The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast

It's Silly Season for the political media and, after forcing a by-election in his own seat, Nigel Farage discovered many of the parties were unwilling to play his game. Now, his most serious competition appears to be from by-election regular, Count Binface. Also, the latest on the SNP money and potential court cases, Andy Burnham swooping into Downing Street and the passing of some significant pol...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie look at how Nigel Farage is dealing with his first real crisis and also - is Andy Burnham making unsustainable promises before he even becomes Prime Minister? Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie,...

Two main topics for Alex and Bernard this week. The proposed coronation of Andy Burnham - speculation is rife around his likely cabinet picks. Starmer was relatively successful in International affairs. Will Burnham be tempted to ask him to stay on as Foreign Secretary? Also, after the sentencing of Peter Murrell, is it sustainable for there to be no inquiry into what happened at the SNP? Does the...

Andy Burnham clears the latest hurdle in his bid to become Prime Minister with a stonking by-election victory in Makerfield. The Scottish Conservative win their first Scottish by-election since 1967 after the SNP's Stephen Flynn vacated the seat to sit in the Scottish Parliament and Lara Bird holds Arbroath and Broughty Ferry for the SNP. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie reflect on a momentous nig...

MAKERFIELD Burnham “Dicing With Political And Electoral Death” Could Makerfield Trigger Starmer’s Downfall? Reform’s Huge By-Election Test for Farage and Reform ABERDEEN Aberdeen South Tests SNP Resilience After Murrell Fallout Aberdeen South: Oil, Reform And Tactical Voting Collide ARBROATH SNP’s “What Do We Have To Do To Lose?” Moment Arbroath Shows Whether Scotland Is Cooling On Labour Focussin...

Ring-fenced SNP cash row returns to centre stage Sean Clerkin, Wings Over Scotland, Noel Dolan, Douglas Chapman and Joanna Cherry all increasing pressure for SNP probe Swinney faces VAT questions over Murrell scandal Sturgeon interview failed to kill story Murrell fallout could hit SNP by-election hopes Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like...

Increasingly, it looks like the scandal that has rocked the SNP will not go away. Peter Murrell's admission and subsequent conviction have led to more questions. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss. PONSONBY - John Swinney may need an independent inquiry into SNP governance, because a party-led response risks looking like a whitewash. MASSIE - Nicola Sturgeon’s core problem is not only “what...

Swinney’s new Scottish Government is smaller, reshuffled and designed to signal seriousness about reform. Ivan McKee’s public service reform role is framed as the key test: finding billions in savings without triggering political backlash. The SNP faces a clash between pro-growth rhetoric, welfare expansion, price controls and the hard reality of Scotland’s projected budget black hole. Jenny Gilru...

Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and the fight for who will be the next Prime Minister of the UK? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss the battle for Labour's leadership. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast,...

SNP wins again — but the victory comes with serious caveats John Swinney secures a remarkable third decade of SNP government Labour and Reform tied for second in seats - a brutal night for the old parties Scottish Labour’s decline continues — and the damage may have been made in London Anas Sarwar’s future: safe for now, but questions are unavoidable Keir Starmer under mounting pressure after disa...

Final polls before Scotland votes SNP on course to be largest party - but can they form a government? Reform tipped for a major breakthrough Could Reform become the main opposition? Polls say Labour facing a potentially disastrous night but how will electoral quirks effect this? What a bad result means for Anas Sarwar Conservatives under pressure as support falls Turnout fears and the “don’t know”...

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2026 Why boundary changes make election-night swings harder to read Prof Chris Hanretty explains “notional results” — the hidden baseline for 2026 Reform’s zero-start problem: easy for notionals, difficult for interpretation Could a split unionist vote hand the SNP a majority on a third of the vote? Knife-edge seats: Edinburgh South, Glasgow list battles and the local...

Scottish election campaign is being eclipsed by Westminster politics and feels flat : Starmer’s Mandelson/Olly Robbins row is deepening : Labour MPs appear to be losing faith in Starmer : The real damage is about competence and cronyism : Low turnout could be the big story of the Scottish election : SNP still look best placed despite a lacklustre campaign : Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global pol...

With 3 weeks until the Scottish Parliament Elections 2026, leading pollster, Mark Diffley, joins Bernard and Alex with the latest insights. What are the latest polls saying? Why there is much to play for in marginal seats? How vote share translates to seats and the big changes that can come from small margins Which seats to watch for upsets? Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you li...

New polls suggest the SNP remains on course to win comfortably, but key questions remain over whether John Swinney secures a majority or must rely on support from other parties. Is Reform UK Scotland losing some momentum, with recent polling and campaign controversies raising doubts about whether it can sustain earlier advances. Sunday’s televised leaders’ debate is especially high-stakes for Malc...

The Scottish Parliament is winding up ahead of the election in May. Is there any chance of a real upset ofr is it another SNP shoo-in? Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The Steamie, Scotcast, Americast etc etc then The Ponson...

Reform UK Scotland manifesto launch Presented as the first major manifesto of the 2026 election campaign Framed as more about political messaging than a detailed governing programme Tax cuts versus reality Big promises on cutting income tax Strong scepticism about whether the sums add up or the savings are deliverable Manifestos as political branding Discussion that modern manifestos are often jus...

On the eve of the SNP's one day conference ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections in May, the party looks like winning on around a third of the vote but with little talk of Independence. What now for the SNP? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Q...

The conflict in Iran has given cover to a lot of stories in the news this week but Bernard and Alex are on watch. Sally Donald has stood down as an SNP candidate amid allegations and the candidacy and position of Irshad Ahmad on the Labour Lothian list is drawing controversy. A warning for all parties that there may be more to come. Also, the challenges facing the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Focuss...

A new MRP "Mega Poll" is showing that the SNP are on track for a landslide victory in the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election with tactical voting working in their favour. Plus, in the wake of Labour's By Election defeat (coming third behind the Greens and Reform UK) and refusing Andy Burnham's application to be a candidate, was Anas Sarwar right all along to call for Keir Starmer to resign? Bernard...

Bernard and Alex discuss political accusations made of the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC. They explain the nature of her role, the controversies and pontential conflicts of interest and ask if it's time for reform of the Lord Advocate's position. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Question...

What a week in politics Bernard and Alex discuss the newspaper reports on the charges Peter Murrell (Nicola Sturgeon's former husband) will face in court and analyse where Anas Sarwar's calls for the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to resign in the wake of the Epstein / Mandelson scandal have left the Scottish Labour Leader in the run up to the Scottish Parliament Elections. Focussing on UK, Scottis...

Recorded on the morning of Friday 6th Feb 2026 (It may all have changed by lunchtime) Includes a moment to reflect on the life of Alex's Father, Allan Massie, who died earlier this week. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stooshie, The...

New polls report that 1 in 5 Scots claim they will vote for Reform UK at the Scottish Parliament Elections in May. Bernard and Alex analyse what is ahead. Tributes to Lord Jim Wallace Scottish Parliament Polling Burnham and Starmer Will unpopular Tories be any more popular in Reform? Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics...

We only took a well earned holiday in the cold months in advance of a busy year with the Scottish Parliament Elections. We're back and in this episode we look at the political year ahead domestically and Internationally. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents, Newscast, Questions Time, Holyrood Sources, P...