Holyrood Sources

Is Scotland facing a political stalemate? In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver, with just ONE WEEK to go until polling day, explore the possible outcomes of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Is it certain that John Swinney will return to Bute House?, or could Anas Sarwar, even Malcolm Offord, relying on Reform’s hidden vote somehow seize power?

They also dive into the "Scunner factor"— continuing their thoughts on voter apathy from last week, could this lead to a record-low turnout?

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The Holyrood Sources team is back to break down a week of political name-calling, tactical blunders, and Westminster turmoil.

In this episode, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (former Chief of Staff to the First Minister), and Andy Maciver (former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives) dive into the "immature" state of the current election campaign. From Anas Sarwar and Graham Simpson’s public spats to John Swinney’s decision to skip the BBC Question Time leaders' debate, the team asks: where are the big ideas?

We also analyse the "terminal" situation for Sir Keir Starmer at Westminster. With Ollie Robbins sacked and Cabinet ministers struggling to defend the Prime Minister, is Starmer being held "hostage" by his own colleagues until May 7th?

In this episode:

The "Pathetic" Campaign: Why the focus on deals and name-calling is failing Scottish voters.

SNP’s Food Price Cap: Is the cap on food prices a "gimmick" or a strategic masterstroke?

The Starmer Crisis: Analysing the dismissal of Olly Robbins and the silence of the Labour Cabinet.

John Swinney’s Debate Absence: Is the First Minister "running scared" or making a tactical calculation?

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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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In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver dive into the most heated moment of the campaign so far: the Channel 4 leaders' debate. We break down the explosive exchange between Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar and Reform UK’s Malcolm Offord, and ask if the alleged "backroom deal" has any basis in reality.

In this episode:
The Debate Fallout: Was the Sarwar-Offord clash a turning point or just "petulent nonsense"?
Polling Deep Dive: We analyse the latest YouGov MRP poll—is an SNP majority of 67 seats actually possible?
Manifesto Week: Breaking down the key pledges from Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens.
The "Battle Bus" Myth: Geoff reveals why you rarely see leaders actually traveling on their branded buses.
Listener Questions: From the UK’s counter-argument for independence to the journey of a barrel of North Sea oil.

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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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In this episode of Holyrood Sources, Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver take you inside the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary election. We analyse the newest IPSOS Scottish Political Monitor results with Mark McGeoghegan, exploring why the Reform UK vote is the ultimate "spoiler" for Labour and the Conservatives.

Calum, Geoff and Andy also reflect on Holyrood Sources: The Interviews, which you can listen back to or watch on YouTube now! We look at the u-turn that made the political headlines and ask which of the party leaders stood out on the night. The guys also tackle the big policy and election headlines of the week:

Energy: The Treasury’s refusal to scrap the windfall tax despite a £17.5B investment offer.
Manifestos: Russell Findlay’s vision for the Scottish Tories.
Infrastructure: John Swinney’s £10M island business fund vs. the ongoing CalMac ferry crisis.

Connect with us:
📧 Email: [email protected]
📱 WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507
🎙️ Subscribe for weekly inside tracks on Scottish 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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In this final installment of our Leaders Special, we sit down with the leader of Reform UK in Scotland, Malcolm Offord.
As Reform surges in the polls, Offord addresses the "racist scaremongering" accusations from the Scottish Greens, explains why the party is targeting disillusioned voters, and outlines their plan to scrap Net Zero subsidies in favor of North Sea gas.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why 80% of Reform UK candidates have never been in politics.
The "Scotland is at Breaking Point" campaign and the Glasgow asylum seeker debate.
Malcolm Offord’s response to Patrick Harvey and the "racist" allegations.
The future of North Sea oil and gas vs. offshore wind subsidies.
Can Reform UK win constituency seats in the Scottish Parliament?
Offord’s past "bad joke" and his transition from the Conservative Party to Reform.
Subscribe to Holyrood Sources for deep dives into the heart of Scottish politics.
#ScotlandElection #ReformUK #MalcolmOfford #ScottishPolitics #NigelFarage #Holyrood #NetZero #Immigration
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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.