Explore every episode of the podcast The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast

Poor marks for Scottish Education in PISA figures, Burnham’s referendum blunder and a bad week for the SNP succession hopefuls?

• Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie examine Andy Burnham’s confusion over the route to a second Scottish independence referendum—and what it reveals about his command of constitutional politics.
• Scotland’s latest PISA results make grim reading. Why has Scottish education fallen behind England, and are John Swinney and Education Secretary Màiri McAllan confronting the scale of the problem?
• A difficult week for possible SNP successors Màiri McAllan and Stephen Flynn leaves John Swinney looking increasingly secure—while Glasgow’s new council leader Ricky Bell inherits a formidable set of problems.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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In this edition of The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie analyse the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government and John Swinney’s radical plans for public-service reform. They examine the proposed restructuring of Scotland’s NHS, social care, councils and quangos; the £5 billion funding gap; and the prospect of conflict with public-sector trade unions. Turning to UK politics, they assess Andy Burnham’s early premiership, Keir Starmer’s resignation, the Holborn and St Pancras by-election and the changing fortunes of Labour, the Greens, Reform UK and the Conservatives.

Topics discussed:

• Scottish Government’s public-service reform agenda
• NHS, social-care, council and quango restructuring
• Scotland’s £5 billion funding gap and trade-union conflict
• Political support and opposition to John Swinney’s reforms
• Bus-fare caps, supermarket price controls and GP walk-in centres
• Andy Burnham’s early premiership and the UK economic outlook
• Keir Starmer’s resignation and the Holborn and St Pancras by-election
• The Greens, Reform UK and Britain’s increasingly fragmented politics

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• A new cost-of-living “winter of discontent”?
• Will Andy Burnham and John Swinney come clean on tightening budgets facing both Westminster and Holyrood
• The lighter question of casting the announced Sturgeon–Murrell Channel 5 drama.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Either Michael Marra or Joe Fagan will be the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party. What's happening in the race, what does the new leader need to do and will it make any difference in their goal of Labour unseating the SNP?

PLUS

- It's reported the John Swinney's World Cup junket with entourage cost the tax payer around £95k? Was it worth it?

• Anger in Glasgow over the state of the City. Why can't opposition parties hold the SNP to account?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss Farage's post Clacton by-election propects as it's announced that the parliamentary investigation into substantial donations made to Mr Farage by a donor is active again.

Plus - the Scottish Labour leadership contest is gathering pace. It's all smiles in public but what's really happening and who will emerge victorious.

GERS figures - we've read them so you don't have to - Alex explains and Bernard takes a critical view.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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What's going on? Former SNP FM Nicola Sturgeon criticising John Swinney's SNP? Is this a serious analysis or part of the latest round of book promotion?

The SNP hit back saying John Swinney is the best First Minister yet.

Also, the race for the Scottish Labour leadership is warming up. Michael Marra looks like the front runner with Joe Fagan also in contention but Monica Lennon may struggle to get the required nominations to stand in the vote.

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Bernard and Alex discuss a good start for Andy Burnham in terms of communications but does it really change any of the fundamental issues facing the country.

Also, who are the runners and riders for the Scottish Labour leadership after Anas Sarwar accepted a peerage and is not a Westminster Trade Minister? Michael Marra? Monica Lennon? Paul Sweeney? Daniel Johnson?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Sir Anton Muscatelli, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, academic and leading economic advisor, joins Bernard and Alex to give his view on some of the real issues that are facing Scotland but politicians seem unwilling to discuss, particularly around election time.

Scotland faces £4.8bn gap and it was hardly mentioned at the recent election.

Slower Scottish tax growth means £728m less.

What can be learned from "Manchesterism" and what can Andy Burnham's administration do for Scotland?

Does Scotland need more immigration?

