In this episode of Riddoch Questions Lesley spoke with Alex Salmond who had just led the SNP to become the largest party in the Scottish Parliament. He was literally in the throes of trying to form that first ever SNP government and spoke from the car park outside a pub in the pouring rain. 

This episode focuses on our  reflections on the life, career and  political legacy of Alex Salmond in the aftermath of his sudden death.
The great "What ifs". What if he hadn't resigned in 2014? What if he was re-elected to Holyrood in 2026?
Away from the political sphere Lesley talks about her personal encounters with him over the years.

In his final post on Twitter Alex criticised the attendance of John Swinney at UK Government’s first Council of Nations and Regions, “Of course the First Minister has the right to insist on bilateral JMC meetings with the Prime Minister. I am not sure in which world that correct business approach includes a convivial group selfie with the political opponent who is freezing Scots pensioners." “Part of becoming independent is about thinking independently, not subserviently. John should have politely declined the meeting with the words ‘Scotland is a country not a county.”
Was Alex correct? Does the creation of this Council signal a move from Labour to impose another layer of centralised "local" government  Metro Mayors on Scotland?
Lesley is off  to Iceland.If you want to get video updates on her travels subscribe to her Youtube channel here
https://www.youtube.com/@Lesley_Riddoch
All of this plus gratuitous references to former leaders of the TGWU and health updates.

 Lesley was at the Scottish currency group conference and like most of the audience, was struck by  Dr Jon Egilsson's contribution. He warned  against handing over control of a new Scottish currency by joining the euro - still a mandatory condition for new members of the European Union. saying that despite the mess Iceland landed in 2008, it was having its own currency that allowed the country to spring back.

Jon is the chairman and co-founder of Monerium and former chairman of the supervisory board of the Icelandic Central Bank. In addition to co-founding four software companies, he has also served as an adjunct professor at Reykjavik University, as a lecturer at the University of Iceland in the economics and engineering departments and as a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York.

Jon holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics and a master's degree in Engineering.

Labour slumping disastrously in polls just 11 weeks after its General Election victory. The Tory leadership election becoming a who can move far enough to the Right to defeat Reform contest. Have all the SNP's Christmases come at once or should they beware a do nothing, fingers crossed, complacency?
Lesley appeared on Debate Night from Dundee where Kenny Farquharson pushed the need for a settled agreement between the UK and Scottish governments on a mechanism to allow a second independence referendum.
We examine the proposals contained in Glasgow University's "Scotland and the Constitution.Agreeing a Way Forward" report for just such a mechanism based on the Good Friday Agreement and a Northern Irish border poll.
Scotland’s minimum price of alcohol went up on September 30  by 15p, from 50p to 65p. Just how successful has  Minimum Unit Pricing  been in combating alcohol related deaths?
We ask, "Who is Russell Findlay?" in the aftermath of his election as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

To find out more about and book tickets for Owning Our Futures-Autonomy Movements in Europe click below.
https://independenceconvention.scot/europes-independence-movements-come-to-scotland#:~:text=Conference%20and%20Ceilidh%20Tickets%20Major%20International

To listen to the marvelous "Hermless" by Michael Marra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F44WfZoIN4
As a proud "Arab" Pat couldn't resist adding this one-Hamish the Goalie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqoGqoFCi2A
If these have whetted your appetite the Michael Marra A Can Of Mind And A Tin Of Think So Book Boxed Set 2024 link
https://assai.co.uk/products/michael-marra-a-can-of-mind-and-a-tin-of-think-so-book-boxed-set-2024?_pos=1&_sid=5d7c312fb&_ss=r

