The Lesley Riddoch Podcast
679 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsScottish politics dissected from a left, pro-independence stance. Each week, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Lesley Riddoch chews over the week’s news with former media lecturer and Dundee United fan, Pat Joyce. If you like intelligent, quirky chat about Scottish society and culture, and Scottish, UK and international politics analysed from a Scottish perspective; this podcast is for you.
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Episodes
A chap at the door
August 25, 2020 12:11 - 59 minutes - 41.4 MBMercy Baguma was a refugee seeking asylum in Glasgow who had no recourse to public funds. She was utterly reliant on support from friends and charities. Mercy was found dead next to her starving wee boy on Saturday. We make no apologies for beginning this week's podcast with our thoughts on this tragedy. This morning's breaking news was that the Scottish government has withdrawn, as defender, from the Section 30 People's Action court case. We do our level best to navigate the legal wat...
Turn, turn, turn
August 18, 2020 12:39 - 58 minutes - 40.7 MBWe're back after our two week hiatus just in time for the Holyrood inquiry into the mishandling of the investigation into complaints against former FM Alex Salmond, and the airing of, the much trailed, Kirsty Wark documentary, The Trial of Alex Salmond . I don't think either of us really wanted to watch it, but watch it we did and we give our canid opinions, you'd expect nothing less, on the programme. Students across the UK have won their fight to have their teacher estimated grades for t...
Proxy wars?
August 04, 2020 13:08 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBSometimes there's absolutely no doubt what will be the first item in the podcast. And this week we had to begin with the SNP NEC decision which resulted in Joanna Cherry withdrawing her candidacy for the Edinburgh Central constituency at next year's Holyrood elections. We try and work our way through the noise and make a plea for natural justice to prevail and allow the local party to decide for itself. Douglas "Red card, red card" Ross seems about to be crowned, unopposed, as the new To...
Gut instincts
July 28, 2020 13:08 - 54 minutes - 38.1 MBAs the English media treated Boris Johnson's flying visit to Orkney with virtual contempt we ask what way will unionism jump.Will it be up front confrontation as Ruth Davidson puts the boot in or Michael Gove's soft soaping? The PM may also have bitten off more than he chew if he decides to take on the Scottish legal establishment over judicial reviews. The UK government has launched its tackling obesity strategy with a focus on banning adverts, food labelling, and BOGOF deals. But where...
Wakey Wakey
July 21, 2020 13:56 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBIn this edition of the podcast we welcome Les Huckfield as our special guest.Les, a former Labour MP, government minister,and MEP is now a supporter of Scottish independence. As well as finding out why he made that political journey we use his expertise and insight into Westminster to ask him to disentangle the Tory power surge spin ,what lies behind the power grab, and try and discover just what the Scottish government and SNP MPs can do to counteract it. However we begin with our inst...
Party Fears.Too many ?
July 14, 2020 12:55 - 51 minutes - 35.9 MBAs the UK government performs, yet another, volte face, this time on mandatory face coverings. We ask how, given their track record, the Tories can be trusted on the post Brexit trade deals they're negotiating. Lesley also questions if Scotland ,even if independent , could be insulated from the rigged regulations these agreements contain. Mike Russell was on GMS this morning claiming that the proposals by Westminster to take control of state aid away from the devolved governments was the f...
Part Fears.Too many ?
July 14, 2020 12:55 - 51 minutes - 35.9 MBAs the UK government performs, yet another, volte face, this time on mandatory face coverings. We ask how, given their track record, the Tories can be trusted on the post Brexit trade deals they're negotiating. Lesley also questions if Scotland ,even if independent , could be insulated from the rigged regulations these agreements contain. Mike Russell was on GMS this morning claiming that the proposals by Westminster to take control of state aid away from the devolved governments was the f...
Trust matters
July 07, 2020 12:27 - 57 minutes - 40 MBIn this week's podcast we return to some of the key subjects we've been looking at over the past four years. National Trust Scotland has found itself at the centre of controversy this week with its announcement of redundancies and the involvement of its controversial president, Neil Oliver,in the David Starkey racism row. Lesley takes us, forensically, through not only this but sheds considerable light on NTS's role in land ownership, tax avoidance, and cultural representation. We don'...
