Holyrood Sources

In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (former Chief of Staff to Alex Salmond) and Andy Maciver (former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives) break down the early battle lines of the Scottish parliamentary election.

This episode discusses:

• 100 days to go until the Holyrood Election
• Reform UK’s tax-cut pledge and Malcolm Offord’s rise
• Why SNP messaging is focused on “sacking Keir Starmer”
• Labour’s “100 days to save the NHS” pitch — and why it may fall flat
• The political fallout from Andy Burnham being blocked from returning to Westminster

📩 Join the conversation:

WhatsApp us on 0333 404 6507 or send a voice note to feature in a future episode.

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Voters in Falkirk, one of Scotland’s key constituencies, give their brutally honest verdict on the politicians who will shape the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

In this special episode of Holyrood Sources, we partner with polling experts More In Common to bring you a rare focus group of Labour 2024 voters — now drifting towards the SNP, Reform UK, or undecided.

🎧 You’ll hear unfiltered views on:

• John Swinney and whether the SNP has “lost its way”
• Anas Sarwar and Labour’s Westminster problem
• Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, trust, and the winter fuel payment backlash
• Nigel Farage and Reform UK — and why his brand may be “detoxified” in Scotland
• The issues voters care about most: cost of living, NHS waiting times, education, immigration, and trust in politics
• Hosts Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, former Chief of Staff to Alex Salmond and Andy Maciver, former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives are joined by Luke Tryl, UK Director at More In Common.

This episode takes you inside the minds of undecided Scottish voters — and shows why the next Holyrood election could be far closer than many expect.

📩 Join the conversation:

WhatsApp us on 0333 404 6507 or send a voice note to feature in a future episode.

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The first Scotland-wide poll of the 2026 Holyrood election year delivers a political shock: Reform UK level with Scottish Labour, the SNP ahead but without a majority, and serious questions for every party leader.

On this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald is joined by Geoff Aberdein (former SNP Chief of Staff, True North Advisors) and Andy Maciver (former Scottish Conservative communications director) to break down what the numbers really mean.

• 📊 New Holyrood poll analysis: SNP seat outlook, Labour vs Reform battle, and fragile margins
• ⚠️ Why Reform UK may be helping the SNP in key constituencies
• 🔴 Robert Jenrick sacked as Kemi Badenoch faces Tory defections to Reform
• 🧭 Nigel Farage in Scotland & Malcolm Offord named Reform leader
• 📉 Why Keir Starmer is deeply unpopular in Scotland – and why Labour wants him quiet
• 💷 Scottish Budget reaction: tax thresholds, mansion tax, private jet levy & 11,000 public sector jobs at risk
• 🗳️ Independence referendum row: Is Reform’s “10-year pause” realistic or nonsense?

This is inside-baseball Scottish politics – polling, power, personalities and the election strategies already taking shape months before voters go to the polls.

📩 Get in touch:

WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507

Email: [email protected]

🔔 Subscribe for weekly insider analysis as Scotland heads into a decisive election year.

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The Sources Podcast hosts come together for a special New Year 2026 UK politics preview, analysing what could be the most volatile year in British politics for a generation.

With local elections in England, Scottish Parliament elections, Senedd elections in Wales, and mounting pressure on the Northern Ireland Executive, this episode explores how the rise of Reform UK, growing voter fragmentation, and Labour’s governing challenges could reshape the UK’s political map.

🎙️ Featuring voices from:

Whitehall Sources

Holyrood Sources

Stormont Sources

Senedd Sources

🔍 In this episode:

Is Reform UK becoming a permanent force in British politics?

Can Keir Starmer’s Labour government survive a brutal May election?

Why the Greens and Gaza independents are threatening Labour in cities

Will SNP dominance in Scotland finally crack — and if so, who replaces them?

Could Plaid Cymru lead Wales for the first time?

How stable is Stormont, and could it collapse again before 2027?

What a fragmented UK means for the future of the Union

This is essential listening for anyone trying to understand UK elections 2026, Nigel Farage’s influence, Labour’s political future, and the growing instability across Britain’s devolved governments.

📌 Subscribe for weekly insider analysis from Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd.

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The Holyrood Sources podcast brings the best analysis of Scottish politics with those who have lived it as Special Advisers, and those who are current and former politicians and political party leaders.

Join Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Former Chief of Staff to First Minister Alex Salmond) and Andy Maciver (Former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives).

Subscribe now

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/holyrood-sources/id1673972192

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Fj3emmRONEr8aSkhcMgoH?si=789c7874034340c6

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Happy New Year from everyone at Holyrood Sources!

On a special episode of the podcast, Calum Macdonald takes a look back at our first ever Christmas Pub Quiz.

You can hear a live Q&A session with Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver as they answer questions from attendees at Malones in Edinburgh. Be sure to listen out for their heckles as well, as we bring you some of the best moments from the Scottish politics round of the quiz, hosted by Calum.

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The Holyrood Sources Christmas Special is recorded live in Edinburgh with a packed audience as Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver review the biggest moments in Scottish and UK politics in 2025 — and make bold predictions for 2026 and the Holyrood election.

In this wide-ranging discussion, the panel debates:

• Anas Sarwar’s U-turn on gender recognition reform
• John Swinney’s independence referendum strategy
• The legacy of Nicola Sturgeon and Kate Forbes’ decision to stand down
• Labour’s UK Budget fallout and Rachel Reeves’ credibility
• Reform UK’s electoral breakthrough in Scotland
• Energy policy, the North Sea, offshore wind and deindustrialisation
• Why politicians struggle to explain a credible energy transition
• Whether Swinney could serve a full five-year term as First Minister
• Predictions on Farage, Badenoch, Reform UK and the next political realignment

This live Christmas episode captures Scottish politics unfiltered — with audience reaction, behind-the-scenes stories, and sharp disagreement between insiders who’ve shaped modern Holyrood.

🎙️ Holyrood Sources takes you inside Scottish politics every week.

📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes and clips

📌 Recorded live at Malone’s, Edinburgh

📌 Christmas Special 2025

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Reform UK is rising in Scotland — but can the political system cope with what comes next?

From tribunal chaos to ministerial pressure and a volatile pre-election landscape, this week exposed deep fault lines at Holyrood.

In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver to unpack a turbulent week in Scottish politics. They assess Reform UK’s momentum, Malcolm Offord’s challenges, and why broadcasters and parties alike are struggling to respond.

The panel also examines Angela Constance’s survival of a no-confidence vote, the growing controversy around the Sandy Peggie tribunal ruling — including questions over errors and credibility — and a blistering debate on resident doctors, strikes, and the NHS. With elections looming, the discussion reveals why trust, competence, and clarity are becoming the real political battlegrounds.

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A major new Ipsos poll drops — and the implications for Holyrood 2026 are huge. The SNP hold a stable lead. Labour has fallen sharply. Reform UK has surged into second place in the constituency vote, fuelled by the rise of immigration as a top concern for Scottish voters.

• Why Reform UK is gaining Scottish voters from both Labour and the Conservatives

• How immigration became a top-three issue in Scottish politics

• Why the SNP vote remains “sticky”

• Labour’s worsening poll numbers after Keir Starmer’s difficult months

• The Greens’ highly effective regional-vote strategy

• Whether Reform has reached its ceiling in Scotland

• What demographic groups are driving Reform’s rise

We also speak to Mark McGeoghegan of Ipsos, who analyses the polling in depth — approval ratings, demographic breakdowns, voting-intention shifts, and how Scottish voters feel about taxation and public spending.

And later: an interview with Michael Matheson, the outgoing SNP MSP, and former Transport Secretary. Will the A9 ever be fully dualled? Has the Scottish Government failed on delivery? Matheson responds.

Finally, we react to your messages about Malcolm Offord’s defection to Reform UK, including whether he boosts their credibility, fundraising and appeal — or whether he’s tied to rhetoric that will hurt the party in Scotland.

📲 Send us a message anytime

WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507

Email: [email protected]

If you enjoy Holyrood Sources, hit subscribe — we drop new episodes weekly, plus bonus interviews.

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Former Conservative Minister Malcolm Offord has defected from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform UK — and he joins Calum, Geoff and Andy for an in depth reaction.

In this flash episode, Offord details why he left the Conservative Party, why he believes Reform UK offers a “centre-right alternative” in Scotland, and how energy policy, the economy, welfare, and Scotland’s political direction shaped his decision.

The conversation covers:

• Why Offord says the Scottish Conservatives “gave up”

• His critique of UK energy policy and the 30-year failure of wind subsidies

• Whether Reform UK is actually “far-right”

• Nigel Farage, Scottish identity & the question of English nationalism

• What Reform UK would do on immigration, welfare & work

• Geoff and Andy challenge Offord on Richard Tice’s letter to energy companies

• Could Reform UK hurt Scotland’s renewables industry?

• Would Offord debate Swinney, Sarwar, Findlay in 2026?

• Could Reform UK do a deal with the Conservatives?

• Is this the beginning of a major shift in Scottish centre-right politics?

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The fallout from Rachel Reeves’ first Labour budget has dominated Scottish politics — and in this episode of Holyrood Sources, recorded live in Malone’s Pub in Edinburgh, we unpack the political chaos, the polling shockwaves, and what it all means for the 2026 Holyrood election.

This episode previews our live Christmas special and pub quiz, and dives into budget politics, polling trends, and party strategy across the UK.

👇 Tell us what you think in the comments.

👇 Should Rachel Reeves resign?

👇 Is Scottish Labour in trouble for 2026?

We also take your questions which have come in from listeners all over Scotland.

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