Interview: Fergus Ewing MSP

Podlitical

BBC

Government, News

4.6 • 157 Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The SNP MSP on his suspension, his clashes with the Greens, and bullying allegations. MSP for Inverness and Nairn and former Rural Economy cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing sits down with Podlitical to discuss his efforts fighting for fishermen and farmers, and being an "apprentice rebel at 66" when it comes to speaking out against his own party's plans - sometimes in a theatrical fashion. Ewing talks about the allegations by civil servants of bullying, denying his behaviour crossed a line, but claiming he wishes he could have "handled things slightly differently" in hindsight. An outspoken critic of the Scottish Greens and the Bute House Agreement, Ewing explains why he believes the Greens in Government are "extremists" and why things haven't been going "particularly well" for the SNP recently.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds
0:02.4	You're listening to BBC Scotland
0:09.5	Hi, you're listening to Podlitical BBC Scotland's podcast
0:16.2	that brings you the biggest stories coming out of Hollywood and Westminster.
0:20.2	It's 10 past 1 on Wednesday the 13th of March.
0:23.2	I'm David Wallace Locker, political correspondent, who's in Glasgow today,
0:27.0	and it's time for another interview episode.
0:29.6	Joining me down the line from Holyrood is someone who's been an MSP since 1999,
0:34.1	who spent 14 years as a government minister,
0:36.7	and after all that, has recently
0:39.0	discovered a somewhat rebellious streak. It's the MSP for Inverness and Nairn Fergus Ewing.
0:44.8	Fergus, thank you very much for joining us. It's a pleasure, David. I was going to say you'd
0:48.0	been at SMP MSP since 1999, but you are recently back from a one-week suspension, so I suppose
0:53.4	you did spend a few days as an
0:54.9	independent we will get into that later but I want to go right back to the start for now if we can
1:01.3	and you of course had an incredibly political upbringing I'm assuming the son of Winnie Ewing sadly
1:07.1	passed away last year but famous S&P politician who won the Hamilton by-election in 1967,
1:13.8	a watershed moment for the S&P.
1:15.9	How much of that do you remember?
1:17.8	Well, a fair bit.
1:19.1	The Hamilton victory was incredibly exciting, and it's made history, of course.
1:26.8	And my mother inspired people all over the country.
	...

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