Will efficiencies really save billions and will services inevitably be affected.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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It's Silly Season for the political media and, after forcing a by-election in his own seat, Nigel Farage discovered many of the parties were unwilling to play his game. Now, his most serious competition appears to be from by-election regular, Count Binface. Also, the latest on the SNP money and potential court cases, Andy Burnham swooping into Downing Street and the passing of some significant political figures in the past few days.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie look at how Nigel Farage is dealing with his first real crisis and also - is Andy Burnham making unsustainable promises before he even becomes Prime Minister?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Two main topics for Alex and Bernard this week.

The proposed coronation of Andy Burnham - speculation is rife around his likely cabinet picks. Starmer was relatively successful in International affairs. Will Burnham be tempted to ask him to stay on as Foreign Secretary?

Also, after the sentencing of Peter Murrell, is it sustainable for there to be no inquiry into what happened at the SNP? Does the First Minister not owe the members an explanation?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Andy Burnham clears the latest hurdle in his bid to become Prime Minister with a stonking by-election victory in Makerfield. The Scottish Conservative win their first Scottish by-election since 1967 after the SNP's Stephen Flynn vacated the seat to sit in the Scottish Parliament and Lara Bird holds Arbroath and Broughty Ferry for the SNP. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie reflect on a momentous night and what it all means.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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MAKERFIELD

Burnham “Dicing With Political And Electoral Death”

Could Makerfield Trigger Starmer’s Downfall?

Reform’s Huge By-Election Test for Farage and Reform

ABERDEEN

Aberdeen South Tests SNP Resilience After Murrell Fallout

Aberdeen South: Oil, Reform And Tactical Voting Collide

ARBROATH

SNP’s “What Do We Have To Do To Lose?” Moment

Arbroath Shows Whether Scotland Is Cooling On Labour

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• Ring-fenced SNP cash row returns to centre stage
• Sean Clerkin, Wings Over Scotland, Noel Dolan, Douglas Chapman and Joanna Cherry all increasing pressure for SNP probe
• Swinney faces VAT questions over Murrell scandal
• Sturgeon interview failed to kill story
• Murrell fallout could hit SNP by-election hopes

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Increasingly, it looks like the scandal that has rocked the SNP will not go away. Peter Murrell's admission and subsequent conviction have led to more questions. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss.

• PONSONBY - John Swinney may need an independent inquiry into SNP governance, because a party-led response risks looking like a whitewash.
• MASSIE - Nicola Sturgeon’s core problem is not only “what did she know?” but “what should she have known?” as SNP leader signing off party accounts.
• PONSONBY - Many mainstream journalists were “asleep at the wheel” while Sean Clerkin and Stuart Campbell kept pressing questions others dismissed.
• MASSIE - the SNP may face an impossible choice: stand by Sturgeon or “throw her under the campervan” to draw a line under the scandal.
• PONSONBY - the SNP finance scandal is sensational but may not have a lasting electoral impact — unless the party mishandles the demand for answers.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• Swinney’s new Scottish Government is smaller, reshuffled and designed to signal seriousness about reform.
• Ivan McKee’s public service reform role is framed as the key test: finding billions in savings without triggering political backlash.
• The SNP faces a clash between pro-growth rhetoric, welfare expansion, price controls and the hard reality of Scotland’s projected budget black hole.
• Jenny Gilruth, Stephen Flynn, Màiri McAllan and Stephen Gethins are discussed as signs of future SNP leadership positioning.
• At Westminster, Andy Burnham’s by-election bid is portrayed as potentially decisive for Labour’s leadership and Keir Starmer’s future.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and the fight for who will be the next Prime Minister of the UK?

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss the battle for Labour's leadership.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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SNP wins again — but the victory comes with serious caveats

John Swinney secures a remarkable third decade of SNP government

Labour and Reform tied for second in seats - a brutal night for the old parties

Scottish Labour’s decline continues — and the damage may have been made in London

Anas Sarwar’s future: safe for now, but questions are unavoidable

Keir Starmer under mounting pressure after disastrous UK-wide results

Reform’s Scottish breakthrough: from nowhere to 17 MSPs

Has Farageism now found a place in Scottish politics?

