Holyrood Sources

On this special live episode of Holyrood Sources: Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver are joined by MSPs, journalists and backroom staff at the Edinburgh Gin Distillery, a stone's throw from The Scottish Parliament.

They are joined by three brand new MSPs from the three biggest parties at Holyrood to discuss what the next five years could bring: Katherine Sangster from Scottish Labour, Reform UK Scotland Leader Malcolm Offord and former SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn.

What does the future hold for Anas Sarwar and Keir Starmer? Can either survive after devastating results across the UK and in Scotland.
Will Reform be the foxes in the hen house... are they as cunning as they make out to be?
How does the SNP actually get stuff done, and how does Stephen Flynn live up to his promise as a "champion" of Aberdeen's oil and gas industry.

This Holyrood Sources live event was sponsored by Scottish Renewables and SSE.

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On this special edition of Stormont Sources, Calum Macdonald and Andy Maciver from the Whitehall Sources and Holyrood Sources podcasts join David McCann, Tim Cairns and Michael McKernan to discuss how the results of the Welsh, Scottish and English elections will impact the UK as a whole and Northern Ireland.

What will 3 nationalist First Ministers do for the state of the union... and is that statistic misleading?
Where do Reform UK lie after an excellent night of results
Can Keir Starmer survive as Prime Minister?

Stormont Sources is the place to hear all about politics and policy making in Northern Ireland. . Join journalist, David McCann, plus Tim Cairns, a former Special Advisor to First Minister Peter Robinson and Head of Policy for the DUP and Micheal McKernan, a former Special Advisor in the SDLP who worked in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2007-2016.

Whitehall Sources brings you insider coverage of Westminster, and Senedd Sources takes you inside politics in Wales.

Subscribe to all four podcasts on YouTube and your podcast app to never miss a moment from across UK politics.

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Subscribe to our mailing list at holyroodsources.com
Email us with thoughts, questions and your own analysis: [email protected]
Drop us a Voice Note or WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507
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On today’s episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver analyse the results of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and what comes next for Scottish politics.

The Prime Minister and the First Minister are set to meet next month, will talks lead to a second independence referendum? Will Keir Starmer even be in office to meet John Swinney?

They also discuss the SNP Leader's post-election meetings with political parties, and his refusal to meet with Reform. hHas he shot himself in the foot politically?, and how should the other parties approach these meetings?

Calum, Geoff and Andy also take a look at your post-election questions as the picture of the next five years of Scottish politics starts to become clear.

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Email us with thoughts, questions and your own analysis: [email protected]
Drop us a Voice Note or WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507
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The votes are in, and the map of Scotland has been redrawn. Join the Holyrood Sources team for a deep-dive into the 2026 Scottish Parliament election results.

In this special episode, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (former Chief of Staff to the First Minister Alex Salmond), and Andy Maciver (former Scottish Conservative Director of Communications) break down a historic night at Holyrood.

The Reform UK Surge: How did Malcolm Offord’s party become a major force in the Scottish Parliament?

The Pro-Independence Majority: With the Scottish Greens seeing significant gains, how will the SNP-Green dynamic work in this new session?

Labour and Tory Losses: Analysis of a difficult night for Anas Sarwar and Russell Findlay as the political center ground shifts.

What Happens Next? From coalition talks to the future of the Union, we provide the "inside track" analysis you won't get anywhere else.

Holyrood Sources brings you political commentary from those who have lived it. No spin, just the reality of how power works in Scotland.

Join the Conversation.

Follow us on X/Twitter @HolyroodSources

#ScottishElection2026 #Holyrood #SNP #ScottishPolitics #ReformUK #JohnSwinney #AnasSarwar #ScotlandResults #HolyroodSources

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The Holyrood Sources podcast brings the best analysis of Scottish politics with those who have lived it as Special Advisers, and those who are current and former politicians and political party leaders.

Join Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Former Chief of Staff to First Minister Alex Salmond) and Andy Maciver (Former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives).

Subscribe now
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/holyrood-sources/id1673972192
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Fj3emmRONEr8aSkhcMgoH?si=789c7874034340c6
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Subscribe to our mailing list at holyroodsources.com
Email us with thoughts, questions and your own analysis: [email protected]
Drop us a Voice Note or WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the day before the 2026 Scottish Parliament election! This episode of Holyrood Sources looks back at the campaign.

Calum Macdonald is joined by Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver to analyse the latest polling trends, what’s really happening beneath the headline numbers,
Is SNP support as solid as it seems?
Why the list vote could be the real danger zone for the SNP
The rise of Reform UK — protest vote or lasting force?
Are Labour and the Conservatives heading for historic lows?

We also revisit the defining moments of the campaign — from fiery debate clashes to the surreal whisky tariff saga — and ask whether any of it has actually cut through with voters.

And in a special segment, journalism student Logan Smith puts the team on the spot with questions about Reform UK, the future of conservatism in Scotland, and what comes next for Scottish politics.

With low turnout expected and tight margins across the board, could results night deliver some major surprises?

Don’t miss our LIVE results stream from outside the Scottish Parliament, Friday at 7pm.

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Subscribe to our mailing list at holyroodsources.com
Email us with thoughts, questions and your own analysis: [email protected]
Drop us a Voice Note or WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.