Podlitical BBC Radio Scotland

What do the manifestos say about tax, spending, and the pound in your pocket? The team deep dives into the party manifesto offers on money and the economy for the 2024 general election, comparing and contrasting pledges, and what they might mean for Scotland.
Part of a series looking at the 2024 party manifestos. For more coverage on more manifesto topics, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds, or visit the BBC News website.

Martin Geissler sits down with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. The polls suggest Labour are doing well just now – but of course, two weeks is a long time in politics. Can they keep up the pace they’ve set themselves? In this audio version of the BBC Scotland Sunday Show interview, Martin asks Sarwar about tax, just how Labour will get that growth they need to fund their pledges, immigration, and independence.
Part of a series of interviews with party leaders over the course of the general election campaign. To hear them all, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds, or tune in to the Sunday Show every Sunday from 10am on BBC One Scotland and Radio Scotland.

Martin Geissler sits down with Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross. It’s fair to say it’s been a rough campaign for the Tories, but is it all doom and gloom in the camp? In this audio version of the BBC Scotland Sunday Show interview, Martin asks Ross about his policies, his plans for the future, and the ups and downs of a few weeks on the campaign trail.
Part of a series of interviews with party leaders over the course of the general election campaign. To hear them all, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds, or tune in to the Sunday Show every Sunday from 10am on BBC One Scotland and Radio Scotland.

This week, investigations into bets on the general election, and talk of tactical votes. As the Conservative Party’s director of campaigning is investigated by the Gambling Commission for placing a bet on the timing of the general election, alongside a Tory candidate and one of Rishi Sunak's closest aides, the team discusses the news from the campaign trail and what they've been up to this week. Also, Lucy, Rajdeep, and Phil chat tactical voting, just how much it will play into this election, and why there are more candidates than ever for voters to choose from.

How do political polls work, and why do different polls have different projections? Podlitical sits down with Rachel Ormston, Research Director for Ipsos in Scotland, and Mark Diffley, a pollster from Diffley Partnership, to talk all things polling. How do pollsters collect and collate their data, and why exactly are "MRP" polls so in vogue right now? The team talk through why Scotland is tricky to poll this election, how polls are "projections" not "predictions", why pollsters are paranoid, and ask if there really more polls than ever this election, or does it just feel that way?

How can parties "win" the general election, and how might they define winning? The team look at the possible routes to victory that the Scottish and UK parties could take, both likely and unlikely, and what it tells us about the current political landscape of the UK. What is the strategy behind the Conservatives' warning of a Labour supermajority, what might a successful election look like for second-or-third party in Westminster candidates SNP, the Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK, and what do the currently released manifestos tell us about targets?