The National's Holyrood Weekly Podcast
Our team of political journalists talk us through the week that was in the Scottish Parliament, with appearances from politicians, campaigners and experts explaining key new stories.
Episodes
As part of our week-long investigation into Labour's PFI Scandal, we chat to Richard Murphy and Robin McAlpine about the practice and how much money has been spent on doomed projects in Scotland and across the UK.
We're back for a special edition! While Abbi is on maternity leave, Steph Brawn and Adam Robertson put together this special episode for the election campaign. We're joined by Mhairi Black who reflects on nine years as an MP, Lorna Slater who takes on the urgency for parties to tackle the climate crisis, and Alba's Chris McEleny - who's running as a candidate in Alex Salmond's party.
Scottish Deputy First Minister Shona Robison describes the latest Scottish Budget is one of the "most difficult in the history of devolution". Taking our reporters through some of the controversial cuts the Scottish Government has made as its Budget passed in Holyrood last week, Robison also weighs in on a council tax row with defiant Labour authority leaders who called on Westminster to bypass devolution. Elsewhere, political repo...
The House of Commons descended into chaos this week as Speaker Lindsay Hoyle allowed a Labour amendment to be moved during an SNP opposition day debate that was supposed to be calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Go behind the scenes with SNP chief whip Owen Thompson who takes our political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn through the ins and outs of a dramatic day where archaic Westminster procedure overshadowe...
Scotland's top pollster and professor of politics at Strathclyde University John Curtice joins the podcast to dissect two new conflicting polls. We look ahead to the General Election, and why independence support has remained so steady almost a decade after the 2014 referendum. And, host Abbi Garton-Crosbie takes listeners through Humza Yousaf's Cabinet reshuffle after Michael Matheson's resignation.
What does the Scotland Office actually do, and why does it take multiple FOIs and a parliamentary question to find out how many staff they have working in Edinburgh? Host Abbi Garton-Crosbie is joined by SNP MP Deidre Brock to discuss Alister Jack's "propaganda" department, and political reporter Steph Brawn joins to debrief a long week at the UK Covid Inquiry. Elsewhere, go behind the scenes at the latest independence white paper ...
With the monarchy's popularity plummeting under King Charles - could or would an independent Scotland get rid of the royals? Political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn speak to anti-monarchy campaigner and Our Republic convener Tristan Gray on the politics of the royals in Scotland. Elsewhere, we look at the Post Office Horizon scandal, new rules for XL bully dogs, the Scotland Office seeking expenses over the Section ...
The first podcast episode of 2024 looks at what could be the next controversial piece of legislation to come through Holyrood - a bid to ban LGBT+ conversion practices. Dr Rebecca Crowther and Tim Hopkins take us through the key points of the legislation and the pushback it has seen already just days after a consultation was launched. Elsewhere, political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie takes listeners behind the scenes to the SNP's G...
SNP MP Philippa Whitford joins our political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn for a lengthy chat about the biggest stories of the year, from Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as first minister and where the campaign for independence is, as well as other news that has dominated Westminster and Holyrood during 2023.
Later, chief political reporter Judith Duffy joins our reporters to analyse some key moments from the year, a...
Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell joins this week's podcast to discuss the main issues surrounding COP28 in Dubai, how an independent Scotland could influence global policy out from under the feet of Westminster and what domestic impact decisions made at the summit could have at home. Elsewhere, political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn discuss the main stories coming out of FMQs, Alex Cole-Hamilton allegedly dialling ...
This week's podcast looks at the "astronomical" rental prices, revealed in figures published by the Scottish Government, with tenant's union Living Rent. Joining host Abbi Garton-Crosbie is spokesperson Calum Sanderson, who also looks at upcoming rent controls and what they could look like. And, go behind the scenes at Alba's press conference with leader Alex Salmond and Holyrood leader Ash Regan as they launch proposals intending ...
The Scottish Government's latest white paper takes a look at the benefits of Scotland rejoining the EU, as well as a bit more detail on how we might get there post-Brexit.
This week host Abbi Garton-Crosbie goes behind the scenes at the paper launch at Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh for interviews with Constitution Secretary Angus Roberson and Europe Minister Christina McKelvie. Elsewhere, we look at the row around Michae...
SNP MP Steven Bonnar joins political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn to discuss the King's Speech in Westminster. Which parts of the Toryies' plans for the next year will impact Scotland? What should we make of the move to legislate on annual oil and gas licensing in the North Sea? Elsewhere our reporters look at calls for Holyrood to debate a Gaza ceasefire, the latest on the WhatsApp row and Health Secretary Michael...
Protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have been held for a number of weeks in cities across Scotland - but you wouldn't know it if you only got your news from the BBC. This week our reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie speaks to Jonathon Shafi from Stop the War Glasgow about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, as well as calls for a ceasefire and the political reaction in Holyrood and Westminster. And, we also take you behind the scen...
The Scottish Greens are set for their annual conference in Dunfermline, with co-leader Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater taking listeners through what to expect. Our political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn speak to the junior ministers about the First Minister's council tax freeze announcement, their take on the SNP's independence strategy, and how they feel about an increase in attacks on the Bute House Agreement.
A...
The National's political team takes you behind the scenes of the three-day SNP conference in Aberdeen, setting out the party's independence strategy, key announcements by the First Minister and speaking to a number of members and politicians on the ground.
This week's episode takes listeners behind the scenes at South Lanarkshire's Hamilton headquarters and the count to elect Scotland's next MP. Political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie brings updates from the count floor throughout the night, with interviews with SNP MP David Linden and Scottish Greens candidate Cameron Eadie. And, spoiler alert - inside the victory huddle with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and the party's winning...
Following Suella Braverman’s widely condemned speech on refugees to a US think tank, Scotland’s migrants minister Emma Roddick joins political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie to discuss her perspective and how Scotland approaches migration. Elsewhere chief political reporter Judith Duffy joins to breakdown the big stories of the week including the Rosebank oil field sign off and the final days of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-el...
The Scottish and UK Governments went head to head in the Court of Session this week over Alister Jack's decision to use a Section 35 order to block Holyrood's gender reforms becoming law. Joining political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie to discuss the ins and outs of the judicial review hearing is Nick McKerrell, senior lecturer in law at Glasgow Caledonian University. Elsewhere, Steph Brawn peaks to Laura Mahon from Alcohol Focus Sc...
This week's episode features an interview with Scotland's Housing Minister Paul McLennan after a failed Tory attempt to extend the deadline for the incoming short-term lets licensing scheme by a year.
McLennan speaks to political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie about the ins and outs of the policy, Labour and the LibDems joining forces with the Tories and some other aspects of housing policy.
We also take you inside a huddle with the...
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