The World Has Changed

The Lesley Riddoch Podcast

Lesley Riddoch and Pat Joyce

Political Chat, News, Political Commentary, Scottish Politics, Politics, Scottish Independence, Uk Politics, Society & Culture

4.8 • 259 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We speculate on what will be in Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement. Will the extra spending on building social/affordable housing be enough to stave off a revolt over social security cuts? Is she repeating the failures of a previous Labour government in thrall to iron clad ,self imposed fiscal rules? What impact has the Bank of England's monetary policy had on creating the "debt crisis"?
Cowal Community Energy has had its bid to take over the lease for a large scale windfarm rejected by Forestry Land Scotland. Are the rules stacked against any community winning a contract? Why won't the Scottish Government step in, create winnable contracts, or even openly favour community bids?
We also look at why Ferguson Marine failed to win the contract for seven new electric ferries, losing out to Poland.
Oscar winner Hamdan Billal has vanished after being removed from an ambulance following an attack on his home by Israeli settlers. We examine the escalation of illegal Israeli violence on the West Bank since October the 7th 2023.
23 year old Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat became the 208th media worker to be killed in Gaza after his car was specifically targeted by the IDF. Will his plea that we "Do not stop talking about Gaza Do not let the world look away." be heeded by the western media?
On a lighter note here's the link to the Mark Carney, Mike Myers video we spoke about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=972fCFe0Nt8

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, the sun's out, which might be the only upbeat thing that happens for Rachel Reeves this week,
0:05.7	as her spending statements expected to confirm 5 billion of cuts to social security
0:11.8	and perhaps it's going to be a couple of billion thrown in for affordable housing to ease the pain.
0:17.6	We speculate on when finally lefties in labour will come to the fore and when
0:24.1	somebody will really start to reassess dramatically these fiscal rules that Rachel Reeves will not
0:30.6	alter. We look also at the community energy sector amidst the news that one community group has been knocked back from trying to take
0:40.0	over one of the neighbouring wind farm contracts. It could mean a loss of more than a million,
0:45.9	100 million pounds a year for communities across Scotland if they can't bid. We look also at
0:51.7	Neil Finley quitting labour. We look at Operation Branch Form, finally coming
0:55.8	to an end and much more besides. Those are the headlines. Now for the podcast.
1:05.3	Hi, John's and welcome to this week's Leslie Reddy podcast. This sun is shining. Spring is in the air. All right. One sincerely
1:14.3	hope so. I always remember at school, we used to go around saying spring in the air, to which the
1:20.3	reply always was, spring in the air yourself. So that's how witty we were. I see, I don't even believe that.
1:26.8	Given the broad Dundonian that you spoke, I can't believe that anybody in your school said,
1:32.3	spring in the air.
1:33.3	Did they?
1:34.3	Yes, well, what it did, it actually came from, I think it was a line in an amateur dramatic production
1:40.3	that we all got involved in, which it were spring in the air, vicar,
1:44.9	to which the vicar replies spring in the air yourself.
1:47.9	And it became one of these catchphrases.
1:51.1	I also can't imagine you guys being obedient enough that you would actually pick up anything.
1:55.9	You know, at the school I was at, which wasn't, you know,
	...

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