Peter Murrell's mafia-style SNP – and inside the Reform-Restore feud

About this episode

The episode discusses the Peter Murrell scandal, the collapse of the SNP's moral authority, and the implications of political divisions on the right.

This week: the Peter Murrell scandal and the collapse of the SNP’s moral authority. After Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband and the party’s former chief executive pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from SNP funds, Michael and Madeline ask what this reveals about the party that dominated Scottish politics for more than a decade. Was this simply one man’s disgrace – or a symptom of a political machine that had grown too powerful, too closed and too complacent? Also on the podcast: the growing split on the right. As Rupert Lowe’s Restore threatens to divide the Reform vote in the Makerfield by-election, could Andy Burnham be saved by a battle between Nigel Farage and his former allies? And finally: the rise of the well-worriers. From Zoe and Oura rings to sleep scores, glucose monitors and heart-rate variability, the middle classes are no longer just trying to be healthy – they are trying to measure every flicker of human existence. Is all this self-tracking making us fitter, or just more neurotic? Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to…

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael, Madeline

Topics covered

• SNP scandal
• Scottish politics
• political corruption
• right-wing division
• self-tracking
• health technology

Keywords

• Peter Murrell
• SNP
• Nicola Sturgeon
• political scandal
• Rupert Lowe
• Andy Burnham
• self-tracking
• health technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SNP, Reform, Restore

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