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Holyrood Sources: Daily Summaries Delivered
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The Holyrood Sources podcast analyses Scottish politics through the experiences of those who have lived and breathed it as Special Advisers to the Scottish Government, SNP and opposition parties. Join hosts Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Chief of Staff to the First Minister, 2007-2014) and Andy Maciver (Former Head of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives) as they take you inside Scottish politics. Their insight is second to none - they've been there, lived it, and maintain remarkable connections to Scotland's politicians and the world of Scottish politics.Join our mailing list and check out our latest live events: click holyroodsources.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 days ago45 min
US Midterms Special... with D.C. Sources
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 lying ahead for Republicans and the issues that cut through to voters most in each corner of the USA.📬 Connect With Us: Email: hello@dcsources.us Socials: @DCSourcesPod #Politics #WhiteHouse #IowaPolitics #Midterms #DCSources #ElectionIntegrity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 5 days ago28 min
Q&A: The State of Scotland's Civil Service & More!
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? And how does Scotland make an economic case for independence?Hear all this, and more (including the story of when Geoff dressed up as Ginger Spice...!) on this week's episode of Holyrood Sources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 1 weeks ago43 min
The Budget: What Does it Mean for Scotland?
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 discuss the Sunday Times report that suggests that the Scottish Government continues to pay salaries worth a total of £27 million of public sector workers whose role's no longer exist.... And ,are free schoolbags a good idea... or are they a waste of money that could be spent on other aspects of education? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 2 weeks ago56 min
Jackdaw Approved, BBC Scotland Channel scrapped and John Swinney's Conference Speech.
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 University of Aberdeen about what this decision actually means for UK gas supply, scope 3 emissions, domestic jobs, and the new North Sea Energy Wealth Fund. Will Rosebank be next? As Amanda Bland resigns from Reform UK, rendering Labour the second-largest party in Holyrood.. Is Reform's Scottish insurgency already falling apart? Did John Swinney deliver the detail Scotland needed in his conference speech, or was it high on rhetoric and low on public service reform? The BBC Scotland channel is moving online-only, as part of the corporations latest round of cost-cutting measures. What does this mean for Scottish broadcast media, regional journalism, and public service broadcasting? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 3 weeks ago59 min
Live from the pub at SNP Conference
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.
- 3 weeks ago42 min
Is The SNP's Independence Strategy Broken? and Andy Burnham visits Scotland
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 energy? and how strange is it Gillian Mackay, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens is set to make an appearance? Andy Burnham is also set to visit Scotland on Friday, what will his visit entail? Will we see an announcement on local government reform, and how will it differ to the Scottish Government's proposal from a few weeks ago? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Oct 7, 202644 min
Will the Conservatives take power AWAY from Holyrood?
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 conservative values," energy bills, public sector reform, and whether the UK Tory vision aligns with Scottish voters.Plus, the team breaks down Nicola Sturgeon’s claims of Labour's "glaring contradictions" on referendums, Andy Burnham's political standing, and the soaring UK welfare bill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Oct 4, 202624 min
Bonus Episode: 24 Hours at Labour Conference
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.*************🔔 Subscribe to Holyrood Sources for weekly inside analysis on Scottish politics!📧 Have a question or comment? Email us at hello@holyroodsources.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Holyrood Sources
The Holyrood Sources podcast analyses Scottish politics through the experiences of those who have lived and breathed it as Special Advisers to the Scottish Government, SNP and opposition parties. Join hosts Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Chief of Staff to the First Minister, 2007-2014) and Andy Maciver (Former Head of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives) as they take you inside Scottish politics. Their insight is second to none - they've been there, lived it, and maintain remarkable connections to Scotland's politicians and the world of Scottish politics.Join our mailing list and check out our latest live events: click holyroodsources.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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