Why not
June 30, 2020 13:46 - 1 hour - 45.2 MBIn this week's podcast we turn our indy left gaze on the current pelters for Boris Johnson over his,so called,Speed Deal for post Covid economic recovery and compare this with the plaudits for Nicola Sturgeon,even with the "provocative" possibility of border controls. We seem to be sticking to Scottish government guidelines on tackling Covid but why are Scots so reluctant to wear face coverings? As criticism of the Johnson New Deal mounts noted economist Professor Richard Murphy suggests...
The Outsiders
June 23, 2020 13:27 - 47 minutes - 33.1 MBThis week's look at politics from a left/indy perspective has a definite outsiders theme. The Scottish Advisory Group on Economic Recovery published its report with an official fanfare yesterday. But, although it uses all the buzzwords like resilience and fairness, is it yet another piece of tinkering about the edges? Compare this to the lack of coverage and analysis of Common Weal's Resilient Scotland research. The Langholm Initiative have launched their crowdfunding campaign as they...
Twa radiators
June 16, 2020 13:18 - 1 hour - 32 MBIn this week's look at Scottish and UK politics from a left/indy perspective we kick off looking at the announcement by Boris Johnson of his Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities and his controversial choice of Munira Mirza to lead its setting up. Will this inquiry be a genuine breakthrough or,yet another, kick the can down the road paper exercise? Anas Sarwar has been incredibly powerful in articulating the experience of BAME Scots. How can we address the imbalances he identified? ...
Set in stone
June 09, 2020 12:50 - 56 minutes - 19.9 MBWhen Black Lives Matter protestors in Bristol toppled,then threw the statue of slaver Edward Colston into the river on Sunday it was the culmination of nearly 100 years of local anger at, not only its presence, but the blocking of even the slightest steps to recognise his involvement in the vile "trade". This incident has sparked controversy and renewed analysis of Britain's and, in our case,Scotland's role in slavery and its memorialisation in our street names and monuments. We ask how b...
Hard evidence
June 02, 2020 13:39 - 1 hour - 46.2 MBIn this week's look at politics from a Scottish perspective the Dominic Cummings affair rumbles on and its impact socially and politically can't be underestimated. What it also brought into sharp perspective was the limited grasp on factual evidence the UK government in general, and Boris Johnson in particular, has when making big decisions. We focus on the appearance of the PM before the Parliamentary Liaison Committee, the decision to abandon the Hybrid Commons procedures, and the easing...
The lies have it
May 26, 2020 15:54 - 57 minutes - 39.9 MBIn this week's episode we begin, inevitably, with the biggest story of the political week, the Dominic Cummings affair. Just how will it play with the swathe of new,northen English,Tory voters? In Scotland,even before Cummingsgate, Nicola Sturgeon's ratings sored in polls over her handling of the Covid crisis to over 80% while Boris Johnson's plummeted to 30%. Will this prove the Rubicon for previous opponents of Scottish independence. Plus, has the coverage of Cummings by both the BBC a...
The New Normal
May 19, 2020 12:53 - 57 minutes - 39.1 MBIf a week is a long time,not just in Scottish, but in all politics, a fortnight feels like a lifetime,but we're back. We kick off with the Andy Wightman call for a rent freeze in his amendment to the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill that will be considered by MSPs today at Holyrood. Will this suffer the same fate as others he's introduced? And if it falls due to lack of government support what does this say for the progressive credentials of the SNP leadership? Labour controlled Engli...
The grand mither tongue
May 05, 2020 14:39 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBThis week's look at politics from a Scottish perspective has even more of a Scot's accent than usual as we review Alistair Heather's braw documentary on BBC Scotland,The Rebel Tongue. Lesley tells folk folk to "Get on their bikes( if they can find one)", in the nicest possible way. Yet again there seem to be growing differences emerging between the Scottish and UK governments' approaches to tackling Covid 19. This time it's over the methods they're introducing to, test, track, and cont...
