A Beret of Berries
The Lesley Riddoch Podcast
Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson
4.6 • 274 Ratings
🗓️ 9 December 2025
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Some big pennies are dropping this week. The biggest, probably, is the US disengagement from Ukraine. It's not just Ukrainians that are being given the heave-ho, it seems to be Europe as a whole.
We also look at the big statement about energy for an independent Scotland and the promise of a third off bills. Is that realistic? of course, it actually is, but quite how would you get there? And does John Swinney have to spell it out? We analyise the nuclear consensus amongst Labour, Tory, and the Westminster parties. Why on earth are they so keen to have new nuclear plants in Scotland? We talk about Lord Malcolm Offord and his defection to Reform to stand for the Scottish Parliament. And we look at the Sandy Peggie verdict. Does anybody really see clearly what it means?
The A'Chraobh Forest Project
Producing a professional film from the footage will cost £600-£1000.
The Spiral Forrest at Borgie in Sutherland is an attempt by descendants of the people cleared by the Duke of Sutherland from Strathnaver to have their say about the landscape. It’s composed of the 18 trees native to Scotland which are also part of the unique Gàidhlig alphabet. Lesley planted the first tree in 2000 along with hundreds of school kids from North Sutherland and returned this weekend with organisers, some of those children now adults and their own children, to commemorate 25 years of a very different kind of woodland. She captured footage while she was there and is looking to raise some money to pay an editor. If any Sutherland folk or people who feel strongly about native Woodland or indeed the clearances, want to contribute, please contact her at hello@lesleyriddoch.com
Links
Norway the Twin Nation
https://youtu.be/oUbMAFO6kA4
Makar Homes
https://www.makar.co.uk/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Some big pennies dropping this week, the biggest probably, the fact of US disengagement from Ukraine. |
| 0:06.7 | It's not just them that are being given the heave-ho, it's Europe. |
| 0:10.7 | When will we awaken to that and realise it has to be one United Europe with really vigorous policies |
| 0:18.3 | and not to suck up to Trump because they're not interested, |
| 0:21.8 | we discuss. We look also at the big statement about energy for an independent Scotland |
| 0:27.3 | and the promise of a third off bills. Is that realistic? Of course it actually is, but quite how |
| 0:33.3 | would you get there? And does John Swinney have to spell it out? The nuclear consensus amongst |
| 0:39.3 | Labour Tory and the Westminster parties continues. Why on earth are they so keen to have new |
| 0:45.8 | nuclear plants in Scotland? We talk about Malcolm offered. Well, he would wish to be Malcolm because |
| 0:51.3 | he's so sorry that he is a baron. He has to renounce that title, |
| 0:56.0 | or at least he can't unbecome a baron, but if he wants to stand for the Scottish Parliament, |
| 1:01.0 | he just has to not be a member of the House of Lords. What a shame. And we look at the Sandy Peggy |
| 1:06.9 | verdict. Does anybody kind of really see clearly what it means? Those are the headlines. |
| 1:12.7 | Now for the podcast. Well, hi folks and welcome to this week's Leslie Riddock podcast. |
| 1:17.9 | Is that Willa the Whisp or the, it's not really the old man of the forest? You were looking |
| 1:23.5 | very cool in your, uh, buried, uh, Kipper, I have to say. It looked, uh. It looked quite something. It reminded me of, what do you call it? The Christmas is yet to come or whatever it was, the jolly one out of Scrooge. Oh, right. Okay, that's nice. Yeah. No, the nice happy, jolly Christmas spirit. I can't remember. |
| 1:44.3 | Is he the Christmas past? |
| 1:45.6 | I can't remember which one is which, |
| 1:46.6 | but I'm sure I will be getting that pumped into me |
| 1:49.2 | over the next couple of weeks. |
| 1:51.6 | Well, for the uninformed, which is everybody now, |
| 1:54.2 | except you and me, this was a berry crown that you're talking about. |
... |
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