In this episode we speak to SNP candidate for the Holyrood seat of Aberdeenshire West, Fergus Mutch, about why he’s campaigning for an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU, the impact and lasting changes Coronavirus will make to Aberdeenshire West, land inequality in Scotland, the environmental impact of Scottish farming and whether he thinks Nicola Sturgeon has become a liability or not to the SNP. You can listen to the Politics of Sound episode with Laurence Fox as advertised in this episode here 

In this episode Will is joined by Ian Mulheirn, the Executive Director for UK Policy and Chief Economist at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to discuss a new paper published by the institute “Lockdown Lessons: Five Steps That Should Guide The UK’s New Roadmap.” They discuss the plan, how the government has responded to the pandemic, how things could be done differently, whether the March budget will impact restrictions and the comparison between the UK’s vaccination programme and the EU’s. This episode also includes an exclusive trailer for the Politics of Sound’s March episode with Laurence Fox. You can read the Institute’s plan here: https://institute.global/policy/lockdown-lessons-five-steps-should-guide-uks-new-roadmap and listen to the Politics of Sound Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/politics-of-sound/id1463362456

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Tom Harris, former Labour MP for Glasgow Cathcart (2001 – 2005) and Glasgow South (2005 – 2015); Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (2006 – 2008) ; Shadow Minister for the Environment (2012 – 2013) and host of the excellent new podcast Tom Harris: The Imposter. They discus Tom Harris: The Imposter, Neil Kinnock’s time as leader of the Labour Party, why the SNP have grown since the 1980s, why people feel like imposters in political parties and which Doctor Who episodes Tom would take with him to a desert island. You can listen to Tom Harris: The Imposter here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tom-harris-the-imposter/id1550508639 and if you want to get a free month of Podbean on us use this link for standard accounts https://www.podbean.com/DebatedPodcast and this link for business accounts https://www.podbean.com/pro/DebatedPodcast

In this episode Will is joined by Barry Black, the Labour Party’s candidate for the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central to discuss Labour’s campaign in the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Elections, how the SNP have handled education and the pandemic, how Keir Starmer can make a stronger impact on the Scottish electorate, the role of Brexit and Scottish Independence in the election and how important green energy is to Scotland’s future. If you want to get a free month of Podbean on us use this link for standard accounts https://www.podbean.com/DebatedPodcast and this link for business accounts https://www.podbean.com/pro/DebatedPodcast .Apologies that Will’s audio in this episode is not of the best quality.

In this episode Will is joined by Liberal Democrat councillor and creator and host of the Lib Dem Podcast John Potter to discuss the podcast, his perception of the government’s handling of the COVID 19 pandemic, how he thinks the Lib Dems will do in the 2021 Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections and the future of the Liberal Democrats.

In this episode of the podcast Will is once again joined by Torrin Wilkins, Director of our partner the Centre Think Tank to discuss a new paper recently published by Centre that has received a lot of traction, “Expanding Furlough: Including more people in the CJRS and SEISS”. They discuss the paper, the government’s handling of furlough, what kind of impact Centre’s plan would have if implemented and whether the government have worked well with schools during the pandemic. You can read Torrin’s paper here: https://centrethinktank.co.uk/expandi…​ and if you want to get a free month of Podbean on us use this link for standard accounts https://www.podbean.com/DebatedPodcast​ and this link for business accounts https://www.podbean.com/pro/DebatedPo…

In this episode Will speaks to Labour Party activist, former councillor and Parliamentary candidate Sally Gimson about her new pamphlet for the Fabians Society – Building Bridges: Lessons from Bassetlaw For The Country, experiences as a councillor in Camden, her brief candidacy in Bassetlaw and her deselection by Labour HQ, her thoughts on how to win back Red Wall Seats and the importance of green industries and investment to Labour’s path back to power. You can read the full pamphlet here: https://fabians.org.uk/publication/building-bridges/

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem MP for North East Fife, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Scotland and Wales and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Work and Pensions to discuss a new book she has contributed to – The Future of Social Democracy: Essays to Mark the 40th Anniversary of the Limehouse Declaration. They discuss why the SDP split from Labour had such an impact, the state of social democracy around the world, Wendy’s essay on proportional representation, social democrats and climate change and if the recent defeat of Donald Trump and the impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic might spark a resurgence of social democracy around the world. Apologises for some minor issues with the audio.

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Christopher Massey, Senior Lecturer in History & Politics at Teeside University and Labour Party Councillor to discuss his new book “The Modernisation of the Labour Party 1979 – 97”, an examination of the efforts made to modernise the Labour Party’s organisational structures through four major changes – the Policy Review (1987–92), One Member, One Vote (1992–94), Clause IV (1995–96), and Partnership in Power (1996–97). They also discuss the 1987 UK General Election, Neil Kinnock’s leadership and the link between the leadership of the Labour Party and its organisational structures.

In this episode of the podcast, recorded just before Christmas, Will speaks to Mark Whittaker, the Chair of the Young Fabians, about what the Young Fabians are, their connection to the Fabians Society, Anticipations, the Young Fabians magazine, the influence the Young Fabians has on policy in the Labour Party and the impact Brexit will have on the UK.