The Secretary General of the MCB on the new Government definition of extremism, and more. Zara Mohammed sits down with Podlitical to talk about becoming the first female, first Scottish, and youngest leader of the Muslim Council of Britain, her thoughts on the new Government definitions of extremism announced by the Conservatives last week, and the Government's non-engagement policy with the organisation. Mohammed discusses how life has changed for Muslims in the UK since the October 7th attack on Israel, how she sees a recent "barrage" of anti-Muslim sentiment coming from the top level of politics, and warns of being complacent about "Scottish Exceptionalism" when it comes to tackling inequality.

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Officials face PR problems with alleged racist comments and publicly funded "pornography". The Podlitical team sit down to discuss the week's news, including a row in Westminster into alleged comments made by Tory donor Frank Hester about MP Diane Abbott which politicians and public figures have called racist, with pressure mounting on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to return the £10m donation. In Holyrood, public arts body the National Lottery Open Fund faces criticism as Scottish culture secretary Angus Robertson says an arts project involving "hardcore" sex performances which received £100k should have "in no way" been given public funding.

The SNP MSP on his suspension, his clashes with the Greens, and bullying allegations. MSP for Inverness and Nairn and former Rural Economy cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing sits down with Podlitical to discuss his efforts fighting for fishermen and farmers, and being an "apprentice rebel at 66" when it comes to speaking out against his own party's plans - sometimes in a theatrical fashion. Ewing talks about the allegations by civil servants of bullying, denying his behaviour crossed a line, but claiming he wishes he could have "handled things slightly differently" in hindsight. An outspoken critic of the Scottish Greens and the Bute House Agreement, Ewing explains why he believes the Greens in Government are "extremists" and why things haven't been going "particularly well" for the SNP recently.

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Will the budget make you better or worse off, and what does it mean for Scotland? The team are joined by Mairi Spowage, Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde to deep dive into the Conservatives' 2024 spring budget, including the 2p cut to National Insurance and a proposed extension of the windfall tax on energy industry profits, which has caused concern inside the Scottish Conservatives. As the dust settles on the announcements, the team discusses if this is an election budget, if there's more to come, and if people will feel the difference in their bank accounts and bills.

The Scottish Conservatives leader on the oil industry, energy windfall tax, and more. Off the back of the Scottish Conservative Party conference, MP and MSP Douglas Ross joins the Podlitical team on the eve of UK Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt's budget, and explains why he's against a windfall tax on energy company profits being extended, and why he thinks backing the oil industry makes economic sense, as the Tories face what he calls a "challenging electoral map" at the next general election. Ross also talks through his early work as a farmer, how he became a referee, and why he's concerned about his family's security as a public figure.

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Headaches for political parties this week as high profile members voice their opinions. Whether it was Lee Anderson losing the Conservative whip for his comments on "Islamists" controlling London Mayor Sadiq Khan, former Prime Minister Liz Truss voicing thoughts on the "deep state" alongside presidential hopeful Donald Trump's former chief advisor, or the SNP's Fergus Ewing calling his own party "authoritarian" after being suspended, the team discuss the fallout this week from some strong words. Also, First Minister Humza Yousaf considers a public inquiry into the murder of Emma Caldwell, following the conviction of her killer 19 years after the murder and what he described as "systemic failings" in the case, and the Scottish Budget passes in Holyrood.

The Scottish Labour Leader on election plans, prejudice, and being called a "traitor". Sarwar sits down with Podlitical to talk about how his father's experience being the first Muslim MP initially made him want to "run a million miles away" from politics, his hopes for Labour in the next election, and why he wants to see less "playground politics" with an acceptance no one political party has all the answers. Following the Scottish Labour conference in February, Sarwar discusses the party's plans for Scotland, and why he thinks it is "dangerous" that First Minister Humza Yousaf shared The Press & Journal newspaper front page, which called Labour leadership "The Traitors" following the party's windfall tax announcement.

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Chaos in the House of Commons as a vote on a Gaza ceasefire motion turns into a row. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is facing accusations he played "party politics" by granting a vote on Labour's Gaza ceasefire motion, breaking with convention and sparking fury from SNP and Conservative MPs. He said he allowed the vote to protect MPs' safety, and later apologised, but the row continues, with the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn saying his party has no confidence in him as speaker. The team discuss why this happened, and what might happen next.

The Scottish Greens Co-Leader and Scottish Government minister sits down with Podlitical. Patrick Harvie talks about his early exposure to Green politics and his career so far, including why he sees compromise and finding "genuine common ground" is how democracy should work, his feelings about the Bute House Agreement with the SNP, his belief that the "moral panic" over transgender rights has become toxic in a way he "would not have believed was possible" previously, and how he's coming to terms with not being cast as Dr. Who.

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Michael Matheson resigns as Scottish Health Secretary ahead of a report on his iPad bill. Late last year, it was revealed that the then-Health Secretary Matheson had racked up a £11k roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad, subsequently admitting that his sons had used the iPad as a data hotspot so they could watch football. The team react to the news and the Scottish government cabinet reshuffle, discussing why the resignation has come now, and if it will have the stated intended effect of avoiding the bill becoming a distraction - as this week saw difficulties for both the Conservatives in relation to Rishi Sunak's poorly received trans jibe to Labour's Starmer in PMQs, and Labour facing backlash over plans to scrap it's £28bn a year green pledge.