SNP CONFERENCE – INDY GROUNDHOG DAY?

Is the SNP trapped in independence Groundhog Day? As John Swinney prepares to address the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Bernard Ponsonby and Alex Massie ask whether Scotland's governing party has any credible route to another independence referendum — and Bernard reflects on the SNPs historical stance and asks whether we're watching a repeat of Nicola Sturgeon's failed strategy.

In this week's Ponsonby & Massie Podcast:

• SNP Conference: Is John Swinney promising another independence breakthrough that he simply cannot deliver?
• Independence Groundhog Day: Alex argues that the SNP is recycling the same strategies while failing to persuade Scotland to change its mind.
• The SNP's record in government: Why poor polling on the NHS, housing, the economy and the cost of living makes independence an attractive distraction.
• Currency, mortgages and pensions: The difficult questions that the independence movement still hasn't answered since 2014.
• Nicola Sturgeon Mark II? Bernard examines decades of SNP constitutional manoeuvring and asks whether Swinney is repeating the mistakes of his predecessor.
• A new constitutional convention? Bernard proposes a route towards answering the big questions about Scotland's constitutional future.
• Kemi Badenoch's survival: Why Bernard now thinks the Conservative leader could survive until the next general election — and the challenge posed by Reform UK.
• Andy Burnham in Scotland: Why Labour's Prime Minister is competing for the headlines during SNP conference.
• An early general election? Could Labour benefit from going to the country before 2029?
• And finally… art at taxpayers' expense? An SNP MSP's plan to employ an artist-in-residence prompts some colourful suggestions from Bernard and Alex.

Political analysis, historical perspective and a few laughs from two of Scotland's most experienced political commentators.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction – SNP conference, Badenoch and Burnham

02:07 SNP conference: Independence Groundhog Day?

05:52 Bernard's history of SNP constitutional deadlock

10:56 Independence: The unanswered currency and mortgage questions

14:53 Why the SNP lost the 2014 referendum

16:48 Bernard's proposal for a constitutional convention

20:15 Pensions, devolution and Swinney's political strategy

25:09 Kemi Badenoch: Could she survive after all?

28:05 Conservatives vs Reform UK – the battle for the right

30:07 Andy Burnham's Scottish electoral challenge

32:22 Will Labour call an early general election?

36:29 And finally… an SNP artist-in-residence?

37:59 Public money, political art and constitutional crayons

39:16 The sexism row, a political mime artist and Shetland poetry

41:00 Closing thoughts

Join the conversation: Is the SNP stuck in independence Groundhog Day? Can John Swinney change anything? And should parliamentary expenses pay for political art?

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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.

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