Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie speak to Stewart McDonald, SNP front bencher who lost his seat at the General Election ..... and he had a lot to say.

ON 2026 HOLYROOD ELECTION

25:32 MASSIE: "Do you think getting "horsed" in 2026 is now the most likely outcome of the Holyrood election?"

McDONALD: "Yes"

ON INDEPENDENCE

35:07 "The hard pause has been delivered for us whether we like that or not. That was done last Thursday and was evident in ballot boxes up and down the country".

ON LABOUR

44:38 "I've watched them closely and they're getting their act together in a way that's connecting with people.... the reality is that they're a party that's being taken seriously by voters once again. Many of whom have voted SNP, not just over the past decade but over the past 17 years we have been in government. So, we have a problem and the only way we can answer that problem is to be serious, is to be grown up, is to take hard decisions"

ON SNP CULTURE - "NOT A SERIOUS POLITCAL CULTURE"

11:38 "We've strayed. They feel we've stopped listening to them so they've stopped listening to us."

11:55 "I think we have a cultural problem within the SNP."

13:19 "A political culture that operates like that is not a serious political culture." 

14:22 "You cannot be everything to all people if you're serious about the aspiration of statehood and government."

26:56 "I'm looking at the motions we're about to debate at our upcoming party conference, one of which includes a debate on the national anthem for an independent Scotland. I mean, get real." 

27:10 MASSIE "What do you think the anthem should be?"

27:14 McDONALD "I couldn't give a monkey's."

NICOLA STURGEON

16:49 "Obviously the leader has to take a large portion of the blame .... a long term strategy there was not." 

ON SWINNEY TURNING ROUND THE SNP

31:19 "I think he wants to do it...but it will require him to be a ruthless bastard."

ON BLAMING OTHERS

44:10 "It is not the foundation and the basis of a grown up relationship with the country and too often we've thought that it is and that is sufficient."

ON THE GREENS

20:10 "Much of the damage that was done to our credibility, our reputation for good government happened during that time....... There's not much of those coalition years I will remember fondly"

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

24:18 "I don't think two years is possible.... the timescale cannot be put in place just by us." 

Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites.

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