Shows
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 187 - Odes To Our AdversariesJust occasionally in all the years I've been doing this, mostly for laughs, I've made a few little, ahem, tributes, to some of our political adversaries.The 187th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a run through of some of the best of these, because I think most of us are in need of a laugh at the moment.Hope you enjoy.These podcasts are independently minded and independently funded, you can help to keep them going by making a donation. http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com...
2020-06-1534 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 186 - Tory Lies, Trump, EmpireThe 186th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is amongst other things, a mix of some bad excuses.There's a bad excuse for a Prime Minister, a bad excuse for a President of the United States, and a few bad excuses for the behaviour of the British Empire.Along with that, there are people trying to expose those excuses, and how they got on with it.Hope you enjoy.http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast/http://www.youtube.com/channel...
2020-06-0928 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 185 - Billy Kay on Scotland and IdentityThe 185th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a talk by Broadcaster, writer and activist and former guest on the show, Billy Kay, about Scottish identity.Have you ever noticed when you go abroad that the locals always seem to know what happened in 1437 in every wee nook and cranny of their town. Have you also noticed that this often isn't the case in Scotland? Why would that be? Kay explores this idea in the talk, but also provides some great stories from Scottish history, and there are a few revelations as well. For example, which...
2020-05-291h 02The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 184 - How Has Any of This Changed?The Queen, God, the EU (in and out), your mate's dug, Alpha Centauri, cherry tomatoes, wind, Nigel Farage, xylophones, Bungle from Rainbow - whatever it is, if you listen to some people, it's a reason against Scottish Independence.The latest they are using is the virus, so for the 184th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I have taken some pieces of talks from before the coronavirus and I'm asking to you to think about if they still apply, or even, are they more urgent questions than before?And it finishes with an idiot...
2020-05-0325 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 183 - Tories OutFor episode 183 of The Scottish Independence Podcast I'm taking you back to that wonderful world of a dew months ago in which the only things we had to worry about were Tory lies causing unnecessary death and hardship, and a babbling manboy in the White House.Oh wait, both of those things still apply.Anyway, it's a collection of whoppers, evasions and other nefarious activity from the Tories, just in case you ever forget what they are like.Hope you enjoy.http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6...
2020-04-2615 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 182 - The Clyde-Built Constitution"A mendacious drunkard's promise, made to convince his wife not to leave him", yes you guessed it, The Vow.However, the 182nd episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is, thanks to Independence Live, a talk given by Mark McNaught with an intro by John Drummond (former convenor of the Independence convention).It's about the importance of making a draft consitution for Scotland BEFORE a second referendum. It also gets into the problems with the constitutional situation in the UK "Arguably the most incoherent and feudal political system on Earth".The project, which seems to...
2020-04-171h 32The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 180 - All You Wanted To Know About Constitutions But Were Afraid To AskThe 180th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is, thanks to Independence Live, a talk given by John Drummond (former convenor of the Independence convention).In this talk he explains to an audience why he thinks it is a pivotal that we have a constitution prepared and ready to go before a second referendum, and not as something to be decided after.Hope you enjoy.http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcasthttps://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6_LfMf1z6erDXSCHfw6_Bw/videos
2020-04-041h 32The Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 178 - The Brexit Shambles and BeyondThe 178th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a long in-depth look at the Scottish economy and what may happen after Brexit. It features friend of the show and someone who has been a guest several times, MSP Ivan McKee.Before that however, we've someone getting Farage telt, and after that we've got, just for the change of it, someone saying Scotland won't have any problems getting into the EU at all.He spoke about what I outlined above, and also responded to some criticisms of the growth commission and gave an idea of the...
2019-11-161h 29The Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 177 - Everything In The BalanceThe 177th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast has quite a varied menu. What is the UK govt spending millions on telling citizens living abroad? Do (Labour) MPs bother to read things before voting for them? There's also a No to Yes convert, some speeches from the recent march in Edinburgh, a confused person and more.And is one of the most famous Scots changing his mind?Hope you enjoy.https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcasthttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/
2019-10-2339 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod175 - Public Finances in an Independent ScotlandThe 175th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a short talk given by Craig Dalzell showing, amongst other things, how distorted the GERS figures can be, some of the immediate savings an independent Scotland would make, and some of the instant bumps in revenue it would have.In case that wasn't clear above, that is when we are independent, not now.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://twitter.com/thecommongreenhttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast
2019-09-0435 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 174 -Chuck D & MoreThe 174th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is just a little teaser and a way of saying the podcast will be back for a little summer season and hopefully beyond.Iquote-because-things-are-the-way-they-are-things-will-not-stay-the-way-they-are-bertolt-brecht-23275.jpgn this one we’ve got something on the new cretin/b*stard (delete according to your mood) that has taken over as Prime Minister, there’s a little blast from the past, a live reaction to that thing on Channel 5 and finally the headline guest.Hope you enjoy.
2019-07-2915 min
BibleProjectThe Jesus Creed - Feat. Dr. Scot McKnightIn part one (0:00-12:00), the guys discuss Scot’s academic background and writing habits.
In part two (12:00-27:10), Tim shares how important Scot’s book, Interpreting The Synoptic Gospels, has been to him.
In part three (27:10-39:30), the guys talk about Scot's most well-known book, Jesus Creed.
In part four (39:30-54:10), Tim shares his thoughts on Scot’s book, A Community Called Atonement.
In part five (54:10-end), Tim shares how impactful Scott's book, A Fellowship of Differents, has been to him
Show Resources:
Scot's Wikipedia page with links...
