Podlitical

The former Scottish Labour MSP on the next election, the COVID inquiry messages, and more. Neil Findlay sits down with Podlitical to discuss how his pre-politics career influenced his socialist ideology, why he thought Labour siding with the Conservatives in the 2014 independence referendum's Better Together campaign was the "kamikaze route", how he views Scottish Independence now, and how he "dodged an atom bomb" by losing out on becoming Scottish Labour leader. Findlay shares his reaction to the expletive-laden messages referencing him between First Minister Humza Yousaf and Jason Leitch revealed in the COVID inquiry, and explains why he believes people that share his beliefs are being pushed out of all political parties.

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Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon appears at the UK COVID-19 Inquiry. As the Scottish portion of the inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by UK Governments comes to close, this week we heard from ex-First Minister Sturgeon and former Deputy FM John Swinney, with the former denying that she presided over a culture of secrecy and that she politicised the pandemic. The team sits down to discuss what happened this week and the potential political impacts.

First Minister Humza Yousaf appears at the COVID Inquiry. The team sit down to discuss the week's big political news, which saw Humza Yousaf, who was both Scottish Justice and then Health Secretary during the Covid-19 pandemic, answering the questions of the UK COVID inquiry as it continues in Scotland. WhatsApp messages and their deletion played a large part of both the questioning and First Minister's Questions, with an additional expletive-laden message between former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and aide Liz Lloyd, regarding then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, causing a stir.

The former leader of the Scottish Conservatives on Israel & Gaza, the pandemic, and more. The MSP for Eastwood, Jackson Carlaw sits down with Podlitical to discuss his career, from representing Scotland's largest Jewish community and his thoughts on the Israel / Gaza conflict, to why he felt he wasn't ruthless enough to be Scottish Conservative leader. Carlaw talks about his unwillingness to be seen as "screaming abuse" at then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in FMQs during the early days of the Covid-19 Pandemic, why then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson had the "wrong skillset" for the pandemic, and how the public are not "terribly impressed" by Tory infighting and PM changes.

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PM Sunak sees off a rebellion over his Rwanda Bill, and the Horizon scandal continues. Despite two senior resignations, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak managed to pass his bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in the Commons despite threats of rebellion, but now the legislation passes to the Lords, with the PM urging them to back the bill in a press conference. What's going to happen next, and is the Rwanda bill the vote winner the Conservative Government hopes it will be? In Holyrood, opposition parties highlight the Horizon scandal and the sub-postmasters wrongly convicted in Scotland, as First Minister Humza Yousaf seeks UK wide legislation to overturn convictions - but does the UK Government agree?

The longest currently-serving SNP MP on independence strategy and Top of the Pops. Pete Wishart joins the Podlitical team to talk about his early career as a musician and appearing on Top of The Pops, why he made the transition to politics, and his work at Westminster. Wishart discusses why he thinks there are "inherent contradictions" with the SNP's Scottish independence strategy, and that it hasn't "hit the mark", but voters can't "pick and choose" when to support independence.

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The team returns to discuss the Post Office scandal and conversion therapy laws. In Westminster, Prime Minister Sunak has announced emergency legislation to ensure hundreds of wrongly convicted subpostmasters, who were prosecuted due to faulty Horizon software used by the Post Office, will have their names cleared, with Humza Yousaf's Scottish Government looking to follow suit. Also in Scotland, the government is set to seek opinions on banning the controversial practice of conversion therapy. What does this tell us about their areas of focus in the upcoming election?

Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Shona Robison MSP discusses the budget. Following her delivery of the Scottish budget to Holyrood on Tuesday, the Deputy First Minister sits down with the Podlitical team to talk about the "tough" budget and the "difficult" decisions that had to be made, the new tax band and council tax freeze, how she wants to keep discussions going with COSLA, and the importance of social justice and reducing child poverty.

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The team deep dives into the Scottish budget and the new tax rate. Following Tuesday's budget, where Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced a new 45% tax rate on earnings between £75,000 and £125,140, as well as an increase to the top rate of tax and confirmation of plans for a council tax freeze, Phil Sim sits down with BBC correspondent David Henderson and Mairi Spowage, Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, to go over the fine details of the Scottish budget, what it means for voters, and what impact it might have politically as parties consider the upcoming election.

The team talk difficult decisions facing Holyrood, and the "Five Families" in the Tories. In Holyrood, the Scottish Government faces tough political choices ahead of next week's budget, and whether or not to appeal the ruling in favour of the UK Government in relation to blocking Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform bill, as well as a row with Lord David Cameron over how meetings with foreign leaders should be conducted by the Scottish cabinet following First Minister Humza Yousaf meeting with Turkish President Erdogan at COP28. In Westminster, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saw off rumours of rebellion over his Rwanda policy, but with the so-called "Five Families" within the Tory party vying for influence, is he in clear water yet?