by Lesley Riddoch and Pat Joyce
Scottish 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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April 15, 2025
<p>Westminster was recalled last Saturday for and an emergency bill to save British Steel's Scunthorpe plant became law. It took around six and a half hours in total for Parliament to pass the legislation and the King to approve it. Sir Keir Starmer said "We are acting to protect the jobs of thousands of workers, and all options are on the table to secure the future of the industry".<br>We ask where was this urgency and commitment over Grangemouth, and Port Talbot steel works.<br>Lesley questions the casual way every commentator accepts that energy prices in Britain are 50% higher than Germany and double the price of the United States. <br>Ofgem has announced a change in the queuing regulations for wind and solar farms to eliminate so called "Zombie projects" and speed up the process of getting real projects up and running. Great news but have we been here before?</p><p>Find Out Now has released results from an opinion poll carried out for The National showing a rise in support for Scottish independence. We drill down into the poll and its potential significance.</p><p>Ash Regan of Alba has issued a call for a cross party pro independence convention before next year's Holyrood elections. We look at the response from the SNP and the Greens.<br>Meanwhile the Greens appear to be caught up in internecine conflict which doesn't seem to have been calmed down by its recent conference.<br>The 15th of April is the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster which saw 97 Liverpool football supporters losing their lives.<br>Starmer promised that the Hillsborough Law would be enacted by today. What was in that draft law? What has stalled its progress? What does the failure tell us about this Labour government and Starmer?<br>Pat is still recovering from the nerve shredding final round of The Masters golf in Augusta and his beloved Dundee United achieving a top 6 finish in their first season back in the top flight. This doesn't stop him from talking about them both though and wondering why sport can grip even the most rational of us so fiercely.<br>There's still a chance to catch Lesley's Denmark movie. To check out where it's showing click the link below<br><a href="https://lesleyriddoch.com/events">https://lesleyriddoch.com/events</a></p> <strong> <a href="https://lesleyriddoch.com/podcast/subscribe" rel="payment" title="★ Support this podcast ★">★ Support this podcast ★</a> </strong>
April 8, 2025
<p>There's no escaping Donald Trump, unfortunately, in this week's episode as we begin by picking apart the tariffs he introduced last week.<br>Has he condemned the US to recession? How did he come up with tariffs he placed on each country? Has he lost the support of the billionaires whose businesses are dependent on freedom of trade?<br>Amidst this Trumpian economic doom and gloom Lesley highlights the work of We Don't Have Time. To listen to the views of its CEO Ingmar Rentzhog click this link<br><a href="https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/6a458e55-a614-4886-b348-242282e514c7">https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/6a458e55-a614-4886-b348-242282e514c7</a></p><p>Trump also welcomed Netanyahu to the White House where the two leaders openly discussed, once again, the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. We look at this plus the massacre of Palestinian paramedics and the cover up by Israel that unravelled in the light of video footage recorded by one of the workers murdered by the IDF. We also examine the links between the UK Labour Party at the highest level and Labour Friends of Israel and question the influence of the LFI over UK government policy.<br>On the domestic front there's the announcement by Patrick Harvie that he won't be standing for co-leadership of the Scottish Greens. Lesley speculates on who might run in the upcoming election and what the contest could say about the relationship between the party and its MSPs and the party's direction of travel.<br>Lesley also pays tribute to Christina McKelvie and Willie Wilson both sad recent losses.<br>Christina and Willie were stalwart proponents of Scottish independence and this week saw two polls which showed increasing support for Welsh independence. We discuss.<br>Finally while in Donegal Lesley saw at first hand the effects of radical, progressive land reform and asks when will Scotland take note.<br></p> <strong> <a href="https://lesleyriddoch.com/podcast/subscribe" rel="payment" title="★ Support this podcast ★">★ Support this podcast ★</a> </strong>
April 1, 2025
<p>Lesley's back on her old stomping ground in the north of Ireland showing her Denmark movie at the Imagine! Belfast Festival.<br>She talks about the reaction to the film and the festival itself. This leads us into chat on the forgotten history of radical Presbyterianism, border polls, and the disputatious nature of the debates over both the Irish language and Ulster/Scots.<br>We examine the ongoing controversy over the impact of Rachel Reeves Spring Statement on PIP claimants and ask if Trump's latest tariffs have already wiped out the fiscal headroom she gained on the back of her cuts.<br>The UK government still appears to be clinging to the misplaced belief that sooking up to Trump will result in a US trade deal but at what cost as the MAGA government zealots seem to be placing "free speech" conditions within any deals. This support for "free speech" doesn't extend to anyone speaking out against the Trump administration. We ask, in the light of recent UK events and government statements if Labour isn't immune from this authoritarian contagion?<br>All this plus updates on the continuing crisis at Dundee University, the barrage of price rises hitting folk today, and spurious references to a classic Will Hay comedy.</p> <strong> <a href="https://lesleyriddoch.com/podcast/subscribe" rel="payment" title="★ Support this podcast ★">★ Support this podcast ★</a> </strong>
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