Risky business
April 28, 2020 13:07 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBThis week's take on Scottish politics definitely has risk at its core. A minutes silence at 11 this morning for Workers' Memorial Day was dedicated to key staff in the NHS and care system.But were they put in danger by UK government negligence over the supply of PPE? When we compare how small countries, such as New Zealand, have handled the Covid 19 pandemic will the Scottish government risk going its own way if the UK Cabinet insists on ending lockdown prematurely? Will a definitivel...
Trust never sleeps
April 21, 2020 12:52 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBAs lockdown continues, despite the growing murmurings from some quarters that it should end, the UK Parliament is set to amend its arcane procedures to allow remote working. We ask if the way Westminster works is fit for purpose, and the very nature of , what passes for, debate and governmental scrutiny, derived from public school and Oxbridge debating societies, has been shown for the sham it is during the crisis. Lesley hones in on trust in the Conservative government,and the sheer hy...
WHO are you?
April 15, 2020 12:59 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBAs Donald Trump plays the blame game with the World Health Organisation Lesley kicks off this episode trying to get to grips with why certain countries appear to have coped with the Covid 19 crisis substantially better than the UK and the USA. Here's a wee hint contact tracing and testing. We also, yet again, look at the "great leader" syndrome which still blights, not only the UK, but also Scotland. The post crisis UK economy has been all over the news in the past couple of days with ...
Declarations and departures
April 07, 2020 12:47 - 53 minutes - 36.4 MBIt's an outside broadcast this week as Lesley takes advantage of the sunny weather to join me from the back step of her cottage. Saturday saw the launch of the Declaration of Arbroath movie made by Lesley and filmmaker Charlie Stuart. This in the deafening silence surrounding the 700th anniversary from national broadcasters,with the notable exception of Billy Kay's three part series on Radio Scotland. We try and pick apart why this lack of enthusiasm for such a seminal event at all levels...
Scores and scams
March 31, 2020 13:24 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBThis week saw polls showing almost unprecedented support for incumbent governments across the globe. Lesley tries to explain this phenomenon and speculates on what the lasting effects will be on politics , and most importantly, people power. Has Covid 19 killed its first democracy as the Hungarian Parliament hands over virtually total power to its "strong man" Prime Minister, Viktor Orban? And what response, if any has come from the EU to this further lurch into authoritarianism from,an al...
2020 Vision
March 24, 2020 12:54 - 1 hour - 46.1 MBAfter the major announcements last night by the Scottish and UK governments extending the emergency measures to combat the spread of Covid 19 there was only one way to begin this week's podcast. Lesley examines the bit by bit approach taken by the UK government and we speculate on whether the very male nature of the Johnson Cabinet has influenced its approach. Lesley focuses in particular on the plight of the over five million folk who are self employed,in the gig economy, or on zero hou...
Keep your distance
March 17, 2020 13:11 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBWe recorded this episode which, quite naturally, focuses on the impact of Covid 19 using Skype, for sound reasons that Lesley outlines . So please bear with us as it was our first time. Covid 19 takes up the vast majority of this week's podcast. Lots of thoughts from both of us on its social and political aspects and its far reaching impact. However Lesley does touch on her plans to make a documentary on the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath. I chip in on fancy soaps,...
Corona and contempt
March 10, 2020 14:19 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBLesley,currently freed from her two columns a week,visited Low Moss Prison and was wowed by the experience. We can't escape from Covid-19 and we look at the coverage it's receiving.I'm less than complimentary about Newsnight but far more impressed by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Not only does Lesley, surprisingly spring to Newsnight's defence, but also, as per usual, brings another perspective to the crisis. Monday saw the opening of the Alex Salmond trial but before it got underway...
