Home - Independence Live

Keep us LIVE

Click & support Independence Live’s 2026 CROWDFUNDER!

Independence Live

Telling Scotland’s Story since 2013.

What's on Guide

See below for upcoming shows & events.

What's on Guide

Brexit 10 years on: Our Vlog from Brussels

10 Years After Brexit: Scotland’s European Journey 🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ten years on from the Brexit vote, Scotland’s relationship with Europe tells a different

Brexit 10 years on: Our Vlog from Brussels

Brexit 10 years on: Our Vlog from Brussels

10 Years After Brexit: Scotland’s European Journey 🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ten years …

Lifting the Lid with Stuart Donald

Lifting the Lid with Stuart Donald

In this episode, Fiona and Marlene chat with Stuart Donald about his …

In this episode, Fiona and Marlene chat with Stuart Donald about his landmark research paper, “Lifting the Lid on Britain’s Pressure Cooker Politics: How Inequality and Neoliberal Capture Broke First …Past the Post.”

Stuart reveals how the UK’s First-Past-The-Post voting system is directly linked to the chronic inequality crisis we see across Britain today. Drawing on 40 years of data on regional deprivation and voting trends, this groundbreaking paper connects Margaret Thatcher’s accentuated Parliamentary majorities of the 1980s, the rise of neoliberalism, and the structural inequalities that have made the UK one of the most unequal nations among its Western European peers.

Key topics covered:
00:01:57 UK worst inequality compared to Euroean peers
00:03:01 Neoliberal capture in FPTP countries
00:07:20 The Barker Report – Labour’s Dilemma
00:11:34 The Middle Class Revolt
00:16:37 Downward Mobility and the Brexit vote
00:19:07 Marginality more important than Need
00:20:00 Orphaning the Have-Nots
00:27:06 Andy Burnham and PR
00:32:30 Farage’s new power base
00:36:04 Looming effects of the climate emergency
00:41:00 Individualism – the Road to Hell
00:44:50 What about Scotland?
00:54:30 The Only Conclusion

Stuart’s follow-up to his previous paper, The Temper Trap, makes a compelling case that Britain’s current crises didn’t happen by accident—they’re structural. If you want to understand the roots of regional inequality, political polarization, and populism in Britain, this conversation is essential viewing.

Read the full paper here: https://www.compassonline.org.uk/publications/lifting-the-lid-on-britains-pressure-cooker-politics-how-inequality-and-neoliberal-capture-broke-first-past-the-post/

#electoralreform #inequality #neoliberalcapture

The Indypodcasters team produce a NEW podcast episode every Friday search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to like and subscribe!

Get in touch:
Email: indypodcasters@gmail.com
Bluesky: @scottishindypod

Visit our website https://scottishindypod.scot for blogposts, newsletter signup and more episodes

Subscribe for free to our Youtube channel @scottishindypodExtra for more of our video footage and clips. Video premieres most Tuesdays at 8pm

We’re also on TikTok : scotindypodcasters

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast you might like to buy us a coffee?
https://ko-fi.com/scottishindependencepodcasts
or choose us as your Easyfundraising good cause.

Music:

Inspired by Kevin MacLeod

Scottish Independence Podcasts is pro independence but not party political. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent our views.Show More

Europe for Scotland & Yes for EU event from the European Parliament.

Europe for Scotland & Yes for EU event from the European Parliament.

On 23 June 2026, the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, the …

Bella Caledonia 20 Years On

Bella Caledonia 20 Years On

Join Fiona and Marlene as they chat with Mike Small, editor of Bella …

Join Fiona and Marlene as they chat with Mike Small, editor of Bella Caledonia, about the platform’s exciting 20th anniversary milestone.

Mike shares Bella Caledonia’s ambitious plans for the future, including …a 20-day crowdfunder designed to support the publication’s next chapter. A key focus of their expansion is broadening the voices featured on the platform—with a particular commitment to publishing more work from women and younger writers who bring fresh perspectives to Scottish discourse – if that sounds like YOU then please get in touch with Bella Caledonia! More info about the crowdfunder and how to submit work here https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/05/22/another-scotland-is-possible-3/

We also explore an exciting new initiative: a commissioned series of visionary articles that will look 20 years into Scotland’s future. These bold and forward-thinking pieces promise to spark important conversations about where Scotland is headed and what transformation the next two decades might hold.

Whether you’re a long-time reader of Bella Caledonia or discovering the platform for the first time, this episode offers insight into how independent media continues to evolve and why diverse voices matter more than ever in shaping Scotland’s cultural and political conversation.

Support Bella Caledonia’s future: https://crowdfunder.co.uk/bella-caledonia-2020

Learn more: https://bellacaledonia.org.uk

Other links mentioned in the discussion:

Artists for Independence https://artistsforindy.scot
Future Voices Scotland youtube.com/@FutureVoicesScotland
Future Voices podcast episode https://youtu.be/CWGr0sgBG4k?si=Wt30zy95Z-zRKsgG
Eurovision article by Vishwam Heckert https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/05/18/love-wins-the-eurovision-song-contest/

#bellacaledonia20 #scottishindependentmedia #womenwriters #indypodcasters

The Indypodcasters team produce a NEW podcast episode every Friday search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to like and subscribe!

