Claim OwnershipThe Stooshie: the politics podcast from DC Thomson
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Insight and analysis with a Scottish focus from political commentators from The Courier, The Press & Journal, the Evening Telegraph and the Evening Express.
277 Episodes
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Maurice Golden is calling time on dog thieves.
He hopes a new law that could seem them caged for five years will pass its first Scottish Parliament hurdle.
In the Stooshie, the North East MSP sets out why dog theft is different and describes surprising links to organised crime gangs.
First, the team discusses the impact of placing asylum seekers at a university campus in Aberdeen full of international students.
And how a wall of silence in Perth & Kinross led to important discussions about reporting immigration stories.
Labour MP Graeme Downie talks to us about the health of the party before conference begins in Liverpool.
He was in Dunfermline with deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell this week, after the resignation of Angela Rayner.
What do MPs think of Keir Starmer’s leadership?
How are they fighting Reform’s advance?
And what is the mood in Scottish Labour before a crucial Holyrood election next spring?
Asylum seekers are being moved from hotels to student halls of residence - what do people in Aberdeen think?
Why is the Home Office being so terrible at explaining what’s happening?
We look at a Reform/Tory turf war in an SNP target seat.
And what do changes to the law mean for victims of crime?
SNP MSP Kevin Stewart also joins to go over his high points and experience with mental health struggles as he prepares to leave parliament next spring.
We look at the big Offshore Europe conference on the energy industry, hearing how there might be grounds for optimism despite upheaval.
Business journalist Kelly Wilson describes the changes over time and the mood in the “energy capital” of Aberdeen.
Also in the Granite City, Nicola Sturgeon was there to promote her book.
Political journalist Denny Andonova was in the audience to hear about everything from roller skating to the battle for Scotland’s flag.
The Stooshie team is refreshed from our summer break … in which we did a lot of work.
Things that got in the way of cocktails by the pool include:
Golf course chats with Donald Trump
Protests outside hotels for asylum seekers from Aberdeen to Perth
The rise of Reform, and trouble for Tories
Investigations into the future of Dundee university.
All that and a look ahead to a parliamentary election year in Scotland.
Some stark contrasts in this week’s episode as we look at splits and partnerships in politics.
We look at Fergus Ewing’s dramatic exit from the SNP after decades of service, only to stand against his former party next May.
And we speak to a husband and wife team who secured the top two slots for the Liberal Democrats on the North East Scotland regional ballot paper.
Dundee and the wider Tayside region has served as the pilot for a scheme to tackle public debt.
National charity Aberlour have been helping families in poverty unable to pay their rent or council tax.
But how has the project worked for the local community, and can it actually save taxpayers’ cash?
Scottish Conservative chief Russell Findlay joins us ahead of his party’s conference in Edinburgh this weekend.
He speaks candidly about his first year in the job and addresses Tory council defections to Reform.
We also hear exclusively about his party’s proposals for an emergency law to fast-track A9 dualling.
Two political heavyweights started the week in Scotland, and we went to speak to both.
In Aberdeen, Nigel Farage unveiled his latest north-east defector from the Tories. And in Glasgow, Keir Starmer outlined the impact of his defence spending plans.
We look through the developments - including a weird Reform attack on the media - to see what it means locally. And we look at the timing as voters in a crucial Holyrood by-election prepare to cast their ballots.
This week's episode focuses on our in-depth coverage of the fall-out from the St Andrews University rector's comments on Israel.
We reveal the behind-the-scenes efforts to secure £2m from a spooked donor, and allegations of hate crimes in the ancient university town.
The by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is turning poisonous.
We look at Reform leader Nigel Farage and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's comments on minority communities and values.
And we focus on how one grandmother's stress over the future of her sheltered home illustrates the real-life impact of tough budget choices
The link between a college funding crisis and the future of jobs is becoming clear.
We look closely at UHI Perth, and at Nescol in Aberdeen, Peterhead and Fraserburgh to see what it means.
If they can't train the workers of the future, what's the point of worrying about that fabled energy industry 'just transition' anyway?
We also look at polling showing Reform on track to stun Conservatives - and everyone else - with a focus on multiple defections in one council, Aberdeenshire.
Reporter Lindsay Bruce joins the podcast to describe what’s happening in communities affected by the crumbling concrete crisis caused by Raac in housing.
Lindsay has spent months speaking with people who are losing their homes in places such as Torry in Aberdeen.
Parts of Dundee are also caught up in the crisis, leaving local government with a hefty bill.
And while we campaign for justice for those affected by the crisis, what are our politicians doing other than blaming each other?
Inverness GP Dr Iain Kennedy, the British Medical Association's Scottish council chairman, joins us for a full interview on the stresses and strains in the NHS.
We look into the findings of our own survey which explores real-life experiences of the health service.
Dr Kennedy has clear messages to the political leaders who will find the NHS front and centre of the May 2026 Scottish elections.
He points out where the service is struggling, and where it shows encouraging signs of progress.
The STUC’s Roz Foyer joins us in Dundee where union members held their annual congress.
Roz sets out the big challenges ahead for jobs, the decline of Grangemouth refinery, higher education and the future of the economy.
She reflects on speeches to union members from First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
And she warns Labour in particular have not lived up to promises at last year’s election, saying she wanted to hear some more 'humility' from the party leader.
We look at the fall-out from the Supreme Court ruling on women being defined by their biological sex in equalities law.
What does it mean in practice? And how are politicians and activists responding?
One MSP, the newly elected Dundee University rector Maggie Chapman, is at the centre of a backlash for calling the court “bigoted”.
We also discuss whether John Swinney’s “summit” on tackling the far-right can achieve its aims.
And we wonder if the people of Torry in Aberdeen will be delighted that Michael Gove has decided to use the name in his title at the House of Lords.
It’s Holyrood recess, but the headlines keep coming.
This week, the team speaks to striking staff outside Robert Gordon University fighting cuts in an education funding crisis.
We also look at First Minister John Swinney’s latest reset while the world tries to get used to Donald Trump’s tariff whims.
And we take a close look at MSP “burn-out” as politicians wonder if it’s worth going for public office with one year to the next Scottish election - and just weeks from a big byelection.
We speak to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey in Inverness as his party looks to the Highlands ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.
He discusses the party’s hopes of making gains across the region – including in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency currently held by Kate Forbes.
The Lib Dem leader also talks international affairs including the UK’s approach to handling Donald Trump and his party’s priorities over the next 12 months.
Finally, Ed explains the lasting impact of the late Charles Kennedy, former leader of the party, who was a Highland MP for 30 years.
We speak to Maggie Chapman, who saw off a challenge from TV Gladiator Sabre in an election to the role of Dundee University rector.
She tells us about her plans to help fix the crisis-hit institution and how she learned from her previous rector post at Aberdeen University.
We also bring the story up to date on the political angles and on-campus worries for jobs.
We speak with Willie Rennie, the former Scottish Lib Dem leader, on his decision to go public in support of assisted dying proposals.
The MSP for North East Fife tells us what swayed his opinion while the debate plays out across Scotland and in all parts of the UK.
We also hear what’s in store for his party’s upcoming conference in Inverness
Bosses at Dundee University admit the institution could have run out of cash by June without support.
The revelations from parliament are the latest in a long-running saga.
We discuss an extraordinary evidence session heard by Holyrood’s education committee on Wednesday.
Plus, our reporters look at the big names leaving Holyrood at the next election.
And we hear from Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Liz Smith, one of those headed for the exit door.
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