In plain sight
March 03, 2020 13:24 - 40 minutes - 28 MBLesley's back and so is the podcast. Estonia regained its independence in 1991 and Lesley went there to make another in her series of groundbreaking films exploring our Nordic neighbours. She reports back on what she found and makes a surprising revelation. Lesley was struck by the lack of bureaucracy in Estonia and how connected the citizens are. I, on the other hand, reflect on the death of Prince Fosu at an Immigration Removal Centre in 2012 and what it says about our society. Priti...
Gaming the system
February 18, 2020 13:18 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBThere was only one way to begin this week's podcast ,it was the bizarre claim by Jackson Carlaw, newly anointed Scottish Tory leader, that around half of the Scot's electorate were adherents of a cult. Lesley eviscerates this ludicrous suggestion and we try and figure out what his strategy was. Lesley's been aware over the past few weeks that groups of independence activists, from a variety of perspectives, have been planning to, and in one case actually have, set up parties to stand on ...
That's hut
February 11, 2020 13:29 - 47 minutes - 32.3 MBThe campaign for A Thousand Huts launched in 2011 by Reforesting Scotland– a network which has campaigned for over 20 years for a sustainable forest culture in Scotland-held a rally in Dundee last Saturday. It'll come as no surprise to you that Lesley was there, and she gives her thoughts, not only on the event, but also on the wider issues surrounding hutting and the campaign itself. Thursday should have seen Derek MacKay launching this year's Scottish budget in Holyrood. We reflect on ...
One step beyond
February 04, 2020 14:03 - 1 hour - 41.9 MBLast Friday when it would have been easy to have shut the door and try and forget the UK dragging Scotland out of the EU against our democratic will,thousands of Scots took themselves out on a dreich night to sing, dance, and celebrate. Lesley pays tribute to the folk who organised these events and reflects on what we can learn frae fowk daein fir thimsels, and the media coverage it gathered. Friday also saw Nicola Sturgeon make her, much trailed, speech on indyref2. As the three latest ...
A European Commission
January 28, 2020 14:50 - 1 hour - 42 MBLesley was part of the final, for now, Scottish press corps briefing with the EU in Brussels last week. She's back with some genuinely jaw dropping information from the event.That light at the end of the Brexiteers' tunnel looks ever more like the express train heading towards us at breakneck speed. Monday was the funeral of Seamus Mallon, ex MP,former N Ireland Deputy First Minister, and one of the principle architects of the Good Friday Agreement. We reflect on his life, and legacy. ...
The Brit is back
January 20, 2020 20:11 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MBLesley and I swore that we'd never do another evening recording session.Yet here we are as she's off to visit the European Union tomorrow. More of the EU later. We begin with the annual resurrection of the Broon frae Kirkcaldy who made another , well trailed,"keynote"speech today on the perils of divisive nationalism and his plan to keep the UK together. Needless to say we were not impressed. Back to the EU and Lesley brings you an exclusive on plans to demonstrate our opposition to Brex...
Guests of the nation
January 13, 2020 19:24 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBLesley is fresh from Saturday's AUOB march in Glasgow and is still buzzing from the carnival atmosphere. As is right, and fitting, we begin this week's podcast with this, yet another, fantastic day. Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland appeared on Sunday Politics Scotland and retreated from his previous position on indyref2. We reckon "Union" Jack, and his no mandate mantra will turn out to be the best recruiting sergeant we've seen for the Yes movement. Not to be left out ...
Not a game
January 07, 2020 13:30 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBThe, not so, dynamic duo make our return after the Christmas and Hogmanay break, having just about survived our bouts of lurgy. The recriminations and "period of reflection" in both Scottish and UK Labour,post the General Election defeat,have been brought into even sharper focus with the announcements of candidates for the leadership. Lesley kicks off 2020 by asking just what Labour in Scotland actually stands for and whether it can rediscover its principled roots. I,as only a ex Labou...
Parts of the union
December 17, 2019 13:28 - 41 minutes - 28.1 MBIt's the last podcast of 2019 and the new Westminster Parliament reconvenes with Boris Johnson's election pledge to "Get Brexit done"still ringing in our ears. And we begin with discussing Johnson's latest moves on the EU Withdrawal Bill and what attitude the EU might take to the prospect of an independent Scotland. Lesley asks what impact an unequivocal welcome from someone so outspoken as Michel Barnier might have. Just when you think you've heard all you can take of EU jargon,I chip i...