2019-06-201h 08The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 173 - Poverty and Human Rights in the UK"I think if you had got a group of mysogynists in a room and said 'guys, how can we make this system work for men and not for women?', they wouldn't have come up with too many other ideas than what is already in place".The 173rd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is the much talked about report by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, talking about the UK.It's so important I was going to just read the whole thing out and put that out as a podcast but...
2018-11-2058 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 172 - Clive PontingThe 172nd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a speech given by Clive Ponting.Ponting is a famous whistleblower who exposed the UK Government over the sinking of The Belgrano, an act many believe to be a war crime. He has also authored a number of books exposing various levels of skulduggery and/or incompetence at Whitehall.This episode comes from a recent talk he gave in which he goes into those things, but also why he now resides in Scotland, why he loves it, and why he supports Scottish Independence. Hope you...
2018-11-131h 03The Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 171 - Dr Philippa WhitfordThe 171st episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is mostly a speech by Dr Philippa Whitford (a previous guest on the show). I'm sure you do, but just in case you didn't know, Dr Whitford MP is an SNP MP but before her time in politics she was a consultant breast surgeon, one who also worked as part of UN mission in Gaza and even a couple of years ago went to the West Bank to operare on four women suffering from Breast Cancer.The speech, principally about the Scottish Health service, was at Clermiston and is reproduced...
2018-10-091h 41The Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 170 - Mike Russell On Brexit & MoreThe 170th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is mostly a speech by Mike Russell regarding the (bleak) situation with Brexit and people really should hear it. I am reproducing the talk here and thanks to Newsnet for allowing me to do so.There are also a couple of cameos, Martin Compston gets it right and Ruth Davidson gets it wrong, American Embassy staff paint a frightening picture and John Swinney loses his sh*t.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://twitter.com/Feorleanhttps://newsnet.scot/http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/
2018-10-011h 25The Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 169 - Thomas Muir Lecture 2018 by Gerda Stevenson"I have devoted myself to the cause of the people. It is a good cause. It shall ultimately prevail. It shall finally triumph." – Thomas Muir’s speech from the dock, Edinburgh, August 1793.Courtesy of Phantom Power, the 169th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast features the Thomas Muir lecture for 2018, which was given by Gerda Stevenson withAs well as being an actress and a musician, Gerda Stevenson is the author of Quines: Poems in tribute to women of Scotland and in the lecture you can find out which Scottish woman was an inspiration to Walt Whit...
2018-09-2254 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 168 - Spitting The Dummy & LovebombsThe 168th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a mix of some recent things that you won't want to miss.Here you'll find a psychic that didn't seem to predict the consequences of telling a nation of people to go f*ck itself, or how much of an idiot she would like when she was doing it.There is also a good speech from Westminster which provides good and useful historical information on the history of Scottish home rule. However, given that the speech was delivered in Westminster, it was accompanied by quite a lot...
2018-09-0730 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 167 - Craig Dalzell on GERS and CurrencyThe 167th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is an interview with Craig Dalzell, Head of Policy and Research at the Common Weal.We had a chat about the usual rammy every time the GERS figures come out (sorry for the swear word that it forced out of me, there is only one in the episode) and then we talked about the new paper the Common Weal have produced How to Launch A Scottish Currency. Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://twitter.com/thecommongreenhttp://www.allofusfirst.org/tasks/render/file/?fileID=D4585...
2018-08-2537 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScottish Independence Podcast 166 - Pensioners for Indy and moreThe 166th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast features, amongst other things, an interview with Peter Swain of Pensioners for Independence (courtesy of Independence Live).You'll also find out why I was very tempted to call the episode "Archie, Archie, What's the Score?", even if part of that joke will only make sense if you were born before 1985.I also had to include Boris Johnson, or as he is known in Scotland, Bawjawz, trying to justify some of the worst Tory behaviour. As he does so, he is kind enough to show just how far removed...
2018-06-0340 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod163 - They Don't Make This DifficultThe 163rd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a thank you for some of the great moments that Scottish Labour leaders have given us in recent years.Today the new empty suit put himself right in the mix with the previous empty suits and dresses, and he is hardly in the job.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast
2017-11-2810 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 162 - Tories & TrumpThe 162nd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is a quick run through of some of the things that Trump and the Tories have been up to.Some listeners may find the amount of Ruth Davidson in it upsetting, however, when she is in it, she is constistently making an arse of herself. She also says some terminological inexactitudes, seems to forget that welfare isn't a devolved matter and more.There is also someone making fun of Trump, but the problem with that is that whatever you say about him, he is easily able to outdo...
2017-11-2228 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastEl podcast de la Independència de Catalunya"We hereby constitute the Catalan Republic as an independent, sovereign, legal, democratic, socially-conscious state"
2017-10-2701 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 161 - Christians for IndyI noticed that the only people I hadn't had on the show among the conveners and voting organisations were Elaine C. Smith (I've tried - can't seem to get in touch with her), AyeScotland, Christians For Independence and Pensioners for Independence.I then immediately tweeted out asking if any of those organisations would like to come on the show for a talk about independence. The first I managed to organise something with (and I'll be working on the others shortly) were Christians for Independence.I'm not a religious man myself so I thought it would be...
2017-10-2240 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 160 - Ian HamiltonThe 160th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is an interview with Ian Hamilton QC, probably most know for going down to London with some friends and /taking back/stealing/repatriating/borrowing (delete as you wish) The Stone of Destiny/Scone. I have always wanted to have him on the show but unfortunately it wasn't me that got to interview him, it was instead Mike Small of Bella Caledonia (Bella also has a fundraiser), who has allowed me to make it up into an episode here.We get some great details on the story of the taking of...
