In Episode 16 of the Popcast, I'm making a plucky effort to explain the notoriously hard-to-understand Single Transferable Vote (STV) system that will be used to elect Scotland's local councillors this week. I've also tried to bust some of the stubborn myths about the system, and to set out the best voting strategy for supporters of independence. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

Lisa Keogh is the Alba Party's candidate for the Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim ward for the forthcoming elections to Angus Council. She is also very well known for her ordeal last year when Abertay University opened disciplinary proceedings against her for expressing gender critical views in an online seminar. She was eventually exonerated, but not before her preparations for her final exams were badly disrupted. In episode 15 of the Scot Goes Popcast, Lisa discusses the importance of standing up for free speech, even when you find someone's views alien or offensive. She also explains how the disciplinary process against her was "the punishment", even though she was cleared. She names poverty as the number one priority for the election campaign, and discusses the challenges of explaining the Single Transferable Vote system to voters. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

Ken McDonald is the editor of iScot magazine - a unique publication, because it's a high-quality print magazine in wide circulation that is explicitly pro-independence and run by grass-roots Yes supporters. Hear him explain how he started the magazine as an alternative to shouting at the TV when "Jackanory" Jim Murphy was being interviewed, and his thoughts on the vital importance of having a pro-Yes print publication, given that many older people can't really be reached by online New Media. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

For the latest episode of the Popcast, I was joined once again by Denise Findlay - a fellow member of the Alba Party's NEC, and a passionate supporter of the rights of women and girls. We discussed the latest coordinated bullying campaign against Joanna Cherry, the results of the Scot Goes Pop / Panelbase poll about GRA reform and related gender matters, and also the Alba Party's potential route-map for achieving independence. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

William Duguid is a Twitter legend, the benevolent dictator of Yes Perth City, and an all-round good egg. I spoke to him about the current state of the pro-independence New Media in Scotland, the SNP-Green deal, the prospects of the London government annexing Helensburgh after independence, and the new Demographics of Independence paper from Common Weal. For the home of the Popcast, please visit http://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

A few months ago I spoke to Yvonne Ridley about her experiences as a prisoner of the Taliban in 2001. I caught up with her again today to hear her thoughts on the Taliban's extraordinary return to power in Afghanistan, and her take on how mass demonstrations and people power are the most promising ways of winning independence for Scotland.

Maggie McNeill is a semi-retired escort, and author of the popular blog The Honest Courtesan. Here she discusses her opposition to the so-called Nordic Model on prostitution law, which criminalises the clients of sex workers. She explains why it would be a bad thing to eradicate prostitution, even if it were possible, and why the New Zealand model of full decriminalisation would be a better example for Scotland to follow. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: http://scotgoespop.blogspot.com

A short preview of the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Rotterdam, with a reminder that the recent Panelbase poll commissioned by Scot Goes Pop found that 60% of the public want to be represented at the contest by a Scottish entry, not a UK entry.

Some very quick thoughts about the first day of results from the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. For the home of the Popcast, please visit: scotgoespop.blogspot.com

Chris McEleny is the Alba Party's lead candidate in the West Scotland region for Thursday's crucial Scottish Parliament election. Before joining Alba, he was leader of the SNP group on Inverclyde Council, and was twice a candidate for SNP depute leader. I spoke to him about various campaign issues, and also about the findings from the new Scot Goes Pop / Panelbase poll suggesting that most of the Scottish public would like the UK to join the international ban on nuclear weapons, and that most SNP voters would like to press ahead with an independence referendum with social distancing if the pandemic is not totally over within a year or two. For the home of the Popcast, please visit scotgoespop.blogspot.com