The Conservatives collapse from second place to fifth

Calls to ‘unite the right’ may grow after Reform splits the unionist vote

The Greens surge with breakthrough wins in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside

Ross Greer’s targeted campaign hailed as one of the most effective of the election

Lib Dem revival gives them real leverage in the next parliament

Liam McArthur tipped as possible next Presiding Officer

Will SNP deal with Lib Dems rather than Greens on budgets?

Stephen Flynn’s arrival at Holyrood could reshape SNP politics

Oil and gas tensions expose a divide between North East SNP and Central Belt SNP

Turnout falls sharply — nearly half of voters stayed at home

A parliament transformed beneath the surface, even if the SNP still dominates

The next Holyrood term may be the most difficult of the devolution era

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• Final polls before Scotland votes
• SNP on course to be largest party - but can they form a government?
• Reform tipped for a major breakthrough
• Could Reform become the main opposition?
• Polls say Labour facing a potentially disastrous night but how will electoral quirks effect this?
• What a bad result means for Anas Sarwar
• Conservatives under pressure as support falls
• Turnout fears and the “don’t know” voters
• Why the campaign failed to inspire
• Greens and Lib Dems eye influence at Holyrood
• What happens if the SNP fall short of a majority
• Could Scottish results deepen Keir Starmer’s crisis?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2026
• Why boundary changes make election-night swings harder to read
• Prof Chris Hanretty explains “notional results” — the hidden baseline for 2026
• Reform’s zero-start problem: easy for notionals, difficult for interpretation
• Could a split unionist vote hand the SNP a majority on a third of the vote?
• Knife-edge seats: Edinburgh South, Glasgow list battles and the local-factor problem
• Is Holyrood’s voting system still proportional enough for a six-party Scotland?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• Scottish election campaign is being eclipsed by Westminster politics and feels flat:
• Starmer’s Mandelson/Olly Robbins row is deepening:
• Labour MPs appear to be losing faith in Starmer:
• The real damage is about competence and cronyism:
• Low turnout could be the big story of the Scottish election:
• SNP still look best placed despite a lacklustre campaign:

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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With 3 weeks until the Scottish Parliament Elections 2026, leading pollster, Mark Diffley, joins Bernard and Alex with the latest insights.

• What are the latest polls saying?
• Why there is much to play for in marginal seats?
• How vote share translates to seats and the big changes that can come from small margins
• Which seats to watch for upsets?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• New polls suggest the SNP remains on course to win comfortably, but key questions remain over whether John Swinney secures a majority or must rely on support from other parties.
• Is Reform UK Scotland losing some momentum, with recent polling and campaign controversies raising doubts about whether it can sustain earlier advances.
• Sunday’s televised leaders’ debate is especially high-stakes for Malcolm Offord, while Anas Sarwar, John Swinney and Russell Findlay each face different political and performance pressures.
• After the election the real challenge may be Scotland’s fiscal crunch, with all parties accused of avoiding hard truths about spending, deficits and the affordability of manifesto promises.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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The Scottish Parliament is winding up ahead of the election in May. Is there any chance of a real upset ofr is it another SNP shoo-in?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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• Reform UK Scotland manifesto launch
• Presented as the first major manifesto of the 2026 election campaign
• Framed as more about political messaging than a detailed governing programme
• Tax cuts versus reality
• Big promises on cutting income tax
• Strong scepticism about whether the sums add up or the savings are deliverable
• Manifestos as political branding
• Discussion that modern manifestos are often just headline documents
• Costings are often vague once properly examined
• Law and order agenda
• Reform proposals on tougher sentencing, more prisons, ending early release, and scrapping hate crime laws
• Argument that these policies are popular-sounding but very expensive
• Pressure on Scottish public finances
• Wider discussion that all parties face a difficult fiscal backdrop
• Concerns about long-term affordability of spending promises and welfare growth
• Reform’s electoral strategy and vulnerabilities
• Reform portrayed as a home for angry or disillusioned voters
• But also as vulnerable to scrutiny, weak candidates, and campaign mistakes
• Candidate controversy
• Mention of a Reform candidate being suspended over alleged Covid loan misuse
• Used as an example of how election campaigns expose candidate problems
• Assisted dying vote at Holyrood
• Review of the bill being defeated
• Focus on lobbying, safeguards, and why MSPs may have changed position
• Parliament doing its job
• Argument that rejecting a bill after detailed scrutiny is part of how democracy should work
• Emphasis on lawmakers judging the actual legislation, not just the principle
• War in Iran and economic fallout
• The conflict presented as the biggest external event shaping politics
• Concern about its effects on oil, gas, inflation, and wider economic stability
• Risk of a new cost-of-living crisis
• Discussion of rising energy bills, persistent mortgage pressure, and fewer hopes of interest-rate cuts
• Question of whether the UK is heading into “cost of living crisis part two”
• Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Labour instability
• Discussion of shrinking fiscal headroom and pressure on the government
• Speculation about Starmer’s future and Angela Rayner positioning herself for a leadership move
• A broader failure of political honesty
• Final theme that politicians are not being frank with voters about the scale of the economic problems
• Suggestion that leadership across politics is avoiding hard truths