2017-10-1549 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 159 - Colin Fox at SNP EdinburghThe 159th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast features a talk given at the Edinburgh SNP Club last night by Colin Fox of the SSP.Colin always speaks well and this time was no different. As well as being his usual genial self however, he also spoke about some of the difficulties the independence movement is in and how we can get out of them.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://twitter.com/The_SSP_https://twitter.com/EdinCentralSNPhttps://twitter.com/colinfoxssphttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter...
2017-10-0737 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 158 - How Bad & Incompetent The UK Government Is"In the case of Brexit, I heard assurances throughout the course of the mission and yesterday at the human rights council from the government that Brexit would not lower protection from environmental threats. However, I also heard, or actually did not hear any clear assurances of how that would be the case. There have been statements from members of government saying that existing laws will be maintained WHEREVER PRACTICAL AND DESIRABLE, which I find very worrying." The 158th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast features a talk given at the UN by Baskut Tuncak. The report was about...
2017-09-3027 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 157 - Anna Arqué on CataloniaThe 157th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast is the second time on the show for Anna Arqué. Anna has been a long-time campaigner for Catalan independence and also works for the International Commission of European Citizens.I asked her about the preparations for the Independence Referendum they are about to have and also about the measures that the Spanish government is using to try and disrupt the process.I also asked her how the people are reacting to some of these measures and what the outlook for the referendum is.Hope you enjoy.
2017-09-1848 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 156 - Thomas Muir Lecture 2017 by Tommy SheppardWe're back!The 156th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast features the Thomas Muir lecture for 2017, which was given by Tommy Sheppard MP (who has also been on the show himself).Hope you enjoy.
2017-09-151h 14The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 155 - A Party PoliticalIt's good to give time to your opponents, , so for the 155th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I've decided to cover this election broadcast by the Scottish Conservatives.
2017-05-0105 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 154 - McSmörgåsbordAt the moment there isn't really enough talk about choices. Everything is being presented as either a future in Brexit UK (with all the lack of choices that entails), or an independent future in the EU.However there are more options than that available. If one looks to Scandinavia it is possible to see many different types of engagement and activity with Europe, from full membership and trying to change things from within, to various kinds of halfway house.In this talk presented here in the 154th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, Lesley Riddoch outlines...
2017-04-2833 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 152 - Crying 'Wolf!'For the 152nd episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I’ve pulled together some of the recent notable comments by some pro-indy folks and by some unionists.The Tories seem to want to deny everything, some people are trying to ramp up the hysteria and others are trying to calm it all down. In the middle of it all Gordon Brown made another intervention, and then went away again without anyone noticing.Apart from that, the BBC edited Nicola Sturgeon rather sneakily, and there are two comments, both radically different in tone, from interested parties south of...
2017-04-1123 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 151 - Adam RamsayFor the 151st episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I managed to get Adam Ramsay back on the line after a failed recording a couple of months back. Adam is a writer and activist and is the co-editor of Open Democracy.We talked about the wider context in which the argument over the timing of the second independence referendum is being played out in. We also spoke about the hysterical reactions of some unionist commentators - why are they so furious and how should we react to it.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps...
2017-03-2639 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 150 - Pat KaneIt's the 150th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast and the 250th podcast I have put together that is about Scottish Independence in some way, so it's a double sort of anniversary. I hope you've been enjoying them.This time we are back to the interviews and in this universal moment of "what the hell is going on?" I spoke to Pat Kane, who I'm sure doesn't need any introduction other than to say he isn't the ice-hockey player that comes up if you search Pat Kane on google.We spoke about the the events of...
2017-03-1946 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 149 - Something FishyA recent episode of the Lesley Riddoch podcast mentioned a couple of things regarding what's going to happen to fishing and agriculture in Scotland post-brexit. I felt what they were talking about was so important that we should go straight to the horse's mouth, and then to the horses a***s (Mundell & Farage).So for the 149th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I've pulled together the relevant comments and something fishy does indeed seem to be going on.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcasthttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/
2017-03-1511 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 148 - SweetiesI had just put together and mastered episode 148 of the Scottish Independence Podcast before Sturgeon announced that we're going for Indyref 2, so it doesn't have any of that in it.I hope you'll still find it funny and/or infuriating though.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast
2017-03-1316 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 147 - This & ThatDue to a large quantity of people I'm going to interview soon being on holiday, just to keep things ticking over, episode 147 of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a few interesting clips pulled from here and there that you may have missed.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcasthttps://twitter.com/mgreenwell
2017-03-0320 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 146 - Murray, Orr & HarvieFirst of all, a huge thank you to all of you who donated in our little fundraiser. You've secured the podcast for another year and we're very grateful.Episode 146 of the Scottish Independence Podcast continues the series of talks given at the recent Scottish Independence Convention and has a couple of little bonuses thrown in too.There are another two talks featured. The first was given by Lesley Orr of Women For Indy, and the second by Patrick Harvie, and this was his speech to round off the conference.Before we get to those...
2017-02-1635 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 145 - Stewart Kirkpatrick & Sarah Beattie-SmithEpisode 145 of the Scottish Independence Podcast continues the series of talks given at the recent Scottish Independence Convention.This time round there are two talks. The first was given by Stewart Kirkpatrick, former Digital Operations Manager for Yes Scotland, and the second by Sarah Beattie-Smith of the Green Party and Women For Indy.Hope you enjoy.LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/calgacushttps://twitter.com/SBeattieSmithhttps://twitter.com/WomenForIndyhttps://twitter.com/liveIndyScothttps://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast
2017-02-0929 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 144 - Cat Boyd & Yes 2Episode 144 of the Scottish Independence Podcast continues the series of talks given at the recent Scottish Independence Convention.This time round there are two talks. The first was given by is a talk given by Cat Boyd and the second by the people from Yes 2 - Tony McCandless and John McHarg.Hope you enjoy.
