir Starmer to revisit and reinstate Labour's £28 billion green investment spending plan. Has the SNP managed to square that circle of protecting jobs while tackling climate change?Meanwhile Anas Sarwar struggled to explain what Great British Energy was and how it would cut bills and create jobs. However we finally had confirmation that it wouldn't generate energy but would be a vehicle seeking to secure private investment. But, and it's a big but, that question over the inefficiency over the National Grid and where and how it could be upgraded to meet Labour's 2030 Net Zero target remains. We discuss.Hard on the heels of his D Day "gaffe" Sunak dithered, delayed, then finally after days of prevarication withdrew support for two Tory candidates who apparently used inside information to place winning bets on the General Election date. Is this symbolic of the end of days for both Sunak and the Tories?Everybody to Kenmure Street Felipe Bustos Sierra (director) is a BAFTA-winning Chilean-Belgian filmmaker based in Scotland, living just a few minutes away from Kenmure Street when the protest against the Home Office detention of two local asylum seekers began. His first feature "Nae Pasaran" (2018) uncovered the true impact of the solidarity of Scottish factory workers for victims of Pinochet's military coup in Chile. As a result of the film's research, the men involved received recognition from the Chilean government and a public monument was erected to commemorate their gesture 40 years later. The film became, on release, the most successful Scottish documentary in UK cinemas. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the BIFA 2019 and won Best Feature Film at the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2018.Here's the link to the Crowdfunder https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/debasers/everybody-to-kenmure-streetFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560781820130 ★ Support this podcast ★

We discuss the recent launch of the SNP manifesto for the upcoming general election. We explore the purpose of a manifesto in a general election and the tactics at play. Plus, we discuss the potential impact of the polls on the outcome of the election and the future of the Scottish Conservative Party. We take your questions on the achievements of the SNP at Westminster and the possibility of a leadership contest within the Scottish Conservatives. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/holyroodsources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Hutcheon, Ben Borland and Andrew Quinn discuss the admission that the Tories are unlikely to win the election, whether Scotland's humbling against Germany will impact voters and whether the Scottish Tories may break away from the main party if it moves more to the right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A general election has been called for the 4th of July. We discuss the strategic decisions and execution of the announcement. There are questions about the rationale behind the chosen date and the decision to hold the event outside in the rain. We also discuss the potential impact on the Conservative Party and the Scottish Tories in particular. The conversation then shifts to the SNP and the suspension of Michael Matheson for breaching the MSP Code of Conduct. The hosts debate the political implications of John Swinney's decision to back Matheson and the timing of the announcement. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/holyroodsources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alistair Grant, Rachel Amery, Alexander Brown and David Bol discuss Scottish Tory fury over the extension of the windfall tax on oil and gas companies. Later, Alex speaks to SNP MP Stewart McDonald as he returns from a visit to Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Katy Balls about the slightly muted reaction to the budget. Labour has compared the announcements to Liz Truss's unfunded tax cuts and Scottish Tories have criticised the chancellor's decision to extend the windfall tax on the profits of North Sea oil. But is this really the pre-election budget?  

