Scotland's Choice

The Just Transition. Everyone will have heard the phrase, and many will have at least a vague idea of the meaning behind it. But, looking in-depth and in specific terms, what do politicians mean when they talk about it? Stephen Flynn MP is the SNP's Energy spokesperson at Westminster and so is well-versed in the subject of the Just Transition. In this episode of Scotland's Choice he and host Drew...

Scotland's land is one of our greatest assets in so many ways, but decades and even centuries of mismanagement have held Scotland back. Rob Gibson was an MSP in the Highlands for 13 years and served as convener of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment committee. A well-respected author, Rob has written many books about Scotland's land and the reform it so desperately needs. 83% of Sco...

Jenny Gilruth MSP has been the MSP for Mid-Fife and Glenrothes since 2016, serving in the Scottish Government's justice and education committees. Now, she serves as our minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in Holyrood. In 2014, the Better Together campaign infamously told Scotland that the only way to guarantee EU membership was to vote No. Many Scots who voted No cited this...

Joining Scotland's Choice host this week is Michelle Thomson MSP. Currently the MSP for Falkirk East, she previously represented Edinburgh West in Westminster and also held the brief of Business, Innovation, and Skills for the SNP. During the 2014 referendum, business and the economy were, and remain, a huge part of the argument for independence. A lot has also changed since 2014. So, Michell...

In this episode of Scotland's Choice, Drew sits down with Gavin Newlands MP to discuss all things Transport. Transport plays a huge part in all of our lives. Whether it's commuting to working, travelling for a holiday or supermarket supply chains, transport plays a vital role in modern life. SNP transport spokesperson Gavin Newlands MP joins host Drew Hendry MP on this episode of Scotland's Choice...

Drew sits down with activist, Charlotte Armitage to discuss the role of young people in the independence movement. Young people are a key part of the independence movement. One of the strengths of the 2014 Yes campaign's was the grassroots element, and young people were front and centre. The YSI is the SNP's youth wing and all members under 30 are automatically enrolled. Charlotte Armitage serves...

In this episode Drew sits down with John Nicolson MP to discuss Scotland's media. Scotland's media came under much scrutiny in the run-up to the first independence referendum in 2014. John Nicolson MP is SNP spokesperson for Digital, Media, Culture, and Sport. Scotland's national broadcaster in the UK is the BBC. Studies have shown they protected union representatives during the campaign and dispr...

Drew sits down with Angus Robertson MSP to discuss Scotland's relationship with artic neighbours. Scotland is the world's northernmost country which isn't technically in the Arctic region. After independence, therefore, it is vital that we look to our Arctic neighbours and form real and lasting partnerships with them. There's also a lot that we can learn from these countries, as we are doing alrea...

Feminist foreign policy is the topic we're covering this week on Scotland's Choice podcast. Joining host Drew Hendry MP, is one of the leading voices in the matter, Prof. Caron E. Gentry. Caron is currently a Professor in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Her main research focuses on gender and terrorism as well as feminist political theology.  Her interest in...

In this episode, Drew sits down with activist, Ruaridh Hanna to discuss his journey from No to Yes. If you haven't already listened to the first special, you can click here to do so or search for Episode 12. Ruaridh was very much involved with the Better Together campaign in 2014 but has since changed his mind and now supports independence. In this episode, Drew chats to Ruaridh about why he voted...

This is the second part of Drew's conversation with Andrew on the financial case for independence. If you haven't already listened to part one, we recommend you do so before listening to this episode. Andrew is one of the leading voices when discussing the financial aspect of independence. His CV shows an economist who is both well respected, and clearly knowledgable about the economics of indepen...

Drew is joined by Economist and former MSP Andrew Wilson to discuss the financial case for independence. Following on from the round-up compilation specials, we're back to new content this week. Economist and former MSP Andrew Wilson joins Drew to discuss the financial case for independence. This conversation was so interesting that we've split it into two parts as we didn't want to cut anything o...

Part Two of a Compilation of Scotland's Choice. Following on from last week's episode, we're continuing with a selection of Scotland's Choice so far. With 13 episodes worth of content to choose from, it's not an easy task to pick standout moments for an episode such as this. The thinking was to condense some of the topics down into bitesize chunks alongside other clips. This makes for a great star...

