Scottish Independence Podcasts

Our special guest this week is author and academic Gerry Hassan.  Gerry joined us in our studio to discuss some of the key ideas in his new book called Scotland Rising - the case for Independence (available at all good bookstores).   He explains how we can have a more nuanced discussion about Scottish independence if we realise that there are many ideas of Scotland and many ways of looking at the...

Regular guest Bill Ramsay from Scottish CND joins us this week to bring us an update on issues gaining prominence from the war in Ukraine.  The shelling of the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia has highlighted the perils of nuclear power plants in war zones. This is particularly topical as new nuclear power plants are being touted as a green solution to the climate emergency, which suggests an i...

The outcome of the Supreme Court reference resulted in a ruling that the Scottish Parliament does not have the right to legislate for an independence referendum.  First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reacts to the news and sets out the alternative course of action she now proposes.

This month we enjoy a welcome respite from the flurry of new Prime Ministers and Monarchs that has taken up so much of our attention since the summer. Instead, this month we have something a little bit different - a selection of the best speeches and clips from the recent Opposition Day debate at Westminster.  The topic for the debate was whether Scotland can afford to remain in the UK.   This too...

Guests Dr Tim Rideout and former senior banker Ian Stewart from the Scottish Currency Group join us to discuss the latest of the Scottish Government's papers "A stronger economy with independence".   You can find the paper at https://gov.scot/newscotland   In the discussion we also refer to our earlier interview we did with Dr Kirsty Hughes, which was broadcast as our Scottish Independence Podcast...

This weeks podcast is a timely episode of the TNT show where host John Drummond chats with Aileen McHarg, Professor of Public Law and Human Rights at Durham University. Naturally the conversation includes the Supreme Court case on the legality or otherwise of Holyrood legislating for an independence referendum

Completing our mini series of keynote speeches from  this Autumn's conference season for the main Scottish independence parties, this is Alex Salmond, leader of the Alba party. All our podcast are available on our website: www.podcasts.independencelive.net

The second in our coverage from the Autumn 22 conference season, in this episode we have speeches from the Scottish Green Party's co leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie  

A year on from COP 26 in Glasgow, what have we achieved and what are our aspirations for COP27 in Egypt?  Also looks at the very difficult situation facing activists in Egypt and what we could be doing here in Scotland to support them. Host Iain Bruce chats with Fatemah Khafagy, an Egyptian feminist and Beckie Kenton-Lake of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.  

After the drama of September's events, could we look forward to a nice quiet October?  Let's find out... Bits and Pieces that have caught our attention this month include: Trouble with Trussonomics Unfair energy prices Is it OK to detest the Tories? Education highlights Supreme Court Case Liz on the ropes Are we Ready for Richie, er Rishi?

The third in the series of briefing papers from the Scottish Government was launched with a press conference with the usual suspects in attendance asking the predictable questions.   As always, the First Minister answers all questions put to her without even once running away and hiding in a fridge.  We will be digging into the main themes over the next few weeks so don't forget to subscribe.    

On the eve of the publication of the latest Scotgov paper on the economy of an independent Scotland, Yes Skye and Lochalsh held an informative event with guest Ian Stewart. Ian is a retired senior banker at RBS Global, former director of Switch Card Services and an active member of the Scottish Currency Group. In this conversation, Ian explains the key proposals of the Scottish Currency Group and...

Bonus Tuesday episode! Our guest on the Mibbes Aye show this week is Dr Kirsty Hughes, writer, political commentator and former Director of the Scottish Centre for European Relations.  We put some key questions about EO/EFTA membership to Kirsty, including:  what is the process for applying to join? how long does it take? what support and benefits do we get through the accession process and many m...

Nicola Sturgeon's keynote speech from SNP's October 22 conference delights her audience and sets the scene for the campaign for independence.

As we await the outcome of the Supreme Court hearing on 11th/12th October, Falkirk Friends of Yes arranged a public panel discussion and audience Q+A to discuss campaigning ideas. The panel members are: Lesley Riddoch, Broadcaster and author Grant Thoms, lobbyist, academic and SNP activist Neil MacLeod, Christians for Independence Gillian McKay , MSP  Scottish Greens There was a slight issue with...

Welcome to our round up of the momentous events of Sept 22, which include a new Prime Minister and cabinet, a crashed UK economy plus all our old favourites - the cost of living crisis (now with extra mortgage inflation), the energy crisis and the ongoing damage of Brexit. Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Our bonus Tuesday extra podcast episode follows on from last Friday's land Justice discussion.  In this bonus episode we chat with Random Scottish History's Jenny Eeles about the historical context for the current woeful position where fewer than 500 individuals own more than half of all the private land in Scotland.   You can also watch the video version of this discussion on our Indylive Extra Y...

It is a sad fact that fewer than 500 people own 57% of the private land in Scotland. The Scottish Government are consulting on a proposed Land Reform Bill.  This is open until 25th September, so we take a look at the proposals up for consultation.  With the help of two case studies - Flamingo Land's revised bid to take over Balloch and the Loch Lomond waterfront and the possibility of an islanders...

The Scottish Sovereignty Research Group held a conference in Dunfermline in Aug 22.  This podcast comes from the session on the Scottish Economy and features Dr Tim Rideout and Professor Richard Murphy explaining why it is essential to have a Scottish currency and taking questions from the audience. You can see more from the conference on the SSRG TV Youtube channel  music: Kevin Macleod  

We all have to eat!  This week's podcast comes from a Yes Stonehaven event with Alec Ross who runs a farming supply business from Stranraer and is also a columnist on the Orkney News.  Alec shares his experiences of Brexit, his thoughts on independence conversations with the farming community and also answers questions from the audience. We are grateful to Yes Stonehaven for sharing their event wi...

Campaigning is the bread and butter of the Yes Movement. In this episode of our Indy Jigsaw series, we look at different aspects of campaigning including planning, strategy, tactics, grass roots activity, campaign tools and lobbying. Our guests are former MSP and Scottish Socialist Frances Curran,  part time lecturer and lobbyist Grant Thom and Commonweal's Leo Plumb.  We even take a peek into the...

Despite Holyrood and Westminster being in recess, there were plenty of topical titbits going on in August, including: Drought, sewage and water privatisation in England    Energy  price crisis and Power to the People protest   Anti Tory sentiment and state media bias at the Perth leadership hustings*   Growing support for Scottish democratic right to a referendum plus speech from the Inverness mar...

An independent Scotland in the EU (or EFTA) will require careful management of our borders, particularly the land border with England.  In this episode we listen to some of the experts who explain the principles of the common travel area, border management and the difference between a border and customs controls.  We also chat to our guest Ruth Ritchie who lives in a border community about the pra...

This week's podcast is an episode of Rising Clyde.  Host Iain Bruce chats to three guests about Power to the People - a new socialist campaign to tackle the energy crisis. Guests Matt Kerr, Frances Curran and Coll McCail explain the aims of the campaign and how you can get involved.  

What if we could revolutionise the way we finance all our public services and have enough left to pay a Universal Basic Income without paying income tax, council tax, National Insurance or VAT? Our guest this week on the Indy Jigsaw Show is Graeme McCormick.  Graeme thinks he has found a way to create a fairer society with wellbeing at its heart by introducing a charge on Annual Ground and Roof Re...