2017-02-0233 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 143 - Richard Walker on the Scottish MSMEpisode 143 of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a talk given by Richard Walker (interviewed in episode 135) at the recent Scottish Independence Convention.Richard is now the consulting editor of The National, but was also involved in the formation of that paper and the decision made at the Sunday Herald to begin openly supporting Scottish independence.In this talk Richard talks about the relationship between the Scottish Independence Movement and the Scottish mainstream media. LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://twitter.com/richardwalker5https://www.facebook...
2017-01-2625 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 142 - The Demographics of IndyEpisode 142 of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a talk given by Dr Craig Dalzell (interviewed in episode 134) at the recent Scottish Independence Convention.Craig's talk was with regard to who did and didn't vote for independence last time round, how the picture has changed since then and what sort of strategies we should be looking at to get us over the 50% line.It's a very important listen, and thanks to Craig and to the good people at Independence Live for letting me reproduce it here.LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https...
2017-01-1921 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 141 - The New Old YearThe Scottish Independence Podcast is checking back in for 2017 and episode 141 is our way of starting it off by giving some time to our opponents.Hope you enjoy…LINKShttp://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttps://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependencePodcast
2017-01-1310 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 140 - Robert SomynneFor the 14oth episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I invited journalist, vlogger and self-confessed foreign policy obsessive Robert Somynne to come on the show.Obviously there isn't much going on around the world at the moment so we had to talk about that wee thing that happened over in the USA a couple of weeks back.Hope you enjoy…LINKShttps://twitter.com/RobertJSomynnehttps://twitter.com/mgreenwellhttp://robertsomynne.blogspot.co.uk/http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/
2016-11-2345 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 139 - Billy KayDid you know that it isn't only Scotland that has "the cringe"? They have it in other places too, it just goes by a different name.For the 139th (sort of) episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Billy Kay, and the above is only one of the subjects we talked about.Billy has for years been writing, broadcasting and producing material on Scottish Culture and Scots language, for the BBC and internationally, and is often to be seen giving talks around the country. He also currently has a show you can listen to...
2016-10-2543 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 137 - You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat ItFor the 137th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I didn't speak to anyone. It is instead one of those episodes where I am bringing you a bit of an interview by and with someone else because I think it is of importance and should be heard.That someone else happens to be Manfred Weber, head of the largest group in the European Parliament. When pressed on Brexit by BBC Hardtalk, he took a fairly strong line, best summed up by the title of this episode.He also had a few words about Scotland...
2016-09-2612 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 136 - Robin McAlpineFor the 136th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Robin McAlpine.Robin is a political strategist and the Director of the Common Weal.In the interview he doesn't waste any time getting on to what the thinks Yes supporters ought to be getting on with, and there is certainly a lot to chew on in interview.We talked about both logistics and strategy and how they are both equally important. We also spoke of what messages we need to be sending out and how to react to the inevitable negative tactics...
2016-09-2259 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 135 - Richard Walker of The NationalFor the 135th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Richard Walker.Richard is now the consulting editor of The National, but was also involved in the formation of that paper and the decision made at the Sunday Herald to begin openly supporting Scottish independence.We talked about those decisions and why they were made,and how The National has been getting on.As well as that, we tried to get our heads around some of the unusual media appointments that have been made recently, and what could or should be done...
2016-09-1344 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 134 - Dr Craig Dalzell on Scotland's Currency OptionsFor the 134th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Dr Craig Calzell.Craig recently wrote a paper outlining the possible currency options for an independent Scotland. This is important work because an aspect of the Yes side that was much criticised during and after the 2014 referendum was the perceived lack of a strategy on what to do about currency. I say "perceived" because much of it came down to perception, not fact.We talked about why the 2014 plan may or may not have been right at the time, but wouldn't be the correct...
2016-09-0631 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 133 - Tommy Sheppard MP"The next referendum will be won in the years from now forward, rather than the months running up to it." - Tommy SheppardFor the 133rd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Tommy Sheppard, MP for Edinburgh East.Tommy has been involved in politics in Scotland and the UK for a number of years in a number of different ways and as I'm sure you all know, is now standing to become the Deputy Leader of the SNP.We talked about Tommy's earlier political activities and how he arrived at where...
2016-09-0134 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 132 - Danny McGregorFor the 132nd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I got in touch with Danny McGregor.Danny is a member of the Scottish Greens and is campaigning for Indyref 2. He also recently wrote an article for Bella Caledonia in which he talked about the various possibilities for the timing of the second independence referendum. There are those that think we have to seize the moment of uncertainty that exists now. Others suggest that we have to wait until the polls are steadily showing a large lead for yes.These are difficult options to juggle, and they...
2016-08-2630 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 131 - Sharon Dolan-PowersFor the 131st episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Sharon Dolan-Powers, who I suspect most of you will know by another, or indeed by one of her projects.Sharon is not a native Scot, but came to the country and got involved in politics on the Yes side of the Indy debate.We talked about those decisions and her reasons for them. We also discussed disability issues in the UK and Scotland as, due to family circumstances and her work, she has a good knowledge of the subject. Furthermore, as someone not from...