Up until Swinson
December 13, 2019 18:08 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBIt's the afternoon after the late night before and Lesley and I try to make sense of the results of the General Election. Lesley,unashamedly, starts by looking at the tremendous showing by the SNP, and, in so doing,gives me the telling off I deserve. The rest of the podcast is taken up with attempting to explain just what happened and examining the impact of the election on all of the main parties across the UK. Naturally we also focus on what it all means for the Scottish independenc...
A matter of trust
December 10, 2019 13:15 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBIt's two days until polling and we kick off with trying to work our way through yesterday's big stories around gaffes,punches, and gaming the media. However we move on to go behind the headlines and question if this focus is obscuring the real issues, and if the resulting loss of public trust in the BBC and other institutions is fuelling the apparent drift towards the Tories in England. Lesley was up in Cromarty where she spoke with Jon Snow of Channel 4. The London media seem to think t...
We gotta get out of this place
December 03, 2019 14:15 - 48 minutes - 33 MBLesley took a few days out in Rotterdam to recharge her batteries at a Sibelius concert. She also attended a service at the Scots Presbyterian Church. Though not a practising Christian, she didn't realise how much spiritual sustenance she needed. She also spent time with former Labour minister,Les Huckfield, who's now campaigning vigorously for Pete Wishart. These two, seemingly, contrasting but actually complementary experiences take up the first part of this week's podcast. As the p...
On the QT
November 26, 2019 13:59 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBAs Boris Johnson flew up to Scotland to launch the Scottish Tory manifesto has the SNP pulled off a master stroke by announcing its ground breaking, in UK terms, extension of paternity leave? Labour has also been forcing the issue on WASPI women but is it too late to the party and can it be trusted on matters of equality given the record of Labour controlled Glasgow City Council? It's been a busy old week for the party leaders facing both the public and political commentators. We focus o...
No Compare
November 19, 2019 14:14 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBAs the General Election campaigns pick up pace we take a,somewhat sceptical, look at how Labour's policies are being ignored,particularly on the BBC, in favour of highlighting party in fighting. Lesley focuses on Labour's plan for public sector broadband and wonders if it could be a game changer. Inevitably this leads us on to the electoral debates, not just the exclusion of all parties other than Labour and the Tories, but ITN's stance if they'd lost court case taken out by the SNP and ...
Freedom come all ye
November 12, 2019 13:57 - 1 hour - 43.4 MBAfter some merry badinage regarding Jo Swinson's strangled vowels and ever shifting accent, we get down to serious business. The BBC has come under fire over Wreathgate, we discuss just what might have happened and the "robust" defence of the BBC position by Rob Burley. Lesley wonders if you can get away with anything, if your accent is posh enough. Coverage of this debacle seemed to have crowded out the non publication of the report on Russian interference in UK politics.That is until H...
Promises,promises
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBA European Arrest Warrant for Clara Ponsati,on charges of sedition, was issued by Spain just before we recorded today's podcast.We give our initial reactions to the shocking news. Lesley was at the National's Yes rally in George Square last Saturday and she reveals who she thought was the most impressive speaker. The BBC has responded to criticism of its coverage, to be honest we're sceptical, to say the least, to its reply. This leads, neatly I reckon, to the exclusion of the SNP from t...
Election Fever
October 30, 2019 12:34 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MBWell chums a week was definitely a long time in politics because after yesterday's votes at Westminster we're now heading for a general election on December the 12th. We try and examine the myriad of permutations over voting intentions and party stances and wonder if the real issues such as climate change and austerity will break through the dominant narrative of Brexit. We also turn our attention to the prospect of indyref2 and the need for Yessers to rally round the SNP electoral machine...
