Pacific-Sized Prep, Green Stramashes & Burnham’s Neoliberal Double-Lock
It’s a Monday recording this week as Lesley dodges the pending house-clearance for 'the moth man' to chew over a busy week in politics. With conference season rumbling on, Andy Burnham’s constitutional double-talk is under the microscope alongside Richard Murphy’s sobering warnings about rejoining a possible right-leaning future EU. Meanwhile, the Green Party conference in Brighton triggers internal splits over a contentious Zionism motion, Kemi Badenoch channels her inner Iron Lady with a 30,000-word manifesto, and the SNP faces hard questions about whether passing conference motions is any substitute for real independence preparation.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Burnham, Neoliberalism & EU Rejoining: Fraser and Lesley unpack the ongoing fallout from the Labour conference. Citing Richard Murphy who cut through the noise to highlight how Burnham’s grand promises clash with Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules. Plus, a look at Europe’s far-right surges as we contemplate what future EU partnership might look like.
- Holyrood's Targets & Tory Nuclear Tanks: With the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warning that legally binding Scottish child poverty targets are set to be missed, Lesley and Fraser discuss the need for a bolder vision. Meanwhile, UK Tory energy spokesperson Andrew Bowie threatens to override Scottish planning powers to force nuclear power onto Holyrood's lawn.
- Green Party Conference & By-Election Blues: As Holborn & St Pancras approaches, John Crace’s scathing Guardian review paints a bleak picture for Zack Polanski. We look at the fallout from the conference floor, where delegates voted to define Zionism as racism while rejecting an amendment to protect Jewish members attending Zionist synagogues.
- Rental Crises & Youth Protests: Beyond party squabbles, housing protests in Madrid and radical shifts in European cities highlight a generation of despairing young key workers priced out of living.
- Kemi’s Tapestry & December Rumours: The Tories prepare for conference with an 18-foot AI Bayeux Tapestry mockup and Kemi Badenoch’s 30,000-word The Right Way pamphlet. Fraser recalls the miserable freezing reality of the December 2019 general election campaigning with Joanna Cherry amid fresh chatter of a snap winter poll.
- Pensions, Social Care & The Pacific Rowing Mindset: John Swinney sparks unionist outrage over Burnham's pension double-lock proposal. Ahead of the SNP conference, Fraser and Lesley discuss Tony Giugliano’s motion on independence strategy, arguing that passing a motion is meaningless without the relentless, ocean-rowing levels of preparation needed to build a real movement.
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What is The Lesley Riddoch Podcast?
Scottish politics dissected from a left, pro-independence stance. Each week, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Lesley Riddoch chews over the week’s news with co-host Fraser Thompson. If you like intelligent, quirky chat about Scottish society and culture, and Scottish, UK and international politics analysed from a Scottish perspective; this podcast is for you.