Get in touch:
Email: indypodcasters@gmail.com
Bluesky: @scottishindypod

Visit our website https://scottishindypod.scot for blogposts, newsletter signup and more episodes

Subscribe for free to our Youtube channel @scottishindypodExtra for more of our video footage and clips. Video premieres most Tuesdays at 8pm

We’re also on TikTok : scotindypodcasters

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast you might like to buy us a coffee?
https://ko-fi.com/scottishindependencepodcasts
or choose us as your Easyfundraising good cause.

Music:

Inspired by Kevin MacLeod

Scottish Independence Podcasts is pro independence but not party political. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent our views.Show More

Election Autopsy Part 2

Election Autopsy Part 2

Fiona and Marlene are back for Part 2 of our Election Autopsy series, …

Get the links!

Get the links!

Independence Live are now on Linktree. Get all our important links …

Help Ignite Indy! Crowdfunder 2025

Help Ignite Indy! Crowdfunder 2025

It’s that time of year again when we at Independence Live ask you if …

Previously on What's on Guide

AUOB Stirling 2026 #AUOBStirling.

Come along and give your voice for Scotland to re-gain its independence. #ScottishIndependence See AUOB event on Facebook #AUOBStirling:

AUOB Stirling 2026 #AUOBStirling.

AUOB Stirling 2026 #AUOBStirling.

Come along and give your voice for Scotland to re-gain its …

Ep 48 Recce Report - 8 June 2026

Ep 48 Recce Report – 8 June 2026

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

Holyrood Independence Rally, May 26th 2026

Holyrood Independence Rally, May 26th 2026

Come along to Holyrood, Edinburgh and give your voice for Scotland to …

Holyrood Independence Rally, May 26th 2026

Holyrood Independence Rally, May 26th 2026

Come along to Holyrood, Edinburgh and give your voice for Scotland to …

Ep 47 Recce Report - 11 May 2026

Ep 47 Recce Report – 11 May 2026

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

Scotonomics Ep: 137 Introducing The Communities Deliver Framework 📱

Scotonomics Ep: 137 Introducing The Communities Deliver Framework 📱

Scotland is on the verge of a historic shift. The Community Wealth …

Ep 45 Recce Report - 9 March 2026

Ep 45 Recce Report – 9 March 2026

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

SCOTONOMICS EP 136: Does the climate movement believe that governments must find the money? 📱

SCOTONOMICS EP 136: Does the climate movement believe that governments must find the money? 📱

The literature review focuses on articles that address macroeconomic …

SCOTONOMICS EP 135: With Professor Danny Dorling

SCOTONOMICS EP 135: With Professor Danny Dorling

Danny Dorling joins William Thomson to discuss his latest book, “The …

Ep 41 Recce Report - 13 October 2025

Ep 41 Recce Report – 13 October 2025

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

Episode: 134 Edinburgh: Innovation and the Festival Economy

Episode: 134 Edinburgh: Innovation and the Festival Economy

In this episode of Scotonomics, William Thomson is joined by Nick …

In this episode of Scotonomics, William Thomson is joined by Nick Sherrard to unpack an uncomfortable question:

How can Scotland host the biggest arts festival in the world and still …fail to turn it into long-term economic value for its own creative sector?

Drawing on Nick’s recent research into the Edinburgh Festivals, the discussion reveals a striking imbalance. Global artists, producers, and investors flood into the city each August, yet Scottish creative firms often struggle to secure visibility, influence, or lasting commercial benefit. Major decisions are made elsewhere. There is no Scotland House to promote national talent. Even festival infrastructure and digital platforms are increasingly sourced from abroad.

The conversation broadens to innovation more widely. Nick challenges the way Scotland talks about “ecosystems” without being clear about the mechanisms involved. He outlines the four stages of innovation, arguing that Scotland currently behaves like a stage-four economy: good at assembling ideas developed elsewhere, but weak at owning and scaling original innovation.

The episode also explores how innovation is too often treated as an unquestioned good, disconnected from purpose, wellbeing, sustainability, or community wealth. Big tech, empire-building, and loss-leader disruption models like Uber are contrasted with what a genuinely public-interest innovation strategy might look like.

Finally, the discussion turns to policy and power. From the role of the enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to the deeper limits imposed by currency control and foreign ownership, William and Nick argue that Scotland’s economic institutions lack accountability, clarity of purpose, and ambition in the right places. Instead of endlessly chasing unicorns or inward investment, they suggest a far more radical shift. One that directly backs people, enables experimentation, and links innovation to real social and economic outcomes at home. The episode closes with a call to stop abstract talk and start focusing on the practical mechanics of how Scotland actually builds, owns, and benefits from its own economy.

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6615864377081856Show More

TNT Show. Ep213. With guest Prof. Alf Baird on UN initiative.

TNT Show. Ep213. With guest Prof. Alf Baird on UN initiative.

Alf Baird is an author and academic. One of the things we will be …

1 of 22