Caley Corner

My guest on this weeks episode is Matt McGowan from the Save Ardrossan Harbour campaign group. He gives us a bit of background on why the community group had to be setup. We then move on to discuss why this campaign is non political and delve into the importance of getting the harbour upgraded for the new CalMac ferries. There's also a bit of a deep dive on why this should be a national issue and what are some of the things that have went wrong since 2016/17 with regards to getting an agreement in place to get some boots and machinery on the ground in Ardrossan to upgrade what is at the moment a privately owned asset by Peel Group/ Peel Ports. In the week of recording Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government issued a press release to say they were pursuing the potential purchase of the harbour, we chat about some of the implications of that and what the future holds for SAH, the three towns and Arran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ajmal talks us through his life and his business philosophy. We discuss a range of subjects from working in hospitality, why he doesn't like crypto and how he transformed his Indian restaurant business from a Mom & Pap shop to one of the biggest commercially successful takeaway operations in the country. Listen first hand to Ajmal as you've never heard him before on how he personally achieved success in business here for free. We also have a lively debate on the future of remote working. You can let is know your thoughts on this. As Ajmal himself states at the start of the podcast, no topic is off limits, so we chat about immigration, who's funding right wing propaganda, Boss Pizza, Politics, TikTok being banned and so forth. Finally, Ajmal opens up about his family, you can hear first hand if they would like to work for him and if he's happy with his lot in life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is Karina Molloy who served with the Irish military for over thirty years. Karina is a women of many firsts, she was part of the first swathe of female recruits to be enlisted officially in the Irish army as well as the first to attempt to pass selection for the Irish special forces. Unfortunately, her time in the army was plagued by sexual harassment and even more with sexual assaults. Karina talks openly about her career there are even a couple of light hearted moments shared throughout. You'll hear first hand what the logistics were of females first steps in the Irish army alongside subjects such as isolation, mindset & psychology etc. Karina is campaigning to make military's across the world safe places for women to work at without fear of assault. so, that does take up the bulk of this discussion. She's also written a very good book about her life titled the same as this podcast. You can grab the book here if you'd be interested https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Defence-Story-Enemy-Within/dp/1399712306 The audio is slightly distorted at the start so, apologies for that but, it's still good enough to hear Karina's story and does improve as the recording progresses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast sees me chatting with David Walsh who's a Professor of Health Inequalities at Glasgow University. He's also co authored a book with the same title as the podcast.We talk about the shocking impact of austerity policies on life expectancy and what kind of political decisions have triggered this and some policies that could be changed to improve things. Austerity on its own sounds like any other noun but, when you break down what austerity actually does, the human impact of austerity policies and ideology then, the data and the figures revealed in the book is pretty horrific. We delve into that here, please help to spread the word about this by listening or purchasing the book which whilst a heavy subject matter is a fascinating read.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Binman to SAS: Who Dares Wins Champion In this episode, I sit down with Grant Flynn, the "ninja binman" turned SAS: Who Dares Wins Champ. Grant is a fitness fanatic with an incredible story that takes him from working on the bins to competing and succeeding in one of the toughest reality TV challenges. We kick things off by discussing what it’s really like to work on the bins and the misconceptions people have about the job. Grant shares what he wishes more people knew about the hard work and dedication it takes. From there, we dive into his experiences on reality TV, including his time alongside ex-special forces members from around the world. As one of the winners of the hugely popular SAS: Who Dares Wins, Grant takes us behind the scenes of the show, revealing what it was like to endure grueling challenges, the mindset needed to push through, and some hilarious and inspiring stories from his journey.  Support me at:   / caleycorner   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh was a Professor of Applied Philosophy at Glasgow Caledonian University. He taught, classical sociological theory and medical ethics. The latter of which takes up the bulk of today's discussion as we chat about the assisted dying bill or, assisted suicide as Hugh termed it that is currently making it's way through the Scottish parliament. We also talk a bit about Scottish witchcraft towards the end of the chat. Hughs authored a few books as well as some short stories as part of Battlefield writers that you can check out here https://battlefieldwriters.