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 disastrous UK-wide results Reform’s Scottish breakthrough: from nowhere to 17 MSPs Has Farageism now found a place in Scottish politics? The Conservatives collapse from second place to fifth Calls to ‘unite the right’ may grow after Reform splits the unionist vote The Greens surge with breakthrough wins in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside Ross Greer’s targeted campaign hailed as one of the most effective of the election Lib Dem revival gives them real leverage in the next parliament Liam McArthur tipped as possible next Presiding Officer Will SNP deal with Lib Dems rather than Greens on budgets? Stephen Flynn’s arrival at Holyrood could reshape SNP politics Oil and gas tensions expose a divide between North East SNP and Central Belt SNP Turnout falls sharply — nearly half of voters stayed at home A parliament transformed beneath the surface, even if the SNP still dominates The next Holyrood term may be the most difficult of the devolution era 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 information.
SCOTTISH ELECTION - Final Polls, Predictions & Campaign Verdict
04/05/2026 | 47 mins.
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” voters Why the campaign failed to inspire Greens and Lib Dems eye influence at Holyrood What happens if the SNP fall short of a majority Could Scottish results deepen Keir Starmer’s crisis? 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 information.
SCOT PARL 2026 - ONE WEEK TO GO - Electoral Maths and Key Seats
29/04/2026 | 40 mins.
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-factor problem Is Holyrood’s voting system still proportional enough for a six-party Scotland? 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 information.
SCOT PARL 2026 - 2 WEEKS TO GO - Is this the most boring campaign ever?
22/04/2026 | 34 mins.
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 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 information.
SCOT PARL 2026 - 3 WEEKS TO GO - Latest Polling Insights With Mark Diffley
16/04/2026 | 48 mins.
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 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 information.
The two biggest names in Scottish political journalism, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie, join forces to bring you a regular “must listen” insider briefing on the political and wider world.Bernard has been Scotland's leading TV political editor for many years while Alex is the unavoidable commentator and columnist for the Times and Sunday Times. Together they bring decades of experience and unsurpassed contacts books to provide you with a valuable insider briefing behind the headlines.Scottish, Scotland, Scottish Politics, Political Podcast, Scottish Political Podcast, UK Politics, Scottish Independence, Indyref, Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon, Salmond, Sturgeon, SNP, Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Lib Dem, Scottish Greens, Alba Party, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, John Swinney, Anas Sarwar, Holyrood, Westminster, Brexit, Budget, Devolution, Policy, News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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