In this episode, Calum, Geoff and Andy are joined by Douglas Ross - Scottish Conservative leader, MP for Moray and MSP for the Highlands and Islands. The discuss topics including the Rwanda Bill, the difficulties within the Conservative Party, opportunities for the Scottish Tories, election forecasts, and David Cameron's letter to Scottish ministers. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/holyroodsources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We certainly cover a lot of ground in this week's episode.Kicking off ( pun definitely intended) with the retreat by Richard Turfitt on the draconian proposed restrictions on travelling Scottish football fans. The consultation document resulted in almost unanimous consensus in opposition right across the political spectrum.The decision by the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain that it would “not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users” possessing drugs within a consumption room were one to be created." has also sparked surprising agreement among political parties with even the Scottish Tories supporting the ruling and the establishment of a pilot scheme in Glasgow. However Suella Braverman and the UK government seem set against the idea. Will this lead to a Scottish Tory rebellion?The Conservatives staved off a backbench revolt,led by Alok Sharma, on maintaining the ban on on-shore wind farm developments. However the latest auction of offshore licences proved a predictable disaster.One of several facing an increasingly chaotic UK government sailing in the face of expert and public opinion.This followed on from the report by the Commons International Development Committee on the unintended consequences of the Illegal Migration Act,which we explore.There has also been vehement and complete opposition to the Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy and Reconciliation Act from all Northern Ireland's political parties, the Irish government, victims' families and civic groups. Is the act a cover up for the so called "Dirty War"?Meanwhile there's trouble at t'mill or at least the TUC Congress 2023 with Unite leading the campaign for Labour not to roll back on workers rights and public ownership. The level of trust in an incoming Labour government might be judged by the motion passed calling for employment law to be devolved to Scotland.However, it does appear from all that's coming out of Labour HQ that all this has fallen on Blairite deaf ears.If you're interested in the "Break Up of Britain" conference memtioned by Lesley you can find out more and book tickets herehttps://thebreakupofbritain.net/https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thebreakupofbritain/936799All this plus reports back on Lesley's Thrive tour, house sitting adventures, and Pat's technical demands. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the week where Lesley,in her own words,"got her jotters from the Herald", we return to the controversy over HPMAs .We ask in the light of the success of the COAST charity that pioneered the no-take zone at Lamlash Bay, should this be the model for an effective,locally based approach to marine conservation.This groundbreaking video was made 10 years ago by the divers who set up the COAST charity that pioneered the no-take zone at Lamlash Bay. Watch and be amazed!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tC2IAgeJrAThe Wild Isles episode number 5 - not shown on TV featuring award winning camera operator Doug Allan, who started his diving career at Lamlash Bay - speaks at 55.54'https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0f21klc/wild-isles-series-1-5-oceanThe SNP has scheduled a one day "Independence Convention" in Dundee on the same day as the AUOB march in Stirling. Is this a sign of an opening up of party democracy in the Humza Yousaf era or simply a rebranding effort to disguise the SNP talking to itself?Meanwhile at Westminster the anti-strike,minimum service levels, bill which will force workers in areas such as health and education to go to  work or face the sack, effectively removing their right to strike, was passed in the House of Commons last night. Despite the SNP,Labour and the Lib Dems voting for an amendment to make this an England only bill all Scottish Tories toed the party line to vote this down. What does it say about the state of Conservative Britain when this legislation mirrors that in place in such bastions of democracy as Russia and Belarus?While cracking the whip of "firm government" Sunak seems incapable of keeping the far right in his party under control.More Tory MPs are deciding to step down at the next General Election and jump from the sinking ship while Braverman and her supporters are on maneuvers to stage a post-defeat leadership coup.As the feart leave the Conservative benches Stellantis – one of the world's biggest carmakers - has made it starkly clear that if there is no change in UK policy on Brexit they will pick up sticks and locate elsewhere. All this while Labour clings to  "Make Brexit Work" in another three word slogan so dominant in 2023 British political discourse.Copies of Lesley's new book,Thrive are available herehttps://lesleyriddoch.com/books/thriveAnd if you fancy hearing her talk about it and the ideas in it pop along to one of these eventshttps://lesleyriddoch.com/events-mobile ★ Support this podcast ★

With Cosgrove still on the beach, Eamonn is joined by Journalists Shona Craven and Ruth Wishart. This week, Trump goes to Court, Suella Braverman denies Brexit and the Scottish Tories seem keen to get the Better Together Band back on tour.... Recommendations: RUTH: 1) Best-selling novel - LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by BONNIE GARMUS - about women's lives, careers and struggle for empowerment in the late 1950s and early 60s. https://www.waterstones.com/book/lessons-in-chemistry/bonnie-garmus/9781804990926 RUTH: 2) The new (final) season of SUCCESSION, starring Brian Cox https://www.amazon.co.uk/Succession-The-Complete-Third-Season/dp/B09NCK8CDB SHONA: YOU TUBE video - How General Motors Killed the First Modern Electric Car https://www.reddit.com/r/elonmusk/comments/10hutpf/how_general_motors_killed_the_first_modern/ EAMONN: BEAR GRYLLS MEETS PRESIDENT ZELENSKY. Bear Grylls travels across Ukraine to meet the President and meet and learn from the people who are enduring their winter of darkness.https://www.channel4.com/programmes/bear-grylls-meets-president-zelenskyy

The Scottish Tories have called on the First Minister to make a statement to Holyrood to clarify government policy on transgender prisoners.