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is Jeanette Findlay. Jeanette is a Professor of Economics at University of Glasgow. She is also a committed Trade Unionist as the head of UCU Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and activist on various issues. She is also the chairwoman and founder of Call It Out which campaigns against anti catholic bigotry and anti Irish racism. We talk about what economics actually is and some of the research that Jeanette is interested in. After that we delve into some of Jeanettes trade union work and some of her activism which includes helping to coordinate Fans against criminalisation which was a working class led campaign to repeal some poorly implemented laws drafted by the SNP government. There’s a theme of working class issues throughout the chat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Guest on this episode is Nicola Mantalios who hails from South Shields. She starts off by discussing some activities that she got up to as part of bucket list of 30 things to do before she turned 30. We then discuss the benefits and natural high you get from some low level crime (sorry local supermarkets) Nicola was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness and she explains what that was like. From there, she takes us on a journey to how she started stand up comedy and how that pursuit led to her being shunned and ex communicated from her family and congregation. There is humour shared throughout despite the tough subject matter. Nicola is a proper 'Jarra lass' in her own words and she has got an incredible and inspiring story, listen in to find out what she is all about. If you enjoy the podcast please do consider following and leaving a rating as it costs nothing and means allot. Alternatively you can head over to Patreon.com/CaleyCorner if you're still reading this (well done) and you can help contribute towards the production costs incurred thus far if you can afford it.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining me on today's episode is Alan Knight a film maker and documentarian. Alans films included him directing a documentary called London Calling which shone a light on BBC editorial bias during the Scottish Independence referendum so, we chat a bit about that and some of the stories that were covered in both the documentary and a book about the same subject. Alan also talks about some of his other work, including some animations that he directed that were voiced over by Succession star Brian Cox and other films he recommends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining me on episode 23 is Darren Bleakley who is a photographer and the creator of the People of Glasgow. We talk about his inspiration for getting into photography and some of the ethics around taking pictures in the street. Darrens a funny guy who has a big interest in MMA and Jiu Jitsu as well so, there's some chat about that also.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us today is Kevin Lindsay from Aslef, he gives us a detailed background of the recent disputes between Aslef members both at a UK wide level then he gives us a detailed insight of things from a more local Scottish perspective. Hear why Kevin see's himself as a baby in the game with his 22 years of trade union organising (Aslef were founded in 1880) Kevins a staunch defender of his members and talks in great detail about why Train drivers deserve a good wage with the critical work they do and the unsociable hours they sometimes have to work on a 24 hour rail service. You'll get a good history of how the railways have operated over the last 30 years or so if you do decide to give this some of your time.There's also some good discussion about the recent scandal of the Scottish Govt trying to bring back peak rail fares in Scotland. There's also chat about what can be done to modernise the railway fleet, have an integrated ticketing system between bus operators and the rail providers as long as making travel cheaper. There's some good patter as well but, you need to listen in for that.If you like this episode please do consider following and leaving a good rating (5 stars preferrably) as looking to get similar guests lined up in the future.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Sheridan makes his return to the podcast and we have a varied chat about all sorts of topics relating to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 independence; The pre cursors to 2014, some moments from the campaign trail and what we would like to see to put Scottish independence back on the table given the multitude of things that have changed over the past ten years. There’s also some chat about his upcoming Hope over Fear rally next Saturday in George Square If you enjoy the podcast please drop a follow, leave a rating (5 stars) or, recommend to a friend as looking to get similar guests lined up in the future. Thanks for all the support so far, grateful to everyone that gives this some of their time and listens.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Guest on this episode is Steven Purcell who was previously the Labour leader of Glasgow City Council. We talk about his early introduction to politics and his journey to becoming the leader of the Council. He also talks about his addictive personality and subsequent recovery from alcaholism. There's some chat throughout about the state of housing in Scotland and why the 2014 independence referendum turned into a class issue for Steven which is what ultimately swayed his vote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is Scottish comedy heavyweight big Graham Mackie. We start off by talking about his resemblance to Santa and he shares some tales from his work as Saint Nick alongside some funny and some heart warming stories. We have a good laugh throughout chatting about his life and touch on Covid, his time living on a farm and some tales from the Scottish comedy scene which Graham has been doing the rounds on for over twenty years. Graham’s also a teacher so we touch on that towards the end. As always if you enjoy please 🙏 do follow and leave a good rating! