Jeane Freeman: Inside The Pandemic

Martin Geissler on the BBC's new Scottish news podcast.A new episode of Scotcast is published every Monday to Wednesday by 5pm. Get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected]

In our final episode, the team look back at 6 years of change and chaos in politics. How does this week's row over WASPI women and Labour's new government link back to former PM Theresa May trying wrangle a Brexit deal through during her premiership? How did the constitutional debate develop, and where did that leave parties like the SNP? The team reflect on half a decade of intense politics, from pandemics to protests, supreme court wrangling to parliamentary clashing.

Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney sits down with Podlitical. The First Minister talks about becoming SNP leader right before the UK general election was called, how he worried his party faced a wipeout when the polls closed, and how he believed he was "the only person on the planet who could turn it around" for the SNP following a bruising period under former First Minister Humza Yousaf. Swinney talks about the realisation he'd entered a "government bubble", why he believes the SNP is back on the front foot post-Scottish budget, and how he wants to make Scottish independence a "compelling proposition".For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

The team discuss Labour's "reset" plans, and politicking ramping up in Holyrood. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Labour's "Plan for Change", but how has it gone down with the electorate, and Scottish Labour MSPs? As the 2026 Holyrood election continues to approach, the politicking ramps up in Holyrood, following the Scottish Budget, and polls suggesting Scottish Labour might not be on as sure footing as it may have hoped. And, with new leaders for both the UK and Scottish Conservatives, where do they fit into the upcoming electoral picture, as Nigel Farage's Reform UK threatens to make waves in the upcoming elections?

Was the pound in your pocket or politicking at the heart of the Scottish budget? The team are joined by economist Dr João Sousa, Deputy Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, to deep dive into the Scottish Government budget this week. From surprises over the vow to scrap the two child benefit cap, tinkering with tax, and scrutiny over spending priorities, the team discuss both the financial and political implications of the budget, as the SNP hope to woo voters ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, and win over opposition parties to enable the budget to be passed.

As MPs back proposals for assisted dying in England & Wales, what's next for Scotland? Podlitical's Rajdeep Sandhu sits down with two MPs and two MSPs who are split on support/opposition for assisted dying - Scottish Labour's Graeme Downie MP, Scottish Conservative Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur MSP, and the SNP's Seamus Logan MP - to discuss the implications of the assisted dying vote in Westminster on Scotland, and the upcoming bill in Holyrood on assisted dying, as well as what it was like to be in the room of such an important vote. What lessons can be learned from the Westminster debate, and will a devolved approach to assisted dying work?

The team talk winter fuel payments in Scotland, immigration, and assisted dying. Ahead of next week's Scottish Government budget, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has told Holyrood that every pensioner in Scotland will receive a winter fuel payment next year. What does this mean for Scotland's finances and what does it say about the battlegrounds being laid for the 2026 Holyrood election? Plus, immigration figures are out, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer accusing the previous Conservative government of running an "open borders experiment", as Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage claims the party has hit 100 thousand members, and MPs are set to debate assisted dying in England and Wales.

Farmers protest inheritance tax changes, and budget manoeuvres continue in Holyrood. This week saw thousands of farmers descend on the capital to protest Labour's changes to inheritance tax, while Labour claims the existing rules around inheritance tax aren't fair nor sustainable. In Holyrood, the row over Stephen Flynn's ambition to run as an MSP while staying on as an MP continues, and Scottish Parliament sees both the Scottish Government and opposition parties laying the political groundwork ahead of December's Scottish Budget. Plus, splits between UK Labour and Scottish Labour as leader Anas Sarwar pledges to expand eligibility for the winter fuel payment if they form the next Scottish government.

The National Care Service is delayed and the build-up to Holyrood 2026 continues. With the announcement that the National Care Service has been delayed, but not dropped according to the Scottish Government, and the original vision set out by former First Minister Sturgeon looking further away, what might be the fate of the National Care Service in Scotland, and might there be a UK version like Labour set out in its manifesto? Plus, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has caused a stir by putting his name forward to stand as an MSP in the 2026 Holyrood election, while also hoping to stay on as an MP in Westminster, and the Labour government frets over potential Trump tariffs.

What does the new US president-elect Donald Trump mean for Scotland and the wider UK? From threats of tariffs, to campaign clashes with the Labour leadership, the team discuss the implications of a Trump presidency on the UK, including the risk of export tariffs for Scotch whisky, and the kind of relationship the US and UK may have for the next four years. With new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch taking her post this week, and Trump ally Nigel Farage's Reform UK seeing success in the UK general election, what influence might Trump's politics have on the national conversation?