Part One of a Compilation of Scotland's Choice. This week's episode is a round-up of some of the best bits of Scotland's Choice so far. With 13 episodes worth of content to choose from, it's not an easy task to pick standout moments for an episode such as this. The thinking was to condense some of the topics down into bitesize chunks alongside other clips. This makes for a great starter episode fo...

In this episode of Scotland's Choice Podcast, host Drew Hendry MP is joined by the leader of Plaid Cymru's Westminster Group. Together they discuss the common ground between the independence movements of Scotland and Wales. Advocates of independence for Scotland and Wales share many of the same concerns regarding the current Westminster political system. For example, Wales's representation in term...

In 2014, Michael Sturrock voted No in the Scottish Independence Referendum. But he, like many others, has since changed his mind and now campaigns for Independence. Then, in late 2020, he founded the NoToYes.vote website. It shares the stories of people with similar experiences of moving from No to Yes. This makes Michael the perfect guest for the first in an ongoing series of 'No to Yes' episodes...

In this episode of Scotland's Choice, Drew sits down with Mike Russell to discuss potential routes to independence. In this episode of Scotland's Choice, Drew sits down with Mike Russell and outlines the road to independence and what it looks like. Mike is former Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, President of the SNP, a professor of culture and governance, and au...

In this episode, Drew is joined by Alison & Roger to discuss Scotland's Finances. During the 2014 referendum, much was made of Scotland's finances by the Unionist campaigners. We all heard the arguments asserting that Scotland is subsidised by Westminster, we are too reliant on oil, and, perhaps most prominently, that we didn't have a clue when it came to currency. These points are discussed (...

Your host Drew Hendry MP is joined by Stewart McDonald MP to why it’s in our interest to weed out the fact from the fiction. Disinformation and Fake News - what is it and why is it important? At the time of publishing, Stewart has just published a report on Disinformation in Scotland (can be accessed here ). What exactly is ‘Fake News’? Most people will likely associate the term with President Tru...

In this episode, host Drew Hendry MP chats with Stephen about Scotland's place in the world. Nation to Nation is a book written by former MP for North East Fife, Stephen Gethins. Brexit has changed the argument surrounding independence since 2014. The UK has isolated itself from its closest neighbours in deeply damaging ways,. What would the benefits be to re-joining the EU, and would Scotland be...

Host Drew Hendry MP is joined by Deidre Brock MP to discuss COP26 Scotland was one of the first countries in the world, and the first in the UK, to declare a climate emergency. This is all the more important, as a recent report published by Oxfam shows that climate change will result in an economic loss double that of covid-19 in GDP terms. The Institute for Economics and Peace also warns that the...

Scotland's social security ambitions are the theme for episode 6 in which Drew is joined by Neil Gray MSP. These changes are critical to a healthy society involving people and communities in setting their future. The UK's choice, through Westminster, to pursue an austerity agenda has undoubtedly harmed people across society. Many people fell through the system both before and during the pandemic....

In this episode of Scotland's Choice, Drew is joined by Ann Ballinger of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Brendan O'Hara MP, whose constituency includes Faslane and Coulport, as they discuss the nuclear weapons housed in Scotland by Westminster and their decision to break the nonproliferation treaty, which has stopped the nuclear arms race, by vowing to increase the number of Warh...

Scotland's Choice What difference does it make, how does being in the UK restrict us and what would we do differently if Independent? These are just some of the questions posed to Stuart C McDonald MP, SNP Shadow to the UK Tory Home Secretary, Priti Patel in this episode of Scotland's Choice podcast. Recent events have also highlighted the treatment of refugees and those people who have escaped pe...

Scotlands Choice: In this episode, Drew discusses realising Scotland’s energy potential with Alan Brown MP, the SNP spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change. Alan and Drew discuss the UK Government’s approach to energy and locking out potential opportunities. They discuss the missed opportunities and Wesminsters long-standing obsession with Nuclear power. Alan makes particular reference to the fa...