Skotia Media

Bathgate no more, Linwood no more, Grangemouth no more, Larbert no more?

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Alexander Dennis bus manufacturing sites in Larbert and Camelon would close, resulting in 400 immediate job losses and an estimated 1,600 in the wider supply chain. This comes as the nearby Grangemouth oil refinery begins its decommissioning process. 

Meanwhile, John Swinney promises “national renewal” and a long-term plan for “Scotland 2050”. Is this the story of an unjust transition?

To answer this question, Rory Hamilton is joined by Dr Ewan Gibbs – Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow, and author of Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialisation in Postwar Scotland – and Dr Rosie Hampton, Oil & Gas Campaigns Manager at Friends of the Earth Scotland.

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The ‘ferries fiasco’ has plagued the Scottish Government for nearly 10 years of its 18-year time in power.

In 2022, Nicola Sturgeon refuted claims that the failures at Ferguson Marine, Scotland’s last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, were the result of the Scottish Government giving out “jobs for the boys”. 

Her comments followed Ferguson’s costly, delayed and error-strewn delivery of two new ferries for the Ayrshire to Arran route. 

Following two periods of administration, during which the contracts for the now-named MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa ballooned to three times their original size, the shipyard was nationalised and eventually in January 2025, the Glen Sannox finally entered service – seven years behind schedule.

To take a deep dive into Scotland’s ‘ferry fiasco’, Rory Hamitlon is joined by Jeanette Findlay and Brian Reynolds. 

Jeanette Findlay is Professor Emerita at the University of Glasgow, and immediate past President of the University and College Union (UCU) Scotland. Brian Reynolds is the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ (RMT) Union Coordinator with CalMac Ferries, the ferry operator for the West Coast routes. 

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Moments before polls opened in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, the bookies predicted that the SNP would easily retain the seat. Katy Loudon was their clear favourite while Scottish Labour were deemed outsiders after a chaotic campaign. Indeed, punters were offered 11/1 odds on Davy Russell winning the seat. 

But he did just that as Scottish Labour’s 8,500 votes saw them top the poll. The SNP fell 500 votes short and lost 16% of their 2021 vote share. In third, and within 1,500 votes of winning the contest, came Reform UK who decisively established themselves as contenders in constituencies across Scotland. 

To drill down into the by-election result and its wider implications for next year’s Holyrood election, Coll McCail is joined by Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth,  and Jonathan Shafi, the co-editor of Conter, a columnist with the National newsletter and the author of the Independence Captured newsletter. 

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Writing in 1999, just a couple of months after Holyrood convened in Edinburgh, the great Clydeside trade unionist Jimmy Reid asked if the parliament in which “we Scots have invested such hope is simply to be another gravy train for a well-connected few.”

Today, Holyrood has its very own revolving door, propelling politicians and advisors from parliament to influential consultancy firms, private posts and lucrative post-politics jobs. 

In Scotland, away from the public eye, a small cohort of influential PR firms have carved out a role at the heart of decision-making. Some are run by former Labour politicians and others by ex-SNP advisers. All, however, promise their private clients extensive access to our politicians.

South of the border, the arrival of a Prime Minister to Downing Street who pledged to clean up politics has meant nothing of the sort. Their election funded by controversial donations, Labour’s first 10 months in office have been plagued by stories of scandal and sleeze. 

To ask who really runs Scotland, Coll McCail is joined by Paul Dobson and Ethan Shone. 

Paul Dobson is a reporter and Journalist Director for the Ferret, Scotland’s award-winning investigative journalism platform.

Ethan Shone is an investigations reporter for openDemocracy. He is particularly interested in lobbying and political corruption. He writes the Dark Arts newsletter on Substack. 

You can support Nest of Fearties – and watch the entire recording of this podcast – by joining Skotia’s Patreon for as little as the price of a pint per month. 

In 'The Condition of the Working Class in England', Friedrich Engels wrote that, “When society places hundreds … in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death … when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life places them under conditions in which they cannot live … its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual … murder it remains… social murder.”

Following the UK Labour Government's plans to introduce £6bn worth of cuts to social security, Rory Hamilton is joined by the authors of 'Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK'.

David Walsh is a Senior Lecturer in Health Inequalities at the University of Glasgow and previously the Programme Manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

Gerry McCartney is a Professor of Wellbeing Economy at the University of Glasgow and an Honorary Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Scotland.

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Order your copy of 'Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK'.

There was once a time when Scottish nationalism sat at the forefront of the anti-war movement when the SNP relished the opportunity to confront the British state and its militarism. These days, however, are long gone. In recent weeks, as Europe is gripped by the fervour of rearament grips Europe, the SNP have been among the most hawkish elements of Britian’s political class.

In the third episode of ‘Nest of Fearties’, Coll McCail is joined by David Jamieson and Sophie Johnson to interrogate this shift and its ramifications. 

David Jamieson is the editor of Conter. Sophie Johnson is the Secretary of the Stop the War Coalition in Scotland.

If you're enjoying 'Nest of Fearties', you can support Skotia on Patreon for as little as the price of a pint per month.

For the second episode of Nest of Fearties - Skotia's new Scottish election podcast - Coll McCail is joined by Ellie Gomersall and Niall Christie to discuss the Scottish Green Party, their time in government and their prospects ahead of next year's election. This podcast is available to watch exclusively to Skotia's ⁠Patreon⁠ subscribers.

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Ellie Gomersall is a columnist with The National and the Glasgow Greens' Campaign Manager. Niall Christie edits the Green Left Scotland substack and ran for the party in Glasgow South last July. Subscribe to Green Left Scotland: https://greenleftscotland.substack.comThis podcast was produced by Coll McCail and Rory Hamilton, with sincere thanks to Unity Books for hosting us.

For the inaugural episode of Nest of Fearties - Skotia's new Scottish election podcast - Coll McCail is joined by Matt Kerr and Chris Stephens to discuss the Scottish budget for 2025/2026, the rise of Reform UK and much more.

This podcast is available to watch exclusively to Skotia's Patreon subscribers.

Matt Kerr is a Glasgow Labour Councillor and the Scotland Correspondent for the Morning Star.

Chris Stephens is the former SNP MP for Glasgow South West.

This podcast was produced by Coll McCail and Rory Hamilton, with sincere thanks to Unity Books for hosting us.

On Wednesday 30th October, Rachel Reeves laid out Labour's first UK budget for 14 years. Did it mark an end to austerity? Do Labour's plans break with the Conservative's austerity? What does the budget mean for Scotland?