Big Men Laid Low

Big Men Laid Low

From The Lesley Riddoch Podcast by Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson

June 2, 2026 · 1h 9m · Episode 931

About this episode

Lesley and Fraser discuss recent events in Scottish politics, including the SNP's governance issues and the Orkney Folk Festival.

Well, it seems the big men being laid low is the theme of the moment. Lesley and Fraser are back to discuss a busy week. Lesley has been in all parts, taking in the incredible Orkney Folk Festival and witnessing the seamless infrastructure of the Netherlands, before returning to the rather less seamless Edinburgh Airport. Back in Scotland, the Peter Murrell narrative has been laid out, leaving many in the Yes movement feeling directionless. We look at the abject failure of governance within the SNP. Plus, a look down South at the latest Mandelson revalations. In this episode, we discuss: Orkney and the Netherlands: Lesley reflects on a week of incredible, volunteer-led musicianship at the Orkney Folk Festival. We also compare the well-maintained, cycle-friendly infrastructure of the Netherlands with the sad state of Edinburgh Airport's rolled-up corrugated paper door wedges. Operation Hingaboot Mark II: A large crowd gathered outside Holyrood for the Section 30 request vote. We discuss the ongoing disconnect between the SNP corporate leadership and the grassroots Yes movement Peter Murrell and SNP Governance: Following Peter Murrell's guilty plea, we unpack the agreed narrative…

People in this episode

Hosts: Lesley Riddoch, Fraser Thompson

Topics covered

  • Scottish politics
  • SNP governance
  • Orkney Folk Festival
  • infrastructure comparison
  • Yes movement
  • financial mismanagement

Keywords

  • SNP
  • Peter Murrell
  • Orkney Folk Festival
  • Edinburgh Airport
  • Mandelson
  • Scottish politics
  • financial mismanagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SNP

Places: Orkney, Netherlands, Edinburgh Airport

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