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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On the eve of the SNP's one day conference ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections in May, the party looks like winning on around a third of the vote but with little talk of Independence. What now for the SNP? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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The conflict in Iran has given cover to a lot of stories in the news this week but Bernard and Alex are on watch. Sally Donald has stood down as an SNP candidate amid allegations and the candidacy and position of Irshad Ahmad on the Labour Lothian list is drawing controversy. A warning for all parties that there may be more to come. Also, the challenges facing the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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A new MRP "Mega Poll" is showing that the SNP are on track for a landslide victory in the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election with tactical voting working in their favour.

Plus, in the wake of Labour's By Election defeat (coming third behind the Greens and Reform UK) and refusing Andy Burnham's application to be a candidate, was Anas Sarwar right all along to call for Keir Starmer to resign?

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Bernard and Alex discuss political accusations made of the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC. They explain the nature of her role, the controversies and pontential conflicts of interest and ask if it's time for reform of the Lord Advocate's position.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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What a week in politics

Bernard and Alex discuss the newspaper reports on the charges Peter Murrell (Nicola Sturgeon's former husband) will face in court and analyse where Anas Sarwar's calls for the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to resign in the wake of the Epstein / Mandelson scandal have left the Scottish Labour Leader in the run up to the Scottish Parliament Elections.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Recorded on the morning of Friday 6th Feb 2026 (It may all have changed by lunchtime)

Includes a moment to reflect on the life of Alex's Father, Allan Massie, who died earlier this week.

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New polls report that 1 in 5 Scots claim they will vote for Reform UK at the Scottish Parliament Elections in May. Bernard and Alex analyse what is ahead.

• Tributes to Lord Jim Wallace
• Scottish Parliament Polling
• Burnham and Starmer
• Will unpopular Tories be any more popular in Reform?

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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We only took a well earned holiday in the cold months in advance of a busy year with the Scottish Parliament Elections. We're back and in this episode we look at the political year ahead domestically and Internationally.

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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With a live audience at the University of Glasgow Stevenson Trust for Citizenship, Bernard and Alex are join by Professor Chris Carman and questions from the floor, including Prof Sir John Curtice.

PONSONBY & MASSIE – STEVENSON LIVE PODCAST

00:00 – 00:01:16 | Intro & Format

00:01:16 – 00:03:34 | Early Predictions & Polling Landscape

00:03:34 – 00:05:55 | Labour’s Misread of Momentum (2010 vs 2024)

00:05:55 – 00:12:15 | Reform UK: Mood, Populism, Immigration

00:12:15 – 00:18:45 | Starmer’s Weakness & Impact on Scottish Labour

00:18:45 – 00:23:34 | Independence as Tactical Messaging

00:23:34 – 00:33:00 | 27 Years of Devolution: Has It Delivered?

