Lesley and Fraser delayed recording this week to digest Andy Burnham’s blockbuster Labour Party Conference speech. From grand English policy pitches to Scottish local government reform, Glasgow’s equal pay row, and Holyrood drama, here is what’s in this week’s episode:
- Burnham’s "Prime Ministerial" Pitch: Big announcements on housing, water, energy, and a National Care Service. Impressive delivery, but as Lesley notes, Scotland has already implemented nearly all of it—from ending Right to Buy to free personal care.
- Local Government Reform: A look at Gerry Hassan's blog on council reorganisations. Do the current plans solve Scotland's democratic deficit, or do we need a Citizens' Assembly to work through a proper plan?
- Glasgow Equal Pay Row: Why Glasgow City Council suddenly threatened staff with "fire and rehire" over equal pay settlements, and why Unison stood its ground.
- Humza Yousaf’s Book & SNP Conference: Highlights from the Dundee launch of Humza’s book Under Fire, plus a new internal independence pressure group forming ahead of the SNP conference in Aberdeen.
- Holyrood’s "Right to Decide": Why Scottish Labour voted for the SNP's self-determination motion, and Patrick Harvie’s calm response to a bizarre speech comparing Scottish nationalism to Yugoslavia.
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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.