The Twilight Zone
October 22, 2019 21:09 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBThis was yet another in the long list of "the most important days yet" in the Brexit saga. Both Lesley and I spent the vast majority of the day following the blethering skites in Westminster waiting for the two votes at 7 and 7.30 tonight. The government won the first to secure the second reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill, but lost the second on the truncated timetable for scrutiny and amendment. We try and work out what it all means, we'll let you judge just how successful we are. Thous...
Keep it zipped
October 18, 2019 12:38 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBWhile I was away sunning myself in Madeira Lesley was attending the SNP annual conference in Aberdeen where she may have mentioned setting up a new political party. Lesley gives the background to this and vents her frustrations at the SNP's timidity in tackling burning issues of domestic policy. The struggle of Staffin Community Trust (SCT) to pay for six new family homes, a medical clinic and business units on Skye to try and secure the future of its community throws this lack of ambiti...
It is hard to keep up
October 04, 2019 13:08 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBPaddy is on holiday and it hasn't been a quiet week. Between Brexit, Rory the Tory, Joanna Cherry, the EU extending, Land and Housing on Skye, a brief detour into Facebook and smacking bans; it has been hard to keep up with the flood of new developments. Recorded early on Friday morning after Rory's resignation and in the hour before he announced his mayoral ambitions; there was the proof. It is hard to keep up. However, Lesley invited an old voice back into the pod to try and make sense. ...
11 nil
September 24, 2019 12:59 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBThe Supreme court's unanimous decision to declare Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament not only unlawful but null and void takes up the majority of this week's podcast. We consider the central role of the "Scottish case", brought by Joanna Cherry QC MP and others in this momentous ruling. We also try and predict, you can be the judge of how successfully in the next few days, what ramifications it will have for Johnson's future, a General Election, and Scottish independence. Great ...
Heroes and villains
September 17, 2019 12:56 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBOn the morning that the Supreme Court convened to hear the appeals on the Joanna Cherry and Gina Miller cases Lesley reminds us that climate change is still the big issue. However we can't resist the siren call of prorogation and the constitutional crisis for long and we do discuss the Supreme Court hearings. Be warned, in depth. It's the Lib Dem conference, the first party conference of the season, in Bournemouth and we try to get our heads round their electoral strategies and targeting...
Up until Black Rod
September 10, 2019 12:58 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBIn,yet another in the series of,most momentous weeks for the UK Parliament we inevitably begin with last night's events at Westminster. Lesley,wisely,was in her bed as they unfolded.Daft lad here could not resist the siren call of "Division" from Speaker,John Bercow. As per usual we try and make sense of it all and consider the now inevitable General Election from both a UK and Scottish perspective. Perth was the venue for the latest AUOB march and Lesley was there. The BBC,however,mos...
Late night sitting
September 03, 2019 22:52 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MBOn a day which began with Nicola Sturgeon presenting the Programme for Government with the climate emergency and indyref2 at its core and ended with senior Tories like Kenneth Clarke and Philip Hammond being expelled from the Tory Party, Lesley and I try to make sense of it all. We recorded the podcast just after the momentous vote ,lost by Boris Johnson, which meant that MPs took control of Parliamentary business to try and rule out a No Deal Brexit. The result of which lead to the PM con...
Love it to death
August 27, 2019 12:16 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBAfter an opening salvo on the perils and dubious pleasures of digital technology and assembling hose systems (trust me it's more interesting than it sounds) we move on to discuss the modern phenomenon of so-called dirty camping. A symptom of our disposable culture or something more? As Corbyn gets ready to meet the leaders of the other opposition parties I reckon this is all just positioning for a snap General Election. Lesley disagrees. It's the Shetland by election on Thursday. Are the...
Them not you
August 20, 2019 12:22 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBWe spend the first part of this week's podcast on the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. You'll find out what Lesley liked,why I don't go,very often,and the part it plays in Scotland's culture,for good or ill. Fans of the Tattoo should probably look away now. Iain Duncan Smith, he of welfare reforms and Universal Credit fame, announced the Centre for Social Justice's plans to hike the state pension age to 75. I take a wee peek behind the statistics on UK life expectancy and it's not very p...