The disaster of the "mini-budget" nearly crashed the UK's pension funds and saw a massive drop in value of sterling with calls from Tory big beasts to reverse the plans to borrow to fund tax cuts and threats of a back bench rebellion. Truss and Kwarteng caved and u-turned on the cut to the top rate of income tax, but can they survive?Will their refusal to raise benefits in line with inflation, unlike pensions, lead to another revolt?We look at the current state of opinion polls, the mood music from Tory MPs worried about holding on to their seats and speculate on the imminence not only of a General Election but of yet another Conservative leadership coup.We also consider the mental gymnastics now being performed by Scottish Tories who demanded the Scottish Government copy that top rate tax cut but who now totally support Kwarteng's U-turn.Truss also signaled her complete opposition to another Scottish independence referendum even if the Supreme Court ruled in the Scottish Government's favour. Where would this leave Scottish Labour,Lib Dems, and Tories, in this blatant attack on democracy?Focus has finally turned on the economics of Truss's plans for growth. Do they stack up?The Tories also made great play on claims of Labour's economic incompetence. How well do these hold up in reality?Labour gained great publicity on its plans to create the Great British Energy Company. This seemed to throw down a challenge,from the left, to the SNP. However, will this publicly owned company challenge the current privatised system in any meaningful form?All this plus praise for STV's political coverage, BBC local radio presenters, and a couple of very different movie recommendations. ★ Support this podcast ★

Join Jennifer Juan as she takes you through another wild week of UK Politics, including Liz Truss continuing to hit the ground with the pound, the UK government ignoring the needs of vulnerable people as the cost of living crisis worsens and a humiliating U-Turn from the government after weeks of uncertainty. Jennifer also discusses Labour's plans for nationalised energy, some shocking polling numbers that spell disaster for the Tories and Scottish Tories leader Douglas Ross throwing a tantrum at The Queen's memorial. - Spooky Season: https://jenniferjuan.com/spooky-season/ - Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wtafpolitics/message - Join Jennifer on Discord here: https://discord.gg/feYmNudBqn - Support the show by buying Jennifer a coffee on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/missjsquared - You can also support the show by subscribing to Jennifer's Patreon, for extra content and free merch: https://www.patreon.com/missjsquared Get in touch with the show by emailing us on wtafpolitics@outlook.com - Follow the show on Instagram at http://instagram.com/wtafpolitics - Visit our website at http://wtaf.politics.blog - Follow Jennifer On Twitch: https://twitch.tv/missjsquared - Follow Jennifer Juan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjsquared/ - Follow Jennifer Juan on Rizzle: rizzle.tv/u/missjsquared - Visit Jennifer Juan's Website: https://jenniferjuan.com

Join Jennifer Juan as she takes you through another wild week of UK Politics, including Liz Truss continuing to hit the ground with the pound, the UK government ignoring the needs of vulnerable people as the cost of living crisis worsens and a humiliating U-Turn from the government after weeks of uncertainty. Jennifer also discusses Labour's plans for nationalised energy, some shocking polling numbers that spell disaster for the Tories and Scottish Tories leader Douglas Ross throwing a tantrum at The Queen's memorial. - Spooky Season: https://jenniferjuan.com/spooky-season/ - Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wtafpolitics/message - Join Jennifer on Discord here: https://discord.gg/feYmNudBqn - Support the show by buying Jennifer a coffee on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/missjsquared - You can also support the show by subscribing to Jennifer's Patreon, for extra content and free merch: https://www.patreon.com/missjsquared Get in touch with the show by emailing us on wtafpolitics@outlook.com - Follow the show on Instagram at http://instagram.com/wtafpolitics - Visit our website at http://wtaf.politics.blog - Follow Jennifer On Twitch: https://twitch.tv/missjsquared - Follow Jennifer Juan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjsquared/ - Follow Jennifer Juan on Rizzle: rizzle.tv/u/missjsquared - Visit Jennifer Juan's Website: https://jenniferjuan.com

It's the week in which serious problems with the country's approach to drug and alcohol abuse were sidelined by distractions at Westminster. Boris Johnson faced down a confidence vote which leaves his party bitterly divided from top to bottom and with the Scottish Tories. Meanwhile, we spoke with MSP Paul Sweeney about how Labour might tackle drug addiction. We also discussed exclusive coverage of a key drugs taskforce figure's resignation and failings in Scotland's minimum alcohol pricing policy. Subscribe to the Courier or Press and Journal today to stay up to date on Local and Scottish news. Go to www.thecourier.co.uk/subscribe/ or www.pressandjournal.co.uk/subscribe/ to get unlimited access to the news that matters to you.