2016-08-1929 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 130 - Inside The Common SpaceFor the 130th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I went along to the Glasgow office of the Common Space.I tried to find out how the project got started, who works there, how they work and their plans for the future.I spoke with Angela Haggerty, Ben Wray, Aidan McCrae, Stuart Rodger, Alice Muir, Maxine Blaine (who definitely isn't Robin McAlpine) and Tiffany Kane.Listening to these conversations, I think you'll get a feel for who is working there and their motivations. Those motivations and ambitions are journalistic, political, economic, technological and others.
2016-08-0657 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 129 - March For Indy 30-07-2016For the 129th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I went along to the March For Indy in Glasgow on Saturday 30th July.Somewhere north of 5000 people walked from the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow to George Square, where there were stalls, speeches and an appearance from Bikers for Indy. A fair few of them went to the pub afterwards too.As I was walking along, I took the opportunity to ask the people marching why they had decided to come along for the day, and this podcast contains those answers.As well as the...
2016-08-0326 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 128 - Paul Kavanagh aka Wee Ginger DugFor the 128th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I went to Wee Ginger Dug Mansions to speak with the writer that also happens to live there, Paul Kavanagh.Paul has been one of the most insightful, strident and funniest people writing about the Scottish Independence debate for a number of years. He started this at his blog but now writes for The National newspaper and in other places too.We talked about why Paul thinks that even in this moment of general stramash, the time to start campaigning is now.Paul lived in...
2016-07-2940 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 125 - Phantom PowerFor the 125th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast on Monday past I spoke with the filmmaker known to us all only as Phantom Power. His films are definitely some of the best independently produced content out there and include The Bigger The Lie with Prof John Robertson, which documents BBC bias in the run up the referendum, The Gallery of Rogues - The Art of Satire in the Scottish Independence Referendum with Greg Moodie, and there are many more on his channel, including one with a certain podcaster person.I asked him what inspires him...
2016-04-0125 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 124 - Simone CharlesworthFor the 124th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast on Monday past I spoke with Simone Charlesworth. Simone blogs at Mewsing Out Loud. https://mewsingoutloud.wordpress.com/posts/We talked about her experience coming up from England to Scotland and trying to get up to speed with Scottish politics as quickly as possible. After she got up to speed, she got involved in things on the Yes side.Simone also talked about how working with Labour councils down south may or may not differ greatly from those you find in Scotland.She has a...
2016-03-2738 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 123 - Craig MurrayFor the 123rd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Craig Murray.Craig is a former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan, a post which he resigned in protest over what he saw as the collusion of the UK government in torture.In his career he has also held Foreign Office positions in the EU and Africa, and wrote Murder In Samarkand.He is now a human rights campaigner and also campaigned very vocally for a Yes vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum. Now that the referendum has passed, Craig feels no one is...
2016-03-2236 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 122 - Robert SomynneFor the 122nd episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I invited writer, poet, teacher and activist Robert Somynne to come on and talk about his experience of coming up from down south and getting involved in the referendum campaign...on the Yes side.We also talked about how the Indyref may have shaken things up in a way that the current Holyrood election might not, about the future prospects for Indy, the EU ref, how important cultural confidence is for Scotland, the Trump situation and more.Hope you enjoy…LINKShttp://robertsomynne.bl...
2016-03-1445 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 121 - Shaun MilneFor the 121st episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I invited Shaun Milne to come on and talk about his new site, the North British News, the only news that can save you from the clutches of the vile cybernats.As well as finding out the inspiration for the new site and what goes into making the animations, we also chatted about some of the people around the Scottish political scene that ensure that a satirist like Shaun never has much trouble finding material.Hope you enjoy…
2016-02-2228 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 120 - Jack FosterFor the 120th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I invited Jack Foster, one of the filmmakers behind the documentary Scotland Yet, and in more recent times one of the organisers of NewsShaft to come on and talk about the beginning and unfortunate demise of the NewsShaft project.We also discussed some of the things that go into producing alternative media that sometimes go unseen. Another topic we got into is the current state of both mainstream and alternative media in Scotland.Should the various alternative media sources in Scotland help each other more, or is...
2016-02-0538 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 118 - Tempora MutanturI'm delighted to announce that for this first episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast of 2016, a party that used to be quite big in Scotland asked me if they could come on the show and explain how they have changed and talk about their big motivations.I'll say no more...Hope you enjoy…
2016-01-0202 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 117 - 2015 In ReviewFor the 117th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I invited Pat Kane, Kathleen Caskie of Women For Indy and journalist James Maxwell to come on and have a chat about some of the major events of 2015.We managed to get through a fair few, including the difficult year experienced by the Labour party in Scotland and the UK, the House of Lords, the continuing rise of the SNP, the "delivery" of the vow, Corbyn, Sturgeon, Indyref 2 and much more.We also included a look at some newcomers on the scene, specifically the RISE coalition, The...
2015-12-261h 30The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 116 - Craig Paterson from RISEFor the 116th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Craig Paterson from RISE.We talked about the motivation behind the RISE movement, what they realistically hope to achieve over the long-term and how they hope to provide a real left alternative in Scottish politics.We also got on to general scene in Scottish politics at the moment, the woes of the Labour party, the prospective make-up of the next Scottish parliament and, unfortunately, we talked about Willie Rennie for some as yet uknown reason.In the latter part of the discussion...
2015-12-0131 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 115 - Jordan & Liam from The TIE CampaignFor the 115th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson from the TIE Campaign.The campaign started in June, and they've already been in to The Scottish Parliament and what they had to say met with support from all corners.I asked them how they got started and what they hope the campaign will achieve. Jordan recounts a very moving personal story and some alarming statistics and Liam explains why, even as someone who is not a part of the LGBT community himself, he decided to get involved in...