00:33:00 – 00:40:00 | State Size, Means vs Ends, and 2026 Prospects

00:40:00 – 00:41:47 | Election Predictions

AUDIENCE Q&A (Chaired by Prof. Chris Carman)

00:41:47 – 00:44:48 | Q1 – What’s the Offer to Young Voters?

00:44:48 – 00:49:50 | Q2 – State Size & Social Democratic Mission (Sir John Curtice)

00:49:50 – 01:01:35 | Q3 – Scrutiny, Misinformation & Media Trust

Audience question.

01:01:35 – 01:09:20 | Q4 – Social Media, Democratic Innovation & Greens’ Prospects

01:09:20 – 01:20:29 | Q5 – Edinburgh vs Glasgow & Sustainability of ‘Free Scotland’ Model

01:20:29 – 01:27:00 | Q6 – Is Social Democracy Still Represented?

01:27:00 – 01:29:10 | Q7 – MSP Exodus & Legislative Overload

01:29:10 – End | Closing

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Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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Bernard and Alex dig into the editorial crisis at the BBC, Comcast/SKY's potential takeover of ITV and Bernard (STV's former Political Editor and longest serving journalist of 34 years) says he no longer thinks the company has a future.

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Bernard and Alex delve into one of the bigget topics of the modern political age. Why can't Westminster or Holyrood seem to manage our public finances?

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In Part Two, in marking the 25th anniversary of the death of Donald Dewar, Bernard and Alex reflect on the Office of First Minister and how it has changed since Dewar's time as the first office holder. Plus they rate every First Minister out of 10.

PART ONE

Donald Dewar

Henry McLeish

Jack McConnell

Alex Salmond

PART TWO

Nicola Sturgeon

Humza Yusaf

John Swinney

Summary and Ratings

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In Part One, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the death of Donald Dewar, Bernard and Alex reflect on the Office of First Minister and how it has changed since Dewar's time as the first office holder.

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(00:05) Set-up: Tory & SNP conference week — immigration, ECHR, and whether the Conservatives are “doomed.”

(01:29) Are the Tories finished short–to–medium term? Leadership vs timing and arithmetic after a crushing defeat.

(03:59) What the Conservatives are trying to sell: contrition on net migration; mooted ECHR exit; welfare/PIP tightening (incl. ADHD/mental-health references).

(06:49) Both main parties “dancing to Farage’s tune” — the Reform UK gravitational pull on immigration policy.

(08:56) “Can you out-Reform Reform?” Why the answer is no — and why growth/economic confidence is the real antidote to populism. Threats to Labour from the left (Greens/Corbyn).

(11:18) Tory identity crisis: talk of repealing the Climate Change Act vs the real problem of UK power prices — headline-grabbing vs serious policy.

(13:18) What are the Tories for now? From coherent Thatcherism to today’s knee-jerk opposition.

(16:45) Scotland: Tory revival rode the constitutional (pro-Union) wave; with independence parked, what’s their offer?

(19:27) A quarter-century in devolved opposition and still no centre-right blueprint for Scotland (state size, tax, business, justice, “wokery”).

(23:31) Holyrood “fanning around”: dog-theft bill as a symptom; why brand toxicity blunts “common-sense Conservatism.”

(26:41) SNP conference preview: independence strategy debate; polls, minorities parliament, and why activists may not “rock the boat.”

(30:06) “Steady-as-you-go” Swinney: on ~35% the SNP could still be largest party (≈58–60 seats) due to fractured opposition and candidate churn.

(32:23) Voter mood: if “they’re all useless,” stick with “the useless ones we know” — SNP success as least-worst option.

