​THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m talking about Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, and his call for the prime minister to resign. I argue this is an inflection point in Scottish politics and the Holyrood parliament campaign.

I wrote about the same subject in The Times last week. If you’d like to read that column here’s the link:

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/far-from-futile-anas-sarwar-has-changed-the-national-conversation-lk5cggrj5

I talk in this podcast about new polling in The Sunday Times today, showing Sarwar’s big moment earned the approval of Scottish voters. You can read more about that poll here:

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/poll-anas-sarwar-revolt-keir-starmer-jtdc5m6vn

I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode.

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link in the blurb below.

Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

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The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m looking at a fundamental problem in Scottish democracy - a flaw in the electoral system that could very well give us a Scottish parliament that does not reflect the political views of the Scottish people.

My column in The Times this week is on the same subject. If you’d like to read it you can find it here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/holyrood-election-reform-2026-xkstxjlqj

Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast.

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

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The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST:

Today I’m setting the scene for the Holyrood election in May and asking if Scottish Labour has its strategy right for confronting Reform UK.

I’ve been writing on the same subject in The Times this week, and if you’d like to read that column you can find it here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scottish-labour-needs-to-make-up-its-mind-about-reform-wkmhlkvhz

Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast.

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m talking about Nigel Farage’s incendiary comments about Glasgow children. He said one in three of the city’s children live in homes where English is a second language, and he called this the “cultural smashing” of Glasgow. I challenge this and call for an end to the complacency in some quarters of Scotland - and on some Scottish political podcasts - about the true nature of the Faragist threat at the Holyrood elections next May.

I wrote about this in The Times this week. You can find my column here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/picture-smashes-nigel-farage-fear-mongering-27fjs5jff

Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast.

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m asking if the demise of Keir Starmer could be brought about by Scottish Labour MPs. Recent stories in The Times suggest that Scottish Labour backbenchers are the most fervent proponents of an early challenge to Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party. Why? Because these Scottish Labour MPs are desperate to avoid a disaster at the Holyrood elections next May. They want these elections to be treated as important in their own right, not just as a data point in a broader debate about UK general election strategy.

I recently wrote about this subject in my weekly column in The Times. If you’d like to read it, here’s the link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/labours-story-scotland-two-pronged-tale-doesnt-work-xb0zvnhwq

Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast.

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m talking about lessons for Scotland from Wales. After the Caerphilly by-election last week it now seems clear that Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru will try to work together to deprive Nigel Farage’s Reform UK of power after the Senedd election next May.

I argue that something similar may be necessary in Scotland.

Please let me know what you think in the comments.

I wrote about this subject recently in my weekly column for The Times. If you’d like to read it you can find it here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/wales-can-teach-us-a-valuable-lesson-in-barring-farage-from-power-2j6xccq7x

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I look at the failure of John Swinney to reshuffle the Scottish cabinet in anticipation of the Holyrood elections, even though four of his most senior ministers are not seeking re-election in that contest. I argue that Swinney is in danger of taking Scottish voters for granted. After all, these ministers will be arguing for policies they will not be implementing, and for which they will not be accountable.

Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast.

I recently wrote about this subject in The Times. If you’d like to read it, here’s the link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/john-swinneys-weeshuffle-leaves-scotland-with-lame-duck-cabinet-bzjmzm2xj

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I take stock of the Scottish National Party’s annual conference and I argue that the nationalists are well placed to win next year’s Holyrood election, re-electing John Swinney as first minister.

I outline three strands of SNP thinking for the coming campaign, and I argue that taken together these offer a more coherent and compelling strategy than any served up by their rivals.

I recently wrote about this subject in The Times. You can read my column here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/independence-kenny-farquharson-comment-snp-johnswinney-kbc9chmk2

If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee?

You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle

Two sugars, please!

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST:

Today I argue that the sacking of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States is an opportunity to walk back some of his malign influence on today’s Labour party.

I also tell a story about how I had breakfast with Mandelson in a posh Edinburgh hotel, and ended up embarrassing myself.

I also wrote about Mandelson in today’s issue of The Times. Here’s the link if you’d prefer to read rather than listen: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/labour-desperately-needs-a-win-so-get-rid-of-the-house-of-lords-zvd7cmvbt

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle, if you haven’t already?

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack publication with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may like this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

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“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m asking how much success Jeremy Corbyn’s new political party can expect in the Scottish Parliament elections in May next year.

I also wrote about this subject in my column in The Times, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen. Here’s a link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/jeremy-corbyn-party-holyrood-election-scotland-reform-z8zftmhwp

If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle, if you haven’t already.

It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome.

There’s a link below.

-o0o-

The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture.

The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times.

The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack publication with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography.

Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com

You may like this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Scotcast and Americast.

-o0o-

“A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns

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