2015-11-0538 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 114 - On Land Ownership & Reform, with Lesley Riddoch"The Land Reform Bill we have in front of us at the moment is just a start, and a pretty tentative one at that. It needs beefed up." - Lesley RiddochWhen it comes to land ownership and distribution it must be said that Scotland is an international oddball.A number of factors have contributed to the unusual situation we find ourselves in and in this episode I spoke with Lesley Riddoch about what those are and what can be done about the situation, both in the countryside and in the cities.Furthermore, is...
2015-10-0837 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 113 - The National Yes Registry (with Jason Baird)For the 113th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast (I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it), I spoke with Jason Baird who is trying to organise the new National Yes Registry, a grassroots organisation that would like to help the various pro-independence groups around the country to help each other. I spoke with Jason about the vacuum the official Yes Scotland campaign left when they seemed to disappear, what he is trying to do about it and why it is necessary to have a grassroots collective.Have a listen and see...
2015-10-0331 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 112 - Jim SillarsFor the 112th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with former MP, activist and writer Jim Sillars, and I am sure I didn't really need to write that little biography there.We spoke about his new book In Place Of Failure - why did he feel it needed to be written?Almost immeditately we got into the premise of the book, what did we do wrong during the referendum, and going forward, what can we do to right those wrongs the next time around? This included discussions on how the Yes movement should evolve...
2015-09-1240 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 110 - EUr Left Hand In Or OutFor the 110th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Neil Davidson, an academic and writer, and Colin Fox, leader of the Scottish Socialist Party.It's a slightly different episode in that it is 2 discussions about the EU, both from a socialist perspective. One of the interviews makes the left wing case for leaving the EU, and the other makes the left wing case for staying in the EU.These interviews were conducted a couple of months ago for the SSP podcast, who asked me to do a few interviews for them and I...
2015-08-2041 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 109 - Dr Iain BlackFor the 109th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Dr Iain Black of Heriot-University and also of Yes Edinburgh North & Leith. Iain has been conducting some research which you can take part in online either on Bella Caledonia or at Common Space.http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2015/06/29/yes-campaign-survey/https://commonspace.scot/articles/1823/professor-launches-online-study-into-motivations-of-scottish-independence-activist-groupsAs the page on Bella Caledonia says, the research is..."an academic survey to capture who took part in the Yes campaign, what they did and why they took part. The results will be published widely and shared...
2015-07-2430 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 108 - Ivan In WestminsterFor the 108th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I checked in again with Ivan Mckee. Moodie. Ivan has been down in Westminster to help some of his SNP colleagues and since he has been down there he has had the time to have a look at the place and has some interesting observations on what goes on down there.More specifically, is the place fit for purpose as a building, does an obsession with procedure get in the way of good governance, what's the most useless way you can think of to use an ipad and more.
2015-07-1621 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 104 - Ivan McKeeThe 104th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast is a talk on the post-referendum economic situation, given by one of our previous guests, Ivan McKee . I'll also be interviewing Ivan soon for another episode, but before we get there, I think it'd be enlightening to have a listen to this first. Before the referendum Ivan toured the country with a presentation that managed to reach a lot of people. In this new talk, he rivisits some of that material but also adds much more and explains where he sees us now in the post-ref environment, and he also...
2015-03-221h 11The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 97 - Prof John RobertsonFor the second Scottish Independence Podcast interview after the referendum, I spoke with Professor John Robertson (who was also on the podcast about 7 months ago). The last time we spoke about his research into BBC bias in the referendum and his appearance at the Scottish Parliament (also featured here), so this time we moved on to the period surrounding the referendum and the barrage of Unionist propaganda, knowing or otherwise, in the last few days before the vote.We also talked about the reaction of the SNP with Salmond and Swinney both saying something about the...
2014-10-0831 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 96 - Colin FoxFor the first Scottish Independence Podcast interview after the referendum, I spoke with former MSP, national co-spokesperson for the Scottish Socialist Party and member of the Yes Campaign, Colin Fox.We talked about what the Yes campaign achieved, and will achieve in future and how, despite the disappointment of the loss, it's only S.I.D.You can find out what S.I.D. is in the interview.Apart from that we had to talk about the Tory assault on human rights, why Labour™ (or the Red Tories™ if you prefer), are getting it in t...
2014-10-0343 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 94 - Philippa WhitfordFor the 94th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke to Philippa Whitford.Philippa is an NHS doctor and has been making some of the best speeches of the entire Independence Campaign.Specifically she has been outlining why the Scottish NHS is more than just under threat if there is a No vote, it is in fact in serious trouble.In the podcast we talked about why that is the case but we also talked about the broader independence campaign and what we thought Yes activists can do to push us over the...
2014-09-1632 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 90 - English Scots For YesFor the 90th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke to Math Campbell, from the campaign group English Scots For Yes.We talked about how well their group has been going and why it got started.I also asked him about the experience in general of being an English Scot campaigning for Independence.He also gave his opinion on some of the more bizarre stuff coming out in the media south of the border re the referendum (e.g. Katie Hopkins).What could Scottish Independence do for the rest of the...
2014-09-0326 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyBook 4 - Blossom"Blossom is an account of Scotland at the grassroots through the stories of people I've had the good fortune to know – the most stubborn, talented and resilient people on the planet. They've had to be. Some have transformed their parts of Scotland. Some have tried and failed. But all have something in common – they know what it takes for Scotland to blossom. We should know too."The ScotIndyBook series features audio book versions, full books or selected pieces, fiction and non-fiction, of some of the books being written about the independence referendum, or using it as a theme.