A new poll from ComRes has shown Scottish Labour taking second place in tomorrow's local elections, overtaking the Scottish Conservatives. On the podcast, James Forsyth explains the torrid flip-flop that Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Tories, has made over partygate, first calling for Boris Johnson to resign before rowing back ('He thought that the 54 letters triggering a vote of no confidence were on their way in'). Katy Balls also talks to Isabel Hardman about the Environment Secretary George Eustice's suggestion that people might buy from cheaper supermarkets in order to deal with the cost-of-living crisis ('The phrase "teaching your grandma to suck eggs" was possibly invented for this piece of advice', Isabel says).

The New Statesman's Scotland editor Chris Deerin joins Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush to discuss the growing rift between the Scottish Conservatives and the national party in Westminster.They talk about how the Scottish Tories have become alienated from the party, whether it could harm them in the local elections in May, and whether they could eventually form a breakaway party.Then in You Ask Us, the team answers a listener's question on the Welsh government's review into radical federalism.If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Jennifer Juan as she breaks down another crazy week in British Politics, including a long week of lies from the British government, the leader of the Scottish Tories accidentally doxing constituents and suspicious amounts of cocaine in Westminster. Jennifer also discusses Matt Hancock living his best mid life crisis and all the details from the Scottish budget. - Get in touch with the show by emailing us on wtafpolitics@outlook.com - Follow the show on Instagram at http://instagram.com/wtafpolitics - Visit our website at http://wtaf.politics.blog - Follow Jennifer On Twitch: https://twitch.tv/missjsquared - Follow Jennifer Juan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjsquared/ - Follow Jennifer Juan on Rizzle: rizzle.tv/u/missjsquared - Visit Jennifer Juan's Website: https://jenniferjuan.com

Join Jennifer Juan as she breaks down another crazy week in British Politics, including a long week of lies from the British government, the leader of the Scottish Tories accidentally doxing constituents and suspicious amounts of cocaine in Westminster. Jennifer also discusses Matt Hancock living his best mid life crisis and all the details from the Scottish budget. - Get in touch with the show by emailing us on wtafpolitics@outlook.com - Follow the show on Instagram at http://instagram.com/wtafpolitics - Visit our website at http://wtaf.politics.blog - Follow Jennifer On Twitch: https://twitch.tv/missjsquared - Follow Jennifer Juan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjsquared/ - Follow Jennifer Juan on Rizzle: rizzle.tv/u/missjsquared - Visit Jennifer Juan's Website: https://jenniferjuan.com

Ruth Davidson is the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives and now sits in the House of Lords as the Baroness of Lundin Links. On the episode, she speaks to Katy about her happy upbringing as an active tomboy despite a near-death car accident at the age of five; her mother's reaction when she left the BBC to join the Scottish Tories ('she was appalled'); and gave a punchy defence of Theresa May ('I absolutely think the Party did her wrong').

Ruth Davidson is the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives and now sits in the House of Lords as the Baroness of Lundin Links. On the episode, she speaks to Katy about her happy upbringing as an active tomboy despite a near-death car accident at the age of five; her mother's reaction when she left the BBC to join the Scottish Tories ('she was appalled'); and gave a punchy defence of Theresa May ('I absolutely think the Party did her wrong').

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Sharon Peacock CBE, chair of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium; Douglas Ross, leader of Scottish Conservatives; Wolfgang Munchau, director of Eurointellgence; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss how genomics can combat new Covid variants, if the Scottish Tories can stop independence, and why Germany is sidling up to Russia. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

