Holyrood Sources

About Holyrood Sources

The Holyrood Sources podcast analyses Scottish politics through the experiences of those who have lived and breathed it as Special Advisers to the Scottish Government, SNP and opposition parties. Join hosts Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Chief of Staff to the First Minister, 2007-2014) and Andy Maciver (Former Head of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives) as they take you inside Scottish politics. Their insight is second to none - they've been there, lived it, and maintain remarkable connections to Scotland's politicians and the world of Scottish politics.Join our mailing list and check out our latest live events: click holyroodsources.com (https://www.holyroodsources.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Shortbread Media

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Feb 2023

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

148 of 246 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Local Council Overhaul & Michael Marra's Chance of Labour Victory

   Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver interview Professor Michael Keating about local council reform and Michael Marra's Labour prospects, while Geoff Aberdein shares insights on energy policy.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Is the End of the UK Inevitable? Inside the First Ministers’ Cardiff Summit

   Calum Macdonald and Andy Maciver interview SNP National Secretary Alex Kerr MSP about the Cardiff summit and the future of the United Kingdom.

3. 

   9 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Scottish Labour Leadership Hustings | Joe Fagan v Michael Mara

   Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein, and Andy Maciver interview Scottish Labour leadership candidates Joe Fagan and Michael Marra about their visions for the party's future and reconnecting with voters.

Inside a recent episode

Local Council Overhaul & Michael Marra's Chance of Labour Victory

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] The regional council was set up and that lasted for 20 years and then it was changed again. And now people are talking about changing it again. What happened in 73, it was all about big is beautiful. The regional councils were set up, but there was a two-tier structure because below them were the local councils. that was abolished in 20 years later in the 1990s and largely I think for political reasons because the conservatives had been squeezed out completely from local government and they wanted to create some units for themselves so we went back to a single tier of 32 counties and nobody likes it really nobody has a good word to say for it something has to be done but Really, politicians haven't had the stomach for yet another reorganization that is very disruptive and very complicated. […]

Who has been a guest on Holyrood Sources

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Michael Keating
• Alex Kerr
• Joe Fagan
• Michael Marra
• Lindsay Paterson

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

290,499

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

123 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

90

Pitching Holyrood Sources

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.

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Questions about Holyrood Sources