(32:56) Longevity shocker: after 19–20 years in power, SNP still in pole position; next episode trail — Donald Dewar at 25 years.

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• Scottish polling: SNP still first; Reform’s rise fractures the unionist vote and could hand SNP an outsized seat haul on a modest vote share.
• Scottish Labour’s bind: must sell a credible policy offer while “owning” SNP record attacks — but Starmer’s unpopularity in Scotland limits Sarwar’s room.
• Reform dynamic: positioned as a “super protest vote”; mainstream parties risk losing if they try to outbid Farage on immigration.
• Electoral system: case made for shifting Holyrood to STV to avoid disproportional outcomes under a fractured party system.
• Approval ratings mood: Starmer underwater; Swinney seen as safer “adult in the room,” explaining SNP resilience despite policy discontent.
• Immigration: small boats symbolic of border control; debate increasingly about legal migration thresholds (ILR rules, salary/English requirements).
• Centre ground wobble: concern that political centre is collapsing, opening space for Reform beyond traditional limits.
• Leadership jeopardy: Starmer’s authority tied to Budget performance and spring elections; internal manoeuvring (incl. Burnham) noted.
• Fiscal outlook: expectation of a tax-raising Budget; VAT hike flagged as the most likely manifesto breach.
• Post-election arithmetic: conditional openness to SNP–Labour cooperation if both in mid-30s seats range.

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A big mixed bag of issues in this week's episode

“Deplore the Man. Respect the Office.”

→ How Starmer & Swinney played Trump for UK/Scotland gains

→ Moral vs national interest

“Love-Bombing Trump: Smart or Shameful?”

→ The realpolitik you weren’t told about

→ Starmer + Oval Office letter; subtle money/investment icons.

“The Real Opposition? The Auditor General.”

→ £2bn hole, welfare rules, and the bill coming due

→ Auditor General report

“Scotland’s Justice Pivot: What You Weren’t Told”

→ Not Proven scrapped — but did safeguards go too?

“Saloon-Bar Morality vs National Interest”

→ Engaging Trump: grown-up statecraft or sell-out?

“Buy Now. Pay Later. Government.”

→ Why Scotland’s books won’t balance by 2029

“Soft Words. Hard Bills.”

→ The welfare promise vs the budget reality

“Yellow Card Politics”

→ Hepburn v Ross, seagulls & standards at Holyrood

“Proven. Not Proven. Truth.”

→ Bernard’s case for how verdicts should really work

“Ego, Investment… and Whisky Tariffs”

→ How flattering Trump might pay Scotland

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• “The gap between theory and reality is often wide. Phase two has begun unpromisingly.”
• “Is he, as Kemi Badenoch put it at Prime Minister's questions this week, In office, but not in power.”
• “The journey from five MPs to 300 plus at the next election should be required to put Nigel Farage into Downing Street is the kind of leap that hasn't been made in an awfully long time, if indeed ever, in British politics.”
• “it's the Prime Minister's judgment that is the issue here much more than it is Peter Mandelson's judgment.”
• “it is always easier to blame the advisors than to blame the monarch himself. But most of the time, if there's a problem with the advisors, that is actually a reflection of the problem with the monarch itself.”
• “If Keir Starmer was a factional leader, that would be fine.”
• “So it's a government that is all things toward people and therefore absolutely nothing.”
• “it is never a good thing when you are resetting your Government for the reset to require a reset.”
• “the mere fact that we are even entertaining such speculation at this stage in the parliament is the real story there.”
• “the difference between a conviction politician and one who is a manager who doesn't like management, which is one of the problems with Keir Starmer.”
• “I still think it is more likely than not, but it is no longer completely inconceivable that he would be replaced… I think the chances have gone up from sort of 5 % to 25 % if I had to put numbers on it.”