It's very definitely the morning after the night before as we try to get out heads round the US Presidential election results and the arcane Electoral College system. As we recorded it was all still to play for with Trump and Biden running neck and neck and the outcome depending on the last few congressional districts in the last few states. Turning back to matters domestic, Douglas Ross and the Scottish Tories seemed to have pulled off a nice wee political coup with Johnson seeming to have agreed an extension of the 80% furlough scheme for as long as Scotland needed it. It didn't take long for that to unravel after Robert Jenrick and Steve Barclay signalled a rapid roll back from that "iron cast" agreement.  Identity politics was definitely at the heart of the Trump campaign. What then is the significance of Nigel Farage launching yet another political party in the light of his ,undoubted, success in reshaping UK politics with UKIP, and the Brexit Party? The SNP draft agenda  for its national conference was leaked to the press and it's safe to say it's caused more than a bit of a stooshy amongst grass roots members. All this plus football analogies, Lesley's appearance on Scotland Tonight ,the AUOB assembly, and Edinburgh v Glasgow university rivalries. Lesley made an appearance, one of several this week, on Scotland 

Happy Friday! This week most of Holyrood unites against the Tories' Westminster powergrab and refuses consent to the Internal Market Bill on the grounds that it damages devolution and breaks international law.  The Scottish Tories had a killer fact lined up to refute this but unfortunately for them, their fact had been fact checked and found to be "Not True" Closer to home, the WFIs unveil our autumn covid-friendly activity plan and set about picking up the pieces.  If you would like to see a short video about our adventures you can find it in the Clacks WFI podcast playlist on the Indylive Radio Youtube channel or on the Women for Independence Clackmannanshire facebook page. Enjoy!

Six years can feel like a lifetime: Scotland, more than any other nation in the United Kingdom, certainly knows about it. It was only in 2014 that the nation chose to stay in the United Kingdom in a historic referendum. Many said it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to debate Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom. Six years later, the constitutional debate is as far from being settled as it has ever been. The past eight polls have showed that now up to 55 percent of Scots would choose to leave the UK. Michael Sturrock, who leads the public affairs work for a large trade association in the data and marketing industry, is among those who have changed their minds about independence. In 2014, Sturrock supported Scotland remaining in the Union. But, as he woke up to the news that the UK had voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, he had a rethink. “It just became clear to me that the way to get my EU membership and citizenship back was through independence”, he says. More recently, the coronavirus pandemic has cemented his view that Scotland would be better off as an independent country. This is largely due to the fact that the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has done daily briefings on the pandemic while the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hasn’t. An atmosphere of open honesty “There’s that openness and honest conversation with the nation that is carried on throughout this whole time, whereas the UK government sends a minister every now and then. It’s not the same honesty”, he says. “I think that’s what’s pushing people, specifically this year, towards supporting independence. There’s now a better relationship between the government and its people in Scotland, and people see that it does carry on in other areas." Even if polling shows that there is more trust in the devolved government than in the UK government, that doesn’t mean that independence is being considered as a priority in the midst of the pandemic, according to Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Liberal-Democrat member of the Scottish Parliament for the Edinburgh Western constituency. To the MSP, the best option for the UK would be to embrace federalism as well as other reforms. “We also need to change the way we elect our governments. The example that I use is that Tony Blair took Britain into an illegal war in Iraq with only something like 40% of the popular vote. "Thirdly we need to reform our UK Parliament. People get very angry when they see the privilege and the patronage of the UK House of Lords. So I think we need a directly elected second chamber, whether that is a senate or something equivalent.” Even if the Scottish Labour Party is yet to articulate a position on the constitutional debate, the UK Labour Party has come round to supporting federalism. However, federalism might not be an easy way out of the constitutional conundrum, according to Dr Ben Jackson, an associate professor of Modern History at Oxford University, and author of a book on nationalist political thought in modern Scotland. “The term federalism makes sense to people who are interested in these issues but not average voters. Trying to find a way of communicating a model of Scottish self-government that is neither independence nor the status quo is the task that they are confronting”, he says. “But of course, as soon as they move closer to federalism, there are questions of how to operationalise it and whether there is in fact any interest in the rest of the UK in implementing a federal system.” Decade-long Labour struggle Labour has been struggling over the past decade to regain its status as a dominant force in Scottish politics. In the last Scottish Parliament elections four years ago, they were beaten by the Scottish Tories into third place. Ironically, Labour’s woes in Scotland could be bad news for a conservative government that is extremely unpopular north of the border. “For unionism to get a hearing in Scottish politics, you might need the conservatives to lose power in London. It might only be with a Labour government that there might be more of a chance of making the case for the United Kingdom”, Dr Jackson reckons. “That’s always been the dynamic in Scottish politics since the 1980s: support for greater democratic autonomy in Scotland rises as the conservatives are in power.” The next Scottish Parliament elections will take place in May 2021. Depending on how the pro-independence parties fare, this vote could signify the beginning of a brand new campaign for self-determination, or an end of the constitutional debate for the time being.

