Holyrood Sources

Scottish Labour has made a dramatic policy intervention: Michael Marra has called for the UK to rejoin the European Union and wants the stance as a policy in Labour’s next General Election manifesto. In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum MacDonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver sit down with Daniel Johnson MSP, Labour's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, to dissect what this piv...

Welcome to a special bonus episode from the Sources podcast family, brought to you by D.C. Sources! On the midterm special D.C. Sources podcast, Maura Gillespie, Meghan Hays and Eli Stokols are joined by Reid Epstein of the New York Times, Maya Davis of the Wall Street Journal and Lauren McCauley of the Maine Morning Star. The team unpack a sweeping set of results for the Democrats, the questions...

On a special Q&A episode of the Holyrood Sources podcast, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver answer some of your questions! Was Andy Burnham playing politics with the timing of the Jackdaw announcement? Is the argument that Jackdaw will help reduce carbon emissions in the long term actually misleading? Is there a wider problem with the civil service in Scotland? How is it fixed?...

On a special episode of the Holyrood Sources podcast, recorded in the afternoon of Wednesday the 28th October, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver break down John Healey's first ever Budget... what does it mean for Scotland... did it all feel a bit underwhelming? Stephen Boyd, Director of the IPPR Scotland joins the podcast to add his perspective. Later. Geoff, Andy and Calum disc...

The UK government has approved extraction from the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen What does this mean for Scotland's economy and the future of North Sea oil and gas? In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver breakdown the big political stories in Scotland this week, .We speak with Prof. John Underhill, Director for Energy Transition at the Universit...

Calum and Geoff are live from the pub at SNP conference. They take the temperature of the party ahead of John Swinney's speech this weekend and are joined by party representatives, pollsters and experts to diagnose the health of the SNP going into 2027. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver preview the SNP conference with The Scotsman's Rachel Amery. For the first time ever, John Swinney leads a conference with a mandate as First Minister... how will he shape the event as his own? Will the focus be on independence or we will see deeper policy on other issues in Scottish Politics. What will the talk be...

On today's episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver dive into the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. We are joined by Rachael Hamilton MSP, Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, to react to Kemi Badenoch’s proposed review of the Scotland Act and reported plans to curtail Holyrood's powers—including over education. We discuss "true...

On this special episode of the Sources Podcasts, we're taking you to Liverpool for 24 hours at Labour Party Conference 2026. Hear the secrets of Political Christmas with Politico's Megan McElroy, More In Common's Louis O'Geran, Labour MP Jonathan Hinder, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, former Andy Burnham advisor Kevin McKeever and more. Presented by Joe Hawkins. ************* 🔔...

Welcome to another energy special episode of the Holyrood Sources podcast in partnership with Energy Voice. Calum, Geoff and Andy are joined by Ryan Duff and Floyd March: Aberdeen Features Lead and North West Correspondent at Energy Voice. The group discuss the impact Great British Energy and the newly announced Great British Grid across Scotland, why its energy sector faces competition from other...

Is Andy Burnham’s vision for the UK realistic, or is he setting Labour up for a major fall ahead of the upcoming budget? On this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver review Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first speech to the Labour Party Conference. From hints on rejoining the EU and scrapping the pension triple lock to fund a National Care Service, to what...

In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver unpack the Scottish Government's local government proposal that could see Scotland's 32 councils reduced to just 6... Professor Michael Keating joins the show to discuss the convoluted history of local government reform in Scotland and what changes now could mean for you. Following his election win over J...

Are the days of the United Kingdom numbered, or was the recent Cardiff summit between First Ministers just political theatre? Calum Macdonald and Andy Maciver are joined by SNP National Secretary Alex Kerr MSP to discuss the summit and ask whether it puts Scotland (and Wales and Northern Ireland) any closer to independence. They also discuss Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent comments at PMQs an...

On a special hustings episode of the Holyrood Sources podcast, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver are joined by Scottish Labour's leadership candidates: Joe Fagan and Michael Marra. The two leadership contenders debate their visions for the party's future, how to reconnect with working-class voters across Scotland, and the scale of the challenge ahead. What sets Michael and Joe apart...

On the first of our Holyrood Sources energy specials in partnership with Energy Voice, Calum MacDonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver are joined by Energy Voice News Editor Erikka Askeland (live from Stavanger) and Editorial Director of DC Thomson, Dave Lord.  Together, the panel breaks down the high-stakes political and economic battles that will define the energy debate in Scotland and ac...

The Scottish Fiscal Commission just revealed an extra £860 million in the budget for this financial year—but is it actually good news for public spending, or a sign of deeper structural issues caused by devolution? In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver break down the latest fiscal update, public service reform under Ivan McKee, and incoming tax press...

In this episode of Holyrood Sources , Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver unpack another week Scottish politics. The team reacts to the official Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures, analysing Scotland's £25.3 billion public spending deficit, falling North Sea oil revenues, and what upcoming public service reforms mean for John Swinney’s government. We also dive...

Calum MacDonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver break down Scotland's latest GERS figures, examining revenue vs. public spending, the Barnett Formula, and Scotland's fiscal deficit.  Plus, the Holyrood Sources team discuss the realities of North Sea oil vs. renewables, and whether John Swinney can escape Sturgeon’s legacy. Later, George and Andy share their thoughts on former Scottish Labou...

Nicola Sturgeon faces fierce backlash from her own former cabinet colleagues after criticising the SNP's election strategy in a new book foreword. Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver break down the response from the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries. Plus, as the Scottish Labour leadership contest opens with Monica Lennon, Michael Marra, and Joe Fagan announcing their leadership,...

Why did Scotland’s new 48p top rate of income tax actually backfire and lose £22 million in revenue? On this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver analyse the fallout from Scotland's tax policy with tax expert Dan Neidle from Tax Policy Associates. Will John Swinney reverse a major policy decision originated by his predecessors, Humza Yousaf and Nicola Stur...

Andy Burnham has officially become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, marking the country’s 7th PM since 2016.  Join host Calum Macdonald live from Downing Street on this special episode of The Sources Podcasts as we break down every moment of this historic handover of power. From Keir Starmer’s departure speech to Andy Burnham’s note-free address to the nation, we cover the immediate...

On today's episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver are joined by Scottish Labour MSP, Paul Sweeney to discuss the shock news that Anas Sarwar is set to resign to join new PM Andy Burnham's team in Westminster. What will Sarwar's departure mean for Scottish Labour and the UK Labour Party overall. Has Sarwar blindsided his Holyrood colleagues by accepting a job...

Andy Burnham is preparing to become Prime Minister—but what does that mean for Scotland, Labour and the future of UK politics? In this episode of Holyrood Sources , Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver to discuss what Burnham's government could look like, who could join his Cabinet, and whether Labour can truly deliver the change voters are demanding. What is Andy Burnham's leadership...

On a summer special of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver are joined by the 2026 Scottish Labour candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries, Jack McConnel (the other one). Jack is one of the leading voices in a growing movement within the Scottish Labour Party, that wants to break away from UK Labour and stand as an independent body. Jack explains why he thinks a brea...

On today's episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald and Geoff Aberdein are live on College Green at Westminster as they discuss what the future of London politics will mean for Scotland. The pair are joined by ITV Border political reporter Ollie Wright and Labour MP Torcuil Crichton and Conservative MP Harriet Cross to discuss where UK and Scottish politics is heading, just a couple of a weeks...