John Swinney: Identity, Independence, and The Future of Scotland

What is the future of the Scottish independence movement? How does the SNP rebuild trust and support for independence after a series of bruising scandals? Why did the Scottish First Minister feel disrespected by a series of Conservative Prime Ministers? Alastair and Rory are joined by Scottish First Minister John Swinney to answer all this and more. For Leading listeners, there’s free access to the Wordsmith Academy - plus their report on the future of legal skills. Visit https://www.wordsmith.ai/politics 00:00 Intro 00:38 Wordsmith AI 02:00 Introducing John Swinney 09:40 How the SNP evolved from the 1960s to the 1990s 12:40 Changes in Scotland after 1997 16:40 Alex Salmond’s leadership style & political skills 20:45 Rebuilding the SNP after electoral collapse 25:00 Education standards, literacy & accountability 30:10 Health, drugs, obesity & prevention vs intervention 33:00 Inequality, taxation & wealth taxes 34:40 Has the SNP delivered after 18 years in power? 37:40 Scottish independence 46:10 Working with UK governments: Blair to Sunak 48:10 Starmer, cooperation & a changing tone 52:00 Leadership style, bridge-building & minority government 55:50 Family, wife’s illness & decisions about stepping aside 58:40 The Hebrides, Mary MacLeod & Donald Trump’s Scottish roots 1:00:50 Final reflections & outro