The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast

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 Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

With a live audience at the University of Glasgow Stevenson Trust for Citizenship, Bernard and Alex are join by Professor Chris Carman and questions from the floor, including Prof Sir John Curtice. PONSONBY & MASSIE – STEVENSON LIVE PODCAST 00:00 – 00:01:16 | Intro & Format 00:01:16 – 00:03:34 | Early Predictions & Polling Landscape 00:03:34 – 00:05:55 | Labour’s Misread of Momentum (2...

Bernard Ponsonby: “I’m not sure in a sense who would lead them. I’m sure that… …Wes Streeting would run. I suspect that there would be some people within the PLP — because the minute somebody says they’re running, there’s always an alternative campaign which is not really about supporting one candidate, it’s about stopping another . John Major effectively became prime minister because he wasn’t Mi...

Bernard and Alex dig into the editorial crisis at the BBC, Comcast/SKY's potential takeover of ITV and Bernard (STV's former Political Editor and longest serving journalist of 34 years) says he no longer thinks the company has a future. 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, Hol...

Bernard and Alex delve into one of the bigget topics of the modern political age. Why can't Westminster or Holyrood seem to manage our public finances? 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 et...

In Part Two, in marking the 25th anniversary of the death of Donald Dewar, Bernard and Alex reflect on the Office of First Minister and how it has changed since Dewar's time as the first office holder. Plus they rate every First Minister out of 10. PART ONE Donald Dewar Henry McLeish Jack McConnell Alex Salmond PART TWO Nicola Sturgeon Humza Yusaf John Swinney Summary and Ratings Focussing on UK,...

In Part One, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the death of Donald Dewar, Bernard and Alex reflect on the Office of First Minister and how it has changed since Dewar's time as the first office holder. 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,...

(00:05) Set-up: Tory & SNP conference week — immigration, ECHR, and whether the Conservatives are “doomed.” (01:29) Are the Tories finished short–to–medium term? Leadership vs timing and arithmetic after a crushing defeat. (03:59) What the Conservatives are trying to sell: contrition on net migration; mooted ECHR exit; welfare/PIP tightening (incl. ADHD/mental-health references). (06:49) Both...

Scottish polling: SNP still first; Reform’s rise fractures the unionist vote and could hand SNP an outsized seat haul on a modest vote share. Scottish Labour’s bind: must sell a credible policy offer while “owning” SNP record attacks — but Starmer’s unpopularity in Scotland limits Sarwar’s room. Reform dynamic: positioned as a “super protest vote”; mainstream parties risk losing if they try to out...

A big mixed bag of issues in this week's episode “Deplore the Man. Respect the Office.” → How Starmer & Swinney played Trump for UK/Scotland gains → Moral vs national interest “Love-Bombing Trump: Smart or Shameful?” → The realpolitik you weren’t told about → Starmer + Oval Office letter; subtle money/investment icons. “The Real Opposition? The Auditor General.” → £2bn hole, welfare rules, and...

Alex “The gap between theory and reality is often wide. Phase two has begun unpromisingly.” “Is he, as Kemi Badenoch put it at Prime Minister's questions this week, In office, but not in power.” “The journey from five MPs to 300 plus at the next election should be required to put Nigel Farage into Downing Street is the kind of leap that hasn't been made in an awfully long time, if indeed ever, in...

With around 1 in 5 Scots telling pollsters they're voting for Reform UK at the coming Scottish Parliament Elections, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie analyse the current and likely effect on Scottish politics and how Nigel Farage's party can't lose out in this election. Bernard Ponsonby “What they're feeding into is a mood that the system is broken… the message about a broken political system is a...

The Chancellor's Budget season is upon us and "winter is coming" says Alex Massie. 1. Government debt costs hitting crisis levels “If debt interest payments are running at more than 100 billion pounds a year, that is by definition 50 or 60 billion pounds a year that can't be spent elsewhere.” (Alex Massie) 2. Labour’s tax promises already collapsing “It becomes absolutely unambiguously clear that...

In part two, the book has now been published and Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie not only dig through the detail, some of which has been overlooked in coverage, but also reflect on the reaction to the book. 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 Holyroo...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie preview the release of Nicola Sturgeon's memoir, "Frankly". 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 Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great sho...

It's Summer in Politics-Land and the First Minister of Scotland has chosen this quiet moment to outline his plans for Independence - What plans, you may ask? Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie clash over the right to a second independence referendum but agree that the First Minister cannot claim a mandate if he doesn't ask the electorate for a mandate. ALSO CONSERVATIVE RESHUFFLE "If James Cleverley...

Starmer and Swinney to Meet President on Visit 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 Ponsonby and Massie Podcast could be a great show to add to your list of favourites. Hosted on...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie reflect on Keir Starmer surviving last week's back bench mutiny but has he quietly lost the crew? Will this be regarded as a moment that instigated further ferment? Also, reflections on the death of Tory grandee, Lord Norman Tebbit at the age of 94. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics,...

The 4th of July marks the first anniversary of Keir Starmer's election victory and time as Prime Minister. Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie evaluate his first 12 months in No 10 Downing Street, breaking down performance into domestic and foreign affairs performance. Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Rest is Politics, The News Agents,...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie discuss the news today that Fergus Ewing is leaving the SNP and standing as an independent candidate at the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election, bringing to an end an era of constant representation under the SNP banner for the Ewing dynasty since the Scottish Parliament was formed. Also - What is the role of independents in the Scottish Parliament and why do so few s...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie run the rule over each of the Scottish political party leaders and give them a mark out of ten for how they are performing. Including: John Swinney Anas Sarwar Russell Findlay Alex Cole-Hamilton Lorna Slater & Patrick Harvie Reform? Who is the Scottish Leader? Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts like The Res...

Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie are joined by Paul Sweeney of Labour and Cllr Thomas Kerr of Reform UK to ask what the result means? Labour GAIN from SNP Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election result LAB: 31.5% (-2.0) SNP: 29.4% (-16.8) REF: 26.2% (+26.2) CON: 6.0% (-11.5) GRN: 2.6% (+2.6) +/- 2021 Focussing on UK, Scottish and Global politics, if you like other great political podcasts li...

On support for independence in poll : "54% of people supporting independence and 46 supporting the unionist status quo... a record high for Norstat in the last four or five years." — Alex Massie On Reform UK's rise in poll : "Reform are plus four at 18%. And of course, when you translate all of this into seats, I mean, it is really quite extraordinary." — Bernard Ponsonby On Labour's struggles : "...

Speculation is rife that the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, will be privately pleased that details of her tax reform memo to Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, have been leaked to the Telegraph. Is she on manoeuvres and is she a credible candidate for the top job? Also The SNP has criticised the Prime Minister's EU deal - but aren't these things that the SNP would need to agree to if they were to a...

Bernard and Alex discuss the danger for Labour of dancing to the right-wing's tune on immigration. What does it mean? What (if anything) does Keir Starmer stand for? What does Labour now stand for? 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 Sto...