2014-07-3123 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 78 - Karen Campbell"When you say things like 'I'm a proud Scot', you've really got to think 'what is it I am proud of?'. Are you proud of Scotland as a nation, as a country, as everyone else understands understands a country to be in the whole world? Or are you proud of it as a sort of junior region of the UK?"For the 78th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Karen Campbell.Karen has written five novels: The Twilight Time, After the Fire, Shadowplay and Proof of Life and she has also recently...
2014-06-0732 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 69 - Joan McAlpineFor the 69th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast it's back to the parliament, with Joan McAlpine MSP as the guest.Being a member of the Scottish Parliament is however only one of Joan's activities as amongst other things she is also a journalist at The Daily Record, has written various books, blogs at Go Lassie Go, and was a speechwriter for Alex Salmond.We talked about the recent SNP conference and her speech there - are there parallels to be drawn between the bedroom tax and the poll tax?We talked about the...
2014-04-2533 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 63 - P Ramand & J FoleyFor the 63rd episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with James Foley and Pete Ramand. James and Pete are the co-founders of the Radical Independence Campaign and authors of the new book Yes: The Radical Case for Independence. They've also been organising The Independence Lectures, along with Pluto Press.We talked about their new book, the reasons for Independence contained therein and what we should be looking to do after a Yes vote.We also talked about what the Radical Independence Campaign have got coming up, particularly in terms of voting registration....
2014-03-2747 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 60 - (Prof) John RobertsonFor the 60th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with John Robertson.John is the academic that recently published extensive research showing that the BBC has been favouring the No side in the Scottish Independence debate.The story however did not end there as the BBC began a series of, well, sleekit manouevres to play the man and not the ball. This resulted in, amongst other things, his appearance in front of a committee in the Scottish Parliament at which certain members seemed determined to continue the defamation.We talked about the...
2014-03-1639 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 58 - Combine On LeithSorry for the truly dreadful title but the 58th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast comes from a recent Yes Leith/Edinburgh North West Event, and thanks to them for letting me reproduce it as a podcast.It took place last month and the speakers were, in this order, Fiona Hyslop the Scottish culture secretary, Robin McAlpine from the Reid Foundation (here's his new-ish blog too), Michelle Thomson from Business for Scotland and Colin Fox from the SSP (and he's got a rather good line in his bit).The question and answer session at the end...
2014-03-011h 32
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 56 - Econ Case For Indy"Like Wonga.com on steroids".The 56th episode The Scottish Independence Podcast is the second of the presentation-type podcasts that I've put out this week, next time we'll get back to the interviews.This time the presentation comes from Business for Scotland and features former guest on the podcast Ivan McKee, who I'm sure you've been seeing on TV recently, and Michelle Thomson.The presentation is called The Economic Case for Independence, and that quote with Wonga.com at the start was not referring to Scotland's prospects.It's quite a long episode...
2014-02-212h 03
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 51 - Patrick Harvie"I don't think the UK economy is in recovery...I think it's going back to the disease that [it] suffered from in the run-up to the recession".Patrick Harvie is the guest for the 51st episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast.If you didn't already know, Patrick is an MSP and the co-convener of the Scottish Green Party and he came on to the podcast to talk about some of the alternative ideas post-independence that are outlined in the new Green YES document.For example, the Greens are openly advocating for a Scottish Currency...
2014-02-0335 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastFor A' That 39 - The Other Kind Of UnionFor the 39th episode of the For A' That podcast I was joined by the editors of the Mair Nor A Roch Wind website, namely Amy Westwell, Cailean Gallagher and Rory Scothorne.Their site has been described thusly...“This should *really* scare the Labour establishment” – Pat Kane“It’s like being harangued by a keelie Lenin” – A Cybernat“First I’ve read on this site, which some have been recommending. Dear lord.” – Wings over Scotland“They’ve walked into no mans land, These guys are absolutely smack bang in the middle of everybody” - Le...
2014-01-2840 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 45 - Derek BatemanDerek Bateman is the guest for the 45th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast.Here is what his BBC biog says about him...Derek Bateman is a veteran of the Scottish news scene having begun as a trainee reporter with the Scotsman in his teens and spending the last 45 years covering politics and current affairs in various guises - as a reporter with the Glasgow Herald, political editor of Scotland on Sunday, a foreign correspondent for STV's international output, a correspondent for the Observer and commentator and presenter at Radio Scotland.Over the years...
2014-01-1146 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 44 - Alastair HutchisonFor the 44th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast the guest was Alastair Hutchison from the group Lib Dem Voters for Indy.We talked about the group and how it got started. We talked about why liberals may or may not make the jump from federalism to independence and we talked about why the Libdems didn't join with SNP in 2007, when such a thing might have been the logical step.Alastair is also a Hearts fan, and we talked about Hearts fans and how the debate is playing out in a group that unusually includes Alex...
2013-12-2436 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 41 - Robin McAlpineFor the 41st episode, Robin McAlpine is back on the Scottish Independence Podcast.Robin, as if you didn't already know, is the director of the Reid Foundation and the editor of Scottish Left Review.We had a wide-ranging discussion on a number of issues surrounding the Independence Referendum, which also surprisingly included something about willow-coppicing, which is a thing I had never previously heard of.We also talked about the Reid Foundation's latest paper on industrial relations and how they could be done better with a different political culture, the kind of one that...