It's been a big week, is there any other kind these days, in politics.
In Scotland we've seen events to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2014 independence referendum. Lesley was not only a central figure during that campaign but has also taken part in many of those events. We reflect on them and where the Yes movement and the SNP stand today.
Lesley also reports back from last weekend's Scottish Currency Group Conference. There were some stellar speakers with some surprising viewpoints on currency and the EU.
Check these two sites for possible future videos from the conference
https://www.spvr.org
https://www.reservebank.scot
Meanwhile in Liverpool it was the Labour Party Conference. We watched it so you didn't have to. Monday saw Rachel Reeves, Ian Murray, and Anas Sarwar( yup he showed up) take centre stage. We analyse their speeches , particularly what Labour's strategy for Holyrood 2026 will be,  and the "big one" on Tuesday from Sir Keir Starmer. Is there "light at the end of the tunnel", as he claims, or simply a train heading towards us?
Sarwar also appeared on Good Morning Scotland, two sightings in two days-we're blessed- where he was questioned on the means testing of the winter fuel allowance. Did he fare any better than Ian Murray in his interview with Martin Geissler on Sunday?
Much focus has been placed on Labour "freebies" but little has been said about the influence Lord Alli may have had within the party or the massive donation from Quadrature Capital which only became public post election. We redress that balance.
 

Ten years after the Scottish independence referendum Lesley interviewed First Minister John Swinney in an exclusive for The National. We focus on this and the state of the independence movement and the SNP in the first half of this extended episode.
Anas Sarwar emerged from hiding to pontificate on Glasgow hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. We have our say.
Much was made in the media of Scotland's lack of spending on remediation work in the wake of the Grenfell Inquiry. The reality is a bit more complicated and nuanced.
 As Sir Keir Starmer comes under scrutiny for the variety of donations and hospitality he's received we look at both this and Anushka Asthana's new book Taken As Red which lifts the lid on the campaign to undermine and remove Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party.
A significant element of the strategy was to paint Corbyn and his supporters as antisemitic. Stephen Pollard, when editor of the Jewish Chronicle, declared "I'm proud that we were relentless in our pursuit of Corbyn".
Under the new editor Jake Wallis Simons the pursuit of journalistic standards seems to have been less than relentless with the unfolding Elon Perry scandal.
As promised in this week's episode here are some links
Scottish Currency Group conference
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-currency-group-conference-tickets-965256055847
Grenfell
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/housing/67805/grenfell-report-social-housing-respect
Glasgow Commonwealth Games: Athletes Village
https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/our-work/housing-development/housing/glasgow-commonwealth-games-village-a-lasting-legacy
Rally for Independence
https://www.believeinscotland.org/rally_for_independence

In this episode we begin with today's (Tuesday's) debate and vote on Labour's proposal to scrap winter fuel allowance payments for the vast majority of pensioners.
Who among Labour MPs rebelled? How many abstained? Which way did Scotland's new batch of Labour MPs vote?
Why did Labour select this particular payment and what does it presage for Reeve's budget in October?
We also examine the narratives surrounding the proposal being peddled by both Labour and Conservatives.
Naturally we pay particular attention to the impact in Scotland.

Lesley was part of the Stand Up To Racism anti-racist counter demonstration in George Square Glasgow last Saturday. She reflects on the day and its events.
Lesley also took part in the launch of Building a Local Scotland.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24572042.campaigners-say-scottish-council-areas-large-work-properly/
If you want to support this campaign go to
https://buildlocal.scot/sign-the-declaration/

In this podcast extra we speak with Dr Tim Rideout of the Scottish Currency Group.
The Currency Group's conference in Dunfermline on Saturday  the 21st and Sunday the 22nd of September " Preparing the Way for the Scottish Pound & Central Bank" features a stellar line up of economists and banking experts.
We focus on the conference but also find out about Tim's background and some really interesting stuff, trust me on this, about the Isle of Man.
To find out more about the conference follow this link
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-currency-group-conference-tickets-965256055847

It's back tae auld claes and porridge fir Pat and it's back frae the SNP annual conference fir Lesley.
However we begin with the damning Grenfell Inquiry report detailing the systematic dishonesty of companies, neglect and disregard of local and national governments- Labour ,Tory and LibDem/Tory.
The SNP conference saw feisty motions passed from the floor on matters such as creating and implementing a Land Tax. But will it be the same old story of a party leadership too stuck in its centralising ways, and too timid to challenge Westminster "supremacy", to implement these as government policy?
Shona Robinson outlined the £500 million cuts to Scottish spending plans. She laid the blame, correctly, at the feet of the new Labour government. However should she have been bolder in declaring precisely what an independent Scotland could do if it had full control of all its resources and fiscal powers? Could she also have taken steps to introduce those tax and spending options suggested by groups like Commonweal and the STUC?
Lesley has been arguing for a complete reform of Scotland's overly centralised local government system for years. September the 9th sees the launch of Building a Local Scotland.
If you want to sign the declaration go to
https://buildlocal.scot/

