The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast

By Solid Media

The two biggest names in Scottish political journalism, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie, join forces to bring you a regular “must listen” insider briefing on the political and wider world.

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FAQs about The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast:

How many episodes does The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.

The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast episodes:

August 29, 2025SCOTTISH ELECTIONS ARE "A FREE HIT FOR FARAGE"
With around 1 in 5 Scots telling pollsters they're voting for Reform UK at the coming Scottish Parliament Elections, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie analyse the current and likely effect on Scottish politics and how Nigel Farage's party can't lose out in this election.

Bernard Ponsonby
“What they're feeding into is a mood that the system is broken… the message about a broken political system is a message which transcends the traditional left-right issues. And it transcends the constitutional question.”
“The rise of Reform UK is in part a crisis that the voters have in the confidence with the established order and with the established parties.”
“The Scottish elections are an entirely free hit for Nigel Farage… he has a proportional voting system to fall back on next year. So he's going to get representatives. And the only thing that getting representatives at Holyrood will do is give him a further bounce.”
“I think that they will have a good election next May. The only question is how good. I think for the Conservatives, they will have a bad election. The only question is how bad or perhaps even how catastrophic.”
“Ultimately, just like the SDP, he will ultimately fail to break the mold of politics because… the asylum and immigration issue… won't cut through forever.”

Alex Massie
“In Scotland, Reform is winning around 25% of the working-class vote, C2DE voters… that tells you something. It tells you that in a strange way, some of the people who responded very well to the Yes campaign in 2014… it is the same kind of message that Reform is capitalizing on now.”
“It is a howl of discontent that is not necessarily connected to any specific policies or even ideas that Reform have.”
“Banging the drum on illegal immigration and forcing other parties… to conflate legal and illegal immigration is something that is extremely effective as a wedge issue for Farage and Reform.”
“Poor old Russell Findlay… is taking fire from his right and from his left and his center is falling apart too. And so this really leaves him with little option but to counter attack, but with what sort of troops he can muster, I am not entirely sure.”
“The rise of Reform again complicates matters because it becomes much, much harder to see how you can put together an election winning team… everybody in Scotland is a minority.”
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41min
August 20, 2025 ECONOMIC WINTER IS COMING - .... and it's not good news for the economics of Scottish Independence.
The Chancellor's Budget season is upon us and "winter is coming" says Alex Massie.

1. Government debt costs hitting crisis levels“If debt interest payments are running at more than 100 billion pounds a year, that is by definition 50 or 60 billion pounds a year that can't be spent elsewhere.” (Alex Massie)

2. Labour’s tax promises already collapsing“It becomes absolutely unambiguously clear that the Labour Party's pledge to the voters in the general election last year in relation to not raising taxes on working people is simply not going to hold.” (Bernard Ponsonby)

3. Property tax and home sales under threat“One is an annual levy basically on the value of houses above a certain threshold, possibly as low as five hundred thousand pounds… The other proposal floated… is that the government might impose capital gains tax on the sale of family homes.” (Alex Massie)

4. Pension age rising to 70 and triple lock scrapped“For people who are in the workplace at the moment, they can probably look towards a state pension age of about 70. In terms of the long-term sustainability of this, if you want to keep it at the same proportion of GDP, then it is inevitable that the triple lock will have to go.” - Bernard Ponsonby, 20:18)

5. Scottish independence economics look dire“You would be starting with a deficit which you would have to service, which would be even bigger than that which the remaining countries of the UK would have to service and therefore you would be borrowing probably at punitive levels of interest rates or… into big tax increases or the kind of public expenditure cuts which would make you a very unpopular government on day one.” -Bernard Ponsonby

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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48min
August 15, 2025 PT2 - NICOLA STRUGEON BOOK - THE DETAILS AND REACTIONS
In part two, the book has now been published and Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie not only dig through the detail, some of which has been overlooked in coverage, but also reflect on the reaction to the book.
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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47min
August 11, 2025 NICOLA STURGEON'S MEMOIR - PART ONE - Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie Review
Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie preview the release of Nicola Sturgeon's memoir, "Frankly".
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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36min
July 23, 2025 SWINNEY'S INDY CONUNDRUM - "You can't claim an independence mandate if you don't ask for one"
It's Summer in Politics-Land and the First Minister of Scotland has chosen this quiet moment to outline his plans for Independence - What plans, you may ask? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie clash over the right to a second independence referendum but agree that the First Minister cannot claim a mandate if he doesn't ask the electorate for a mandate.

ALSO
CONSERVATIVE RESHUFFLE
"If James Cleverley is your headline, you know you’re in some trouble."

SCOTTISH GREENS WOES
"There’s a split between the ‘sensibles’ and the ‘radicals’ in the Greens."
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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36min
July 16, 2025 The Reality of Managing Trump's Visit to the UK
Starmer and Swinney to Meet President on Visit
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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49min
July 08, 2025 STARMER SURVIVES MUTINY BUT HAS HE LOST THE CREW?
Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie reflect on Keir Starmer surviving last week's back bench mutiny but has he quietly lost the crew? Will this be regarded as a moment that instigated further ferment?

Also, reflections on the death of Tory grandee, Lord Norman Tebbit at the age of 94.
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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50min
June 25, 2025 STARMER'S REPORT CARD - End of First Year - Marks Out of Ten
The 4th of July marks the first anniversary of Keir Starmer's election victory and time as Prime Minister. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie evaluate his first 12 months in No 10 Downing Street, breaking down performance into domestic and foreign affairs performance.
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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51min
June 20, 2025 BREAKING: FERGUS EWING TO STAND AGAINST SNP IN 2026
Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss the news today that Fergus Ewing is leaving the SNP and standing as an independent candidate at the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election, bringing to an end an era of constant representation under the SNP banner for the Ewing dynasty since the Scottish Parliament was formed.

Also - What is the role of independents in the Scottish Parliament and why do so few succeed? Only 3 have been elected as independents but can you name them?
Scottish Disability numbers
The Winter Fuel Allowance
Assisted dying
.... and Bernard cutting the podcast a little shorter to get out for a pint in the sun!
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41min
June 14, 2025 SCOTTISH PARTY LEADERS - REPORT CARD - One Year From Scottish Election
Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie run the rule over each of the Scottish political party leaders and give them a mark out of ten for how they are performing. Including:
John Swinney
Anas Sarwar
Russell Findlay
Alex Cole-Hamilton
Lorna Slater & Patrick Harvie
Reform? Who is the Scottish Leader?
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
52min

FAQs about The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast:

How many episodes does The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.

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