Politically Speaking: Scotland’s flagship political podcast

Politically Speaking: Scotland’s flagship political podcast

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Politically Speaking: Scotland’s flagship political podcast episodes

  • Political decisions in the age of AI: Who makes the final call?

    In this discussion chaired by Louise Wilson from Holyrood Connect's Digital Leadership Exchange, Jenny Young MSP, David Green MSP, David Kirkwood MSP and Professor Mark Wong explore how AI is already influencing political decision‑making, examining where algorithmic support can improve outcomes and where human judgement must remain.


    Rather than asking whether machines should decide, the discussion focuses on the harder question: how politicians can retain control, ensure transparency and take responsibility when AI becomes part of the decision‑making process.

    59 min
  • Holyrood Election 2026: Post-match analysis

    Join the editors of Holyrood – Scotland’s only dedicated political media title – political scientist Sir John Curtice and pollster Mark Diffley,  for immediate reaction to the Scottish Election 2026 results and what they mean for parliament and the country. 

    Together with a number of leading Scottish politicians, to be announced, the expert panel will discuss:

    • Scottish Election results
    • Who makes up the new Scottish government and what deals might need to be done
    • What this means for each party leader
    • What this means for the constitutional question in Scotland
    • What this means for how Scotland is run
    1 hr 3 min
  • Breaking the Cycle

    Holyrood's Chris Marshall talks to Sean Duffy, chief executive of the Wise Group, and SNP MSP Rona Mackay, a member of the Scottish Parliament's Criminal Justice Committee, about Scotland's stubbornly high prison population and the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to incarceration.

    This podcast is sponsored by the Wise Group.

    51 min
  • Keeping it human
    After a bruising week in which the statutory regulator, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, found itself in the eye of the Gender Recognition Act storm, Mandy Rhodes interviews its chair, Baroness Kishwer Falkner.
    52 min
  • Questioning the question
    After a paper written by the former SNP policy lead, Chris Hanlon, on ‘devo max’ sparked an almighty row about what question or questions should be asked in any future Independence Referendum, Mandy Rhodes speaks to SNP President, Mike Russell, former Labour MSP Neil Findlay, and academic, Professor James Mitchell, on why it mattered.
    58 min
  • Labour of Love
    Scottish Labour’s Richard Leonard talks to Louise Wilson about his political career and why he decided to step down as party leader earlier this year. Elsewhere, the Holyrood team discuss the coming Omicron wave and whether the controversy over Downing Street parties has made it less likely that people will follow guidelines this Christmas.
    59 min
  • COP26: Where are the Global South?
    In this special COP26 edition of the podcast, Louise Wilson hears from Alistair Dutton of SCIAF about who is feeling climate change first and worst, the missing $100bn climate finance, and the achievements of COP so far.
    18 min
  • All Eyes on Scotland
    In the latest edition of the podcast, Mandy Rhodes speaks to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford about the latest push for independence and the UK Government’s decision not to award a carbon capture plant to Scotland. Elsewhere, the team discusses the upcoming COP26 climate summit and asks – does Glasgow really have a rat problem?
    56 min
  • An Attack on Democracy
    Following the murder of Sir David Amess MP, there is renewed focus on the growing level of threat and intimidation politicians face, particularly online. In this edition of the podcast, journalist Margaret Taylor speaks to SNP MP Carol Monaghan about what it was like to receive a death threat. Elsewhere, the team discuss whether Sir David’s death will lead to a tightening of security for elected officials.
    36 min

About Politically Speaking: Scotland’s flagship political podcast

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Politically Speaking, Scotland’s flagship political podcast brought to you from the editorial team of the award-winning Holyrood magazine. Whether you are more interested in what politicians do to relax than what they actually do in the parliament, this is the podcast where you will get the full skinny on politics, policy, and pure nonsense.