FM Election and what next?
The Lesley Riddoch Podcast
Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson
4.6 • 274 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From the incoming First Minister to an impending vote on a Section 30 order and a row brewing over William Wallace's safe conduct letter.
We discuss the ongoing First Minister elections, with John Swinney set to be confirmed. We look at the parliamentary process, the inevitable outcome and why other party leaders put their names forward despite the forgone conclusion.
- Time for Scotland: John Swinney has promised a debate to ask for a Section 30 order on his first day of business. We put out a call as the Time for Scotland posse to all independence supporters to head to Holyrood with saltires next Tuesday evening to ensure the movement remains visible to broadcasters.
- New Cabinet: We chew over the runners and riders for the new cabinet, which John Swinney has promised will be gender-equal. Could Stephen Flynn and Stephen Gethins be stepping into key ministerial roles within the Scottish Government?
- Wallace's Letter: We share an exclusive tip-off from a respected Scottish historian regarding a rare safe conduct letter belonging to William Wallace. Currently on loan to Edinburgh from the National Archives at Kew, they now want it returned.
- Holyrood's New Presiding Officer: A look at the unexpected selection of Kenny Gibson as the new Presiding Officer, beating the supposed Scottish Government preferred candidate, Clare Haughey. Could his track record of not pulling punches liven up dull parliamentary debates?
- Andy Burnham and Devolution: We look South to the upcoming by-elections and Andy Burnham’s push to devolve power out of London. We unpack why his proposed model of directly elected mayors grafted onto collections of councils falls short of genuine democratic devolution.
- The Highland Clearances: Lesley discusses her recent interview with eminent historian Jim Hunter for an upcoming film about Strathnaver, bringing the harrowing history of the Clearances and figures like Patrick Sellar into sharp focus.
Links
The rose of all the world is not for me.
I want for my part
Only the little white rose of Scotland
That smells sharp and sweet—and breaks the heart.
Hugh MacDiarmid
Professor James Hunter on life in Rosal pre-clearance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07ShY03cc_g
Who is josh simons? His greatest hits include spying on journalists and saying that people smugglers should be exiled to Scotland, had a majority of 5399 at the last General Election. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/14/who-is-josh-simons-labour-mp-andy-burnham
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Well, there are many by-elections on the mind of commentators at the moment. |
| 0:04.8 | Clearly, the Andy Burnham-Mcerfield one is the principal interest for commentators south of the border. |
| 0:11.4 | But we're going to have some by-elections here too, probably all of them on June the 18th, what a day that will be, |
| 0:17.0 | thanks to the changes putting Stephen Flynn and Stephen Giffins into the Scottish Parliament. |
| 0:22.0 | Will they end up by tomorrow, perhaps, or the next day becoming ministers within the Scottish |
| 0:27.0 | government? We wait to hear. Technically, we wait to hear who will be first minister. I think we've |
| 0:31.4 | a pretty good idea. And we're waiting to hear what day there will be a debate to ask for a |
| 0:36.6 | Section 30 order for another |
| 0:38.3 | independence referendum because that debate is coming and we want you to be active around it. |
| 0:44.1 | Those are some of the headlines now for the podcast. |
| 0:47.1 | Well, hi folks and welcome to this week's Leslie Riddock podcast. |
| 0:51.4 | In the exciting day of First Minister elections. |
| 0:57.4 | We're just waiting for Alex Cole Hamilton to put himself forward |
| 1:03.4 | and for there to be a combined unionist backlash and mass green abstention, |
| 1:09.5 | not for election of first minister which is I think |
| 1:14.0 | unquestionably going to be the right honourable John Swinney MSP we are recording this at just |
| 1:22.6 | before one o'clock it was supposed to be at half past 12 but a series of technical shenanigans |
| 1:27.7 | which were not my fault for the first time ever which is very exciting so yeah i don't know |
| 1:37.6 | why alec insistent putting his name forward for first one is they just do not remember |
| 1:41.7 | wrenny used to do it when he was leader, |
| 1:44.7 | always and everyone would go, |
| 1:46.0 | why? |
... |
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