The Jaggy Thistle Podcast

Kenny Farquharson
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Award-winning journalist Kenny Farquharson on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. thejaggythistle.substack.com

  1. May 3

    Want to vote tactically? Best of luck to you

    THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: ​Today, with the Holyrood election just days away, I am talking about tactical voting. Up to a third of Scots intend to vote tactically on polling day on Thursday, either to kick out the SNP or block the rise of Reform. But this is easier said than done, for reasons I explain. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on this platform. Or, if you’d rather, email me direct at thejaggythistle@substack.com. I’ve been writing about this subject this week in The Times, where I do a weekly column on Scottish politics. You can read it here: https://www.thetimes.com/profile/kenny-farquharson I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- WHAT IS THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST? The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    24 min

  2. Apr 19

    Why is the SNP fighting this election on independence?

    ​THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I'm looking at the SNP campaign in the Holyrood election and asking why it is focused so heavily on Scottish independence. I explain that there are only three possible election campaign messages in politics, and two of them cannot be used by the SNP in this election, or at least not with any credibility. This leaves only one. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on this platform. Or, if you’d rather, email me direct at thejaggythistle@substack.com. I’ve been writing about this subject this week in The Times, where I do a weekly column on Scottish politics. You can read it here: https://www.thetimes.com/profile/kenny-farquharson I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- WHAT IS THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST? The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    25 min

  3. Apr 2

    Anas Sarwar's moral dilemma

    THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I'm talking about a grave moral peril in this Holyrood election. Is Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, willing to use Reform MSPs to become first minister of Scotland? The answer seems to be yes. I argue that Sarwar should refuse to take power of the back of votes from Nigel Farage's party. And I urge a new chapter of co-operation between Labour and the SNP to freeze out Farage from a functional role in Scottish governance. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on this platform. Or, if you’d rather, email me direct at thejaggythistle@substack.com. I’ve been writing about this subject this week in The Times, where I do a weekly column on Scottish politics. You can read it here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/anas-sarwar-reform-nigel-farage-election-d8cwh63t8 I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- WHAT IS THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST? The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    26 min

  4. Mar 15

    Reform UK is fomenting racism in Scotland

    ​THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I am talking about the racist tropes used by Reform UK’s Malcolm Offord in the Holyrood election campaign. I locate these tropes in the centuries-long fight for civil rights in the United States. And I argue that their incendiary use in the Scottish Parliament election campaign must be called out at all times. I’ve been writing about this in my weekly column in The Times. You can read my column here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/malcolm-offord-is-recycling-a-dangerous-racist-trope-lv09ktkv7 Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on this platform. Or, if you’d rather, email me direct at thejaggythistle@substack.com. I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- WHAT IS THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST? The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min

  5. Mar 8

    An SNP majority is no mandate for independence

    ​Today I’m talking about the issue of independence in the Holyrood election campaign. And I’m arguing that an SNP parliamentary majority on May 7 will not be a legitimate mandate for a new referendum on independence. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on this platform. Or, if you’d rather, email me direct at thejaggythistle@substack.com. I wrote about independence in my column in The Times last week. If you’d like to read it here is a link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/an-snp-majority-in-may-wont-justify-another-independence-push-9kcwkj5qm I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- WHAT IS THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST? The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min

  6. Feb 27

    Good riddance to Alex Salmond's Alba party

    Today I’m writing about the demise of Alex Salmond’s Alba party. The party’s current leader, Kenny MacAskill, says Alba is unlikely to be able to stand candidates in the forthcoming Holyrood elections. Why did Alba fail? I argue the party was never a legitimate political project. Rather, it was just a vehicle for Salmond’s animus towards his successor as SNP leader and first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. As such it never stood a chance with the Scottish public. Last week I wrote about the same subject in The Times. If you’d like to read that column here’s a link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/alba-party-was-vanity-project-that-became-a-vendetta-zk9whqkqv I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    27 min

  7. Feb 15

    Anas Sarwar's big gamble

    ​THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m talking about Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, and his call for the prime minister to resign. I argue this is an inflection point in Scottish politics and the Holyrood parliament campaign. I wrote about the same subject in The Times last week. If you’d like to read that column here’s the link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/far-from-futile-anas-sarwar-has-changed-the-national-conversation-lk5cggrj5 I talk in this podcast about new polling in The Sunday Times today, showing Sarwar’s big moment earned the approval of Scottish voters. You can read more about that poll here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/poll-anas-sarwar-revolt-keir-starmer-jtdc5m6vn I hope you’re enjoying The Jