Alex and Bernard discuss the latest polls and fiscal challenges facing Labour so early in a new government.

Also, Trump continues to cut up the rule book in America and - what's it really like backstage at BBC Question Time.

📌 On Political Polls & SNP Strategy:

🗣️ "Do I believe any poll? No. All polls are a snapshot of opinion, but when a clear trend emerges, that’s when you have to take it seriously." – Bernard Ponsonby

🗣️ "The irony is that the SNP is doing relatively well just as they’ve stopped talking about independence." – Bernard Ponsonby

🗣️ "The question of a mandate for independence is no longer just about the number of seats—it’s about the percentage of the vote. And for that, Swinney has Nicola Sturgeon to thank." – Alex Massie

📌 On Labour’s Economic Problems:

🗣️ "Labour got into government and said, ‘Gosh, we’ve looked at the books and it’s all much worse than we thought.’ But despite that, all our pre-election promises remain good. There is an obvious tension here." – Alex Massie

🗣️ "The brutal reality for Scottish Labour is that they cannot control what happens in London. That is a problem." – Bernard Ponsonby

🗣️ "Labour has made the delivery of its economic plan virtually impossible because of pre-election promises. They will break a manifesto commitment on direct taxation. That’s my firm prediction." – Bernard Ponsonby

📌 On Trump’s America:

🗣️ "The Republican Party has ceased to operate like a democratic political party—it has become a cult." – Bernard Ponsonby

🗣️ "Trump isn’t behaving like a normal American president. He’s behaving like one of those Central Asian dictators who spend 80% of GDP on erecting a gold statue of themselves." – Alex Massie

🗣️ "If you campaign on ‘change,’ you have to be seen to be delivering change. That is something people are not feeling right now—certainly not in Scotland." – Alex Massie

📌 On Question Time & Political Dynamics:

🗣️ "Politicians have far more in common with each other behind the scenes than they let on in public." – Alex Massie

🗣️ "You don’t need Question Time—you just need the podcast." – Bernard Ponsonby

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

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