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

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

As Scottish Labour Leader Richard Leonard faces calls to quit, the team talk about party leadership and the complex process of picking a new leader. We discuss Douglas Ross taking over the Scottish Tories and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon publishing the draft Indyref2 bill. Where does all this leave the parties ahead of the 2021 Holyrood elections?

Simon Alvey, Will Cooling and Dr Luke Middup return to discuss the latest developments about Coronavirus in the UK, the change in leadership for the Scottish Tories, who Joe Biden will pick as his nominee for Vice-President, and the life of John Hume.

Today the guys discuss Today the guys discuss Brexit, yes do you remember Brexit still ongoing, with negotiations due to restart next week. Fishing farming and the border down the Irish Sea. Dark money in the Scottish Tories. And our teachers the Canary down the Tories employment mineshaft.

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

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

In this special double bill, Matt is joined by the former and current leader of the Scottish Conservatives. Ruth Davidson led the party for 8 years and reflects on her time in charge, their prospects for this election campaign and why her next move might involve PaddyPower. Jackson Carlaw leads the Scottish Tories into this election and Matt asks if, after a strong result in 2017, hey exceed that result and make gains... Follow Ruth on Twitter: @RuthDavidsonMSP Follow Jackson on Twitter: @Jackson_Carlaw Follow Matt on Twitter: @mattforde Send in your funny election and campaigning stories to: politicalpartypodcast@gmail.com Sign up to the mailing list for advance news on Political Party guests, tour dates and assorted other bumpf: www.mattforde.com/mailing-list See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today’s Aye Right Radio podcast with Norrie Stewart Stewart Lochhead and Jimmy Hutton covering Nigel Farage’s Brexit parties 300 candidates, where will they be? The Scottish Tories start throwing about dead cats and do our SNP MPs have to have twice as much knowledge about the Parliaments south and north of the border as their English counterparts.

National editor Callum Baird and columnist Paul Kavanagh (aka Wee Ginger Dug) sit down for another Dugcast. As Jackson Carlaw shows the true colour of his party, we look bad at the most recent season of the Scottish Tories, inspired by Dallas. Also up for discussion is the massive independence march in Edinburgh tomorrow and Joanna Cherry's new court case against the PM. Plus, is criticism of Jo Swinson's accent valid? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We return after a three week hiatus as a survey by pollster Lord Ashcroft put backing for Scottish independence at 46 per cent, with 43 per cent against. Support for independence rose to 52 per cent, with 48 per cent against, when those who said they did not know how they would vote or said they would not vote were removed. Lesley considers the significance of this reverse Boris bounce and just where this leaves not only the Yes movement but the SNP leadership. Ruth Davidson's popularity among English Conservatives has plummeted. We ask what kind of future she and the Scottish Tories face with Johnson as PM and party leader. It's just over two years since the Grenfell Tower fire and after my recent stay in London I examine what, if anything, has changed in Kensington and Chelsea. Along the way we discuss the appointment of Alister Jack as Scottish Secretary, Liz Truss's meeting with right wing US  "think tanks", and the potential for a snap ,pre Brexit, General Election. There might be a wee mention of Dundee United in there as well.  

  Unsurprisingly the European Parliament elections take up most of this week's podcast. We try and analyse the results across the UK and Europe not only in terms of Brexit but their implications for our domestic political parties and Scottish independence. Along the way I might just touch on media spin and Lesley surprises me with why the Scottish Tories faring marginally better than their English counterparts is positive news for Yessers. We couldn't escape the car crash that is the Conservative Party leadership beauty contest and what it says about the state of the party and of UK democracy. Along the way we revisit Citizens' Assemblies and ask, given the commitment by Nicola Sturgeon to Indyref2 before 2021, when will they happen. I, despite personal grief, reflect on Dundee United losing on penalties to St Mirren, and what we independistas can learn from it. Lesley made an emotional pilgrimage to Croick Kirk, scene of one of the most infamous incidents of the Clearances. If, like me, you were unaware of this Lesley's tale is a powerful reminder of why land reform should be at the heart of Scottish politics. To find out more click the link below http://www.scotshistory.jejik.co.uk/croick/croick.html