As the SNP annual conference looms large on the horizon an air of pessimism seems to be permeating even the most committed supporters of independence. Not about the movement but the performance of the Scottish government and the internal operations of the party.
The latest Holyrood opinion polls still suggest that the SNP will be the largest party post 2026 but that Labour could be in the position of cobbling together a Unionist governmental coalition of some sort.
Stephen Flynn has been talking about the essence of a team approach. Has the SNP been a team? Why have  innovative ideas from both withing and outwith the closed leadership ranks fallen on deaf ears?
We explore what might lie behind this malaise and what can be done to combat it.
Part of the fightback might be to focus on Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves austerity measures particularly the means testing of the winter fuel allowance and the 10% rise in consumer electricity and gas prices.
Could "It's Scotland's Energy" be the new "It's Scotland's Oil" battle cry?
The usual suspects have been making political hay over the scrapping of the rail fares peak reduction pilot scheme, the axing of Creative Scotland's open fund, and the shifting of local authority monies allocated for improving nature and improving biodiversity to pay for council employees' pay rises.
What is the Scottish government not telling us about what seems to be a black economic cloud emanating from Westminster?
Lesley focuses on what might be behind the "failure" of the rail fares pilot and asks why no progress has been made on regional integrated transport systems.
There's a whole host of great events coming up. Starting with a showing of Lesley's Denmark movie
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stonehaven-lesley-riddoch-film-denmark-a-state-of-happiness-tickets-951493612007

Special screening by the National of 'To see ourselves' film with Q&A. Tuesday, 17th Sept 6pm. The Social Hub, Candleriggs, Glasgow.
https://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/

Scot Currency group Carnegie Conference Centre Dunfermline Sept 21 - 22
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-currency-group-conference-tickets-965256055847

Revive - the Big Land Question
Nov 10. Perth
https://www.perththeatreandconcerthall.com/whats-on/revive-national-conference-the-big-land-question-319802

BiS indy rally Scottish Parliament
Sept 18th 7pm
https://www.believeinscotland.org/rally_for_independence

2014 - 2024: Scottish Independence And The British State Ten Years On - September 14th, at Glasgow Caledonian University.
https://www.conter.scot/2024/7/26/2014-2024-scottish-independence-and-the-british-state-ten-years-on/
All this plus Murdo Fraser playing the Rangers card, the BBC and propaganda, Tayport ceilidhs, and Freddie Flintoff.

Two meetings with Daniela Gradsky, Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK , have dominated the stage this week.
We question both the morality and the lack of political judgement of the Scottish government in sanctioning the one with External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson. This has engendered anger and condemnation within the SNP and the wider independence movement.
The SNP has been swift in removing the whip from MSP John Mason who tweeted after his meeting with Gradsky. However he has doubled down on his abhorrent comments. Mason is part of the cross party Building Bridges with Israel Group in Holyrood. Who are they and who are their bedfellows?
The Labour government seems intent on undermining the devolved settlement that they introduced with the handing over of around £150 million to the Scottish Office to spend directly. Is this a toe in the water to test reaction? Given the somewhat muted response to the means testing of the Winter Fuel Allowance is the SNP government up for the fight?
Lesley explores the minutiae of the new Eastern Green Link 2 and the transformative effect the green energy revolution could have on Scotland. She also reveals the absurdities of the current pricing and delivery systems.
It's the Democratic National Convention this week. Harris and Walz continue to outpace Trump and Vance in the polls at a national level. However it's the votes in the Electoral College that count. What is the Electoral College? What are its racist and anti-democratic roots?