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is Baillestons own Michael Blair. This is one for the MMA fans, we have a good chat about Michaels career from his undefeated record in the amateurs into the professional ranks with Cage Warriors. We talk about his training, weight cutting, how he's improved as a fighter with experience and coaching. There's some chat at the end about UFC 304 and the upcoming PFL event in Glasgow this was filmed prior to UFC 304 taking place so, you can see if we called the fights right. If you enjoy the podcast please 🙏 like and follow for free! Video version also available on YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is big Zander Diamond. Zander tells us about his footballing career from his boys club days at Dumbarton to Aberdeen. There's good humour shared throughout as Zander tells us why he chose to sign for Aberdeen over Celtic despite being a big fan of the club, a theme that comes up a few times during the course of our chat. He tells us about the good relationship he had with the two Jimmys, Calderwood and Nicholls and the banter they had about football with a few good stories here. From there we talk about his recent appointment at Broomhill & what he’s looking to achieve there.Hope you enjoy this and if you do please leave a rating (5 stars) 👍 and follow as there will be similaor guests lined up for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self confessed 'weirdo' Ross Greer from the Scottish Green party joins us today to talk about the curent political landscape as it relates to the greens, from the climate crisis, the ending of the bute house agreement to campaigning for the upcoming 2024 election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes 16 guest is Liam McLaughlan who hails from Easterhouse in the east end of Glasgow. Liam is a trade unionist and is standing to be be elected as a member of parliament in the upcoming election for the Scottish Socialist Party.Liam takes us through his reasons for getting involved in politics mainly the 2014 Scotish referendum. From there we talk about some of his political activism and what he and the SSP are hoping to achieve out of the 2024 election.Hope you enjoy and if you do please consider following, leaving a review (5 stars hopefully) & sharing with a friend.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first two guests Rob Kane & Sean Kenney are back as we do a preview of the upcoming European championship. We delve into the the Scotland squad and speculate about who would get dropped from the initial 28 and who would get brought in. This was recorded post the Tommy Conway announcement but, pre Lewis Morgan inclusion, did the boys call this, tune in to find out. We talk about who's likely to be the starters in Germany and what kind of system Clarke is likely to open up with. Will it, be Adams will it be Shankland, time will tell. We also discuss Scotlands opponents, Germany, Switzerland & Hungary. There's good humour shared & we've kept everything in for continuity, this was recorded in the one take so, you will see how the conversation flows from discussing the squad, key games and players to look out for. There's also some chat at the end about who we think will be the likely top scorers, players of the tournament and potential winners. If you do enjoy the podcast please do consider sharing as helps this to grow. Only 5% of viewers so far have subscribed so, if you could subscribe as well that would be greatly appreciated. 00:00 Intro 00:25 Right into it how will Scotland fare and chat about the strikers 07:20 Goalkeeper situation 10:12 Ryan Jack 11:27 Midfield, who's going to start, Christie, Gilmour? 14:50 The group, team by team 16:30 Ryan Porteous and the rest of the defence 22:30 Switzerland and Hungary 30:35 Other teams and players we think will do well Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is the awesome Prof Fiona Skillen. Fiona is a sports Historian who works in the department of social sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University. Fiona gives us a detailed history and chronology of women in Scotland playing organised sport. We start off by discussing what perked her initial interest in sport, early encounters of woman being treated differently at her local golf club in Lanarkshire. From there, we move onto the Victorian period and beyond and if you tune in you will hear about some great stories involving some of the research she's been involved with and some of the previously unpublished and untold stories she's managed to unearth and put out into the public domain 00:00 Intro 01:25 Fionas inspiration for getting into History and tales from the Golf world 08:30 Origins of women playing organised sport 10:55 Segway into who invented modern day football 14:30 Women's organised sport continued 17:29 Rutherglen Ladies FC 25:00 Barriers that society and organisations put in place to hinder Women's participation in Sport 34:30 Kathrine Switzer 37:30 How things are changing 42:10 Scotlands Womens first international match against England 46:50 Rose Reilly 50:50 Modern day Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.