• “Is the problem the Prime Minister himself? And I think with every passing month that becomes absolutely clear that the issue is indeed the Prime Minister himself.”
• “there is no such thing as Starmerism. He doesn't have any real ideological anchors within the Labour and Trade Union movement.”
• “this is a Prime Minister who... can't even sack a cabinet minister properly… These are not the actions of somebody who is on top of the job.”
• “I am increasingly of the view that he can't change because he doesn't have the political skill set and that at some point in this parliament the PLP will go into revolt.”
• “that now becomes a potentially very embarrassing visit… which would turn the visit into potentially a diplomatic disaster.”
• “At the end of the day, this was a decision of the Prime Minister. And therefore the key question, it's always that cliched questions, what did he know about Mandelson and when did he know it?”
• “Mr. Mandelson seems to have a penchant for people who are stinking rich.”
• “The content of some of those emails are on some levels beyond embarrassing and on other levels, plain revolting… and yet he's to be the British Ambassador.”
• “what they cannot accept is that this is all self-inflicted and a lot of it is self-inflicted in such a way where the current lot look every bit as incompetent and every bit as sleazy as the last lot.”
• “the buck stops with the guy at the top. The buck stops with the prime minister.”
• “you have to entertain the possibility that Reform UK might, might win a general election.”
• “and the parliamentary party will have its collective head and its collective hand and it will, I think at some point say, he has to go.”
• “both Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch will not lead the respective parties at the next general election.”

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With around 1 in 5 Scots telling pollsters they're voting for Reform UK at the coming Scottish Parliament Elections, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie analyse the current and likely effect on Scottish politics and how Nigel Farage's party can't lose out in this election.

Bernard Ponsonby

1. “What they're feeding into is a mood that the system is broken… the message about a broken political system is a message which transcends the traditional left-right issues. And it transcends the constitutional question.”
2. “The rise of Reform UK is in part a crisis that the voters have in the confidence with the established order and with the established parties.”
3. “The Scottish elections are an entirely free hit for Nigel Farage… he has a proportional voting system to fall back on next year. So he's going to get representatives. And the only thing that getting representatives at Holyrood will do is give him a further bounce.”
4. “I think that they will have a good election next May. The only question is how good. I think for the Conservatives, they will have a bad election. The only question is how bad or perhaps even how catastrophic.”
5. “Ultimately, just like the SDP, he will ultimately fail to break the mold of politics because… the asylum and immigration issue… won't cut through forever.”

Alex Massie

1. “In Scotland, Reform is winning around 25% of the working-class vote, C2DE voters… that tells you something. It tells you that in a strange way, some of the people who responded very well to the Yes campaign in 2014… it is the same kind of message that Reform is capitalizing on now.”
2. “It is a howl of discontent that is not necessarily connected to any specific policies or even ideas that Reform have.”
3. “Banging the drum on illegal immigration and forcing other parties… to conflate legal and illegal immigration is something that is extremely effective as a wedge issue for Farage and Reform.”
4. “Poor old Russell Findlay… is taking fire from his right and from his left and his center is falling apart too. And so this really leaves him with little option but to counter attack, but with what sort of troops he can muster, I am not entirely sure.”
5. “The rise of Reform again complicates matters because it becomes much, much harder to see how you can put together an election winning team… everybody in Scotland is a minority.”

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The Chancellor's Budget season is upon us and "winter is coming" says Alex Massie.

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In part two, the book has now been published and Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie not only dig through the detail, some of which has been overlooked in coverage, but also reflect on the reaction to the book.

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Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie preview the release of Nicola Sturgeon's memoir, "Frankly".

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It's Summer in Politics-Land and the First Minister of Scotland has chosen this quiet moment to outline his plans for Independence - What plans, you may ask? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie clash over the right to a second independence referendum but agree that the First Minister cannot claim a mandate if he doesn't ask the electorate for a mandate.

ALSO

CONSERVATIVE RESHUFFLE

"If James Cleverley is your headline, you know you’re in some trouble."

SCOTTISH GREENS WOES

"There’s a split between the ‘sensibles’ and the ‘radicals’ in the Greens."

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Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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