The Stooshie: the politics podcast from DC Thomson

How Perth prison scheme aims to cut reoffending and ease prison overcrowding

Prison overcrowding is back in the headlines as some inmates are released early.
But it’s not just prisoners serving their sentences, there are also big problems with the number of people on remand.
We speak to Hamish Robertson, from the Wise Group, about a new project to tackle root problems, starting with a mentoring scheme in Perth.

All change, no cash

The Stooshie team is back from summer break to find the Scottish bank account has been cleared out.
What do these cuts mean?
Does John Swinney’s SNP or Keir Starmer’s Labour have a plan?
Are the Conservatives really still scrapping over who should lead them back from election disaster?

What next for the SNP and Tories, and what's it like to be an MP?

Scotland has had its say, and a week on from the election we survey the wreckage of the SNP and Conservative campaigns and try to work out what they might do next. We also hear from Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy's Melanie Ward, who shares an audio diary of her first days in Westminster as a new MP. 
 
And finally, will John Swinney and Keir Starmer find some common ground after years of dysfunction and rivalry between the Scottish and UK governments? 

Polls and postal vote scandal

The opinion polls all agree who will be next prime minister.
But lots of local contests are still far too close to call.
What will the parties learn from crucial regional shifts in opinion?
Some people won't get a say at all because of postal vote delays.
We discuss the real-life impact and the anger building over the timing of this election.

Rishi returns as Tories brace

The prime minister was back in Scotland to help Douglas Ross in a tight contest.
Were they words of encouragement or damage limitation?
Can Lib Dems pull of a Highland surprise?
And will Reform have any impact in Scotland?
All that and analysis of the latest election coverage from political reporters across the P&J, The Courier and the Sunday Post.

Election latest, and an Aberdeenshire shock

We discuss how Labour suspended its candidate in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East after exclusive reporting from our politics team.
What happens next in the big contest between the SNP and Tories in the crucial region?
Does Gordon Brown's impact still resonate in Fife - and can the Kingdom turn red?
And we make some rash predictions about how many seats the Conservatives might win or lose in Scotland.

Douglas Ross and the Tory turmoil

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross rocked his own campaign, leaving us to wonder what can possibly happen next.
We look at new polling on the picture in Scotland, and what's happening with Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak.
And we wonder if everyone's made up their mind already and just wants to watch Scotland at the Euros.

John Swinney interview special

In an exclusive interview, John Swinney says he feared for his party when he stood to become leader earlier this year.
 
Speaking to David Clegg, the first minister reflected on the fast-paced first weeks in office, propelled from a think-tank event in London into the top job in Scottish politics.
 
Mr Swinney explains why he'd turned down a job from Humza Yousaf only a month before he resigned, and details why he thinks he's the right man to reverse his party's decline in the polls as voters become fatigued from 17 years of SNP dominance. 

General election fever, week 1

Rishi Sunak came to the Highlands where he doesn’t even have a candidate.
Keir Starmer promised Scotland the earth, but not a location for his fabled GB Energy HQ.
John Swinney found himself in an election moments after becoming First Minister.
We discuss week one, we test the water among the people of Perth, and all the rest in the first of our election podcasts.

Why Scotland's doctors are worried about Physician Associates

Simon Barker, a children's orthopaedic surgeon in Aberdeen, explains the growing concern over the use of new “physician associates” in a stretched health service.
Are they valuable, quickly-trained additions, or is this “mission creep” to paper over gaps doctors can’t always cover?
Dr Barker is deputy chairman of the British Medical Association’s Scottish council, and works in NHS Grampian.