2013-12-0652 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 40 - Stewart BremnerFor the 40th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Stewart Bremner, who is a graphic artist, illustrator and designer. He's been involved in the Scottish independence debate in a number of ways, making posters for Bella Caledonia, making an excellent short video called When I Was A Child (it's at the start of the podcast too).We talked about his work and why they don't often stress the historical and cultural angles in the debate.We also talked about the political poster as an art form. Has it had its day?
2013-12-0233 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 38 - Human RightsFor the 38th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I am reproducing a talk given by Shami Chakrabarti from the campaign group Liberty. This talk is reproduced with the kind permission of Liverpool John Moores University. It comes from their Roscoe lecture series.The reason I am reproducing this talk is that with Cameron himself suggesting the UK may have to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights a month or so ago, these become important issues not just globally, but also in the upcoming referendum.Chakrabarti was once, for the hideous crime of sticking...
2013-11-1540 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 33 - Paul LeinsterFor the second episode of this week I spoke to Paul Leinster, who is a member of both Labour For Indy and Republic Scot.We talked about the Labour For Indy group itself and the hostile reaction to it by some within the (not for Indy) Labour party.We also talked about Republic Scotland and how much support they receive within and outwith Holyrood. Is it certain we will keep the monarchy after a Yes vote?Finally we spoke about Paul himself and why someone who is a member of the Labour party and...
2013-10-1126 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod - Independence Rally 2014This is a special edition of the podcast featuring some music, some opinions from the crowd and some of the speeches from the Independence Rally in Edinburgh on 21st September 2014.The idea is to give those of you who were there a nice little keepsake of it, and for those like me who were unfortunate enough not to be able to make it, to give an idea of what went on.I'm well aware of course that the best thing about going to this type of political event is not the speeches, but rather the people...
2013-09-231h 34The Scottish Independence PodcastFor A' That 34 - Fussing & FightingAndrew and I were joined by two guests for the 34th episode of the For A' That podcast.Making his second appearance was Pat Kane, and making his first was James Kelly, who writes the blog Scot Goes Pop.The first topic of discussion was the errrm, debate, between Nicola Sturgeon and Anas Sarwar. We didn't talk about it in glowing terms.Gordon Brown making another appearance in the debate got a look in. Were his proposed constitutional changes just hot air or do they actually mean something? Also Brown himself, a confusing (surely...
2013-09-0748 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 22- Nighet Nasim RiazFor episode 22 of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Nighet Nasim Riaz who is a PhD student, SNP activist, member of Women for Indy and avid people-watcher.We spoke about her PhD and about what convinced her, as someone who had lived in England prior to coming to Scotland, of the case for Indy.We also spoke about the work that Women For Indy have been doing around the country and what effects we hope it might have. The recent SNP conference, which she attended, was another topic of discussion as was what attracted her...
2013-04-0427 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 19 - Michael Hance on ScotsI think almost every Scot will at one time or another have been told off for using a word that, although perfectly acceptable Scots, is not standard English.How could such a situation come about?This was one of the topics of the discussion when I spoke to Michael Hance, who is the director of the Scots Language Centre.We also spoke about the cultural importance of the language, the work of the centre itself, how the situation has changed since devolution and finally about how the situation might improve in the future.
2013-03-0333 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 18 - Ruaridh & Keith Waddell"Dodging riots and tear gas in Livingstone today. There is a by-election tomorrow and the leader of the opposition has been arrested and charged with inciting violence, personally I think Mrs Lamont should watch out as she does that every Thursday afternoon."I just got that email from the latest guests on the Scottish Independence Podcast when I emailed them to tell them I was just about to publish their episode.The guests are Ruaridh and Keith Waddell who are Scottish aid workers who have been in Zambia for some time.It's important to...
2013-02-2742 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 17 - Lorna WaiteThe Scottish Independence Podcast is back after a little break.For this 17th episode I spoke with poet Lorna Waite and we had a few topics of conversation.Firstly we speak about Lorna, herself and her work, and why she believes creating a division between the cultural and economic aspects of the Independence debate is a false way to go about things.We talked about the role of women in the Indy debate and also the more unpleasant colonial aspects of the union, and how we might combat the lack of self-respect that those...
2013-02-2036 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 15 - Krys KujawaThe most popular sport in our country is still football by far and whether we like it or not, there are strong political undercurrents to what goes on in the stadiums.Although players certainly get too much publicity, fans are often shunted to the side and treated as 2nd class citizens.Therefore, with such a momentous decision coming up for Scotland in 2014, those in favour of a Yes vote would be making a grave error if they ignored the discussions on the subject that are taking place in the stadiums and between the supporters that make...
2012-12-1234 minThe Scottish Independence PodcastScotIndyPod 14 - Veronika From Scot CNDFor the 14th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with Veronika Teudhope of Scottish CND.We talked about their recent decision to join the Yes campaign and about the history and aims of the organisation and some of the actions they are involved in and their parliamentary supporters. We also had a word about the SNP joining NATO debate. Hope you enjoy...https://twitter.com/ScottishCNDhttp://www.banthebomb.org/http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/scots-cnd-backs-yes-campaign.19448929https://twitter.com/mgreenwell
2012-12-0530 min
The Scottish Independence PodcastFor A' That - Episode 1.Delighted to announce the beginning of a new companion podcast to the Scottish Independence Podcast.The For A' That podcast isn't an interview format, it's more of a discussion of the week's events, issues, rants, ramblings & absurdities relating to the upcoming referendum and Scottish politics more generally. We'll try to put them out every Sunday.In this first episode it is myself with Andrew Tickell or Lallands Peat Worrier.We chat about the legal kerfuffle over EU membership, the prisoners voting issue and touch on the rules that are going to be laid down...
2012-10-2830 min