In episode 3 of Podaganda, journalists Ben Cowles and Steve Sweeney are joined by their friends/comrades Ben Saunders and (briefly) Conrad Landin to discuss:   The free Kibriye Evren campaign, an initiative started by the Star’s NUJ chapel to urge our trade union and others to call for the freedom of hunger-striking Kurdish journalist (3:20) Working-class football fans being priced out of the Champions League final by absurd “market forces” (15:56) The Scottish Conservatives Party Conference last weekend (33:45) The UN urging Malta to reconsider terrorism charges it brought against three migrant teenagers who commandeered a Turkish cargo ship to escape the horrors in Libya (43:02) ??? (56:02)   Brace yourself for profoundly left-wing views and plenty of bad language   Show notes   For more on the Star’s coverage of Kibriye Evern visit: bit.ly/2VePsxB Check out Journalists for Democracy in Turkey and Kurdistan’s Facebook page here: bit.ly/307TJqd   If you can help out JDTK in any way, email: international@peoples-press.com   Evren can be written to at: Kibriye Evren, Diyarbakir E Tipii Cezaevi, Mevlana Halit Mahallesi, Emek Cd, 21080 Baglar/Diyarbakir, Turkey.   For more on the insane "market forces" screwing over working-class football fans, click here: bit.ly/306Fa6t  More on that ridiculous "Johnny Foreigner" tweet can be found here: bit.ly/2VW7fy0   Why does Azerbaijan have a problem with Ben Cowles? Find out here: bit.ly/2WzclNG   Read up on Conrad Landin’s Scottish Tories Party Conference here: bit.ly/2HiI8fx, here: bit.ly/2VilFE8, here: bit.ly/2vSpk1n, and here: bit.ly/2VZKrNR   You can read more about the UN, Malta and migrant teenagers story here: bit.ly/2VvkBBK Reach out to Podaganda, Steve, Conrad, Ben and Ben on Twitter: @PodagandaCast, @SweeneySteve, @conradlandin, @BenSaundersEtc, @Cowlesz

There's only one place to begin this week and it's the, less than, surprise resignation of seven Labour MPs to form TIG-The Independent Group. Lesley and I try to get our heads round why now, what for, and what next for this disparate group. This speculation, inevitably for us, leads us down several highways and bye ways including proportional representation, and the founding of the Scottish Labour Party in 1888. Just when you thought the hoo ha surrounding BBC Question Time had died down the National revealed the editing of Fiona Hyslop's reply to orange jaiket man. We draw on our past experiences in teaching, producing, and presenting to examine the ethics and editorial decisions behind it. The Scottish Tories have been out in force across the streets and on social media fulminating about the Workplace Parking Levy. Lesley not only ripostes their arguments against it but widens the discussion to reflect on the nature of our relationships with private and public transport. Finally, it's hats aff tae the inestimable Jim Spence new rector of Dundee University and Arab of good standing. Laborare et orare James.

It's the 'Beast From The East' Snow Storm Special, in which we discuss the state of the Scottish Tories as their conference in Aberdeen is snowed off and also ask the question: "Is it a law? Is it a politics (a what)? Yes, er, no, er, both! It's the Scottish Government's 'UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity)(Scotland) Bill'. Try saying that after a couple of Drambuies! Enjoy!

The Scottish Tories have truly arrived at Westminster - because one has now been on James Millar's podcast. Andrew Bowie, who defeated friend of the podcast Stuart 'sausage boy' Donaldson at the election gets a last minute call up to guest alongside Birmingham Mail Westminster corr Jon Walker. Up for discussion was the latest installment of Prime Minister's Questions, which didn't feature the Prime Minister plus a bit of Budget, Waspi, Disraeli and life after Corbyn.

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.

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?

The pros and cons of tactical voting, Ukip's campaign launch, Labour's decline in the Wales and taxing issues for the Tories. With Henry Mance and Miranda Green of the Financial Times, plus commentator David Torrance and pollster Matt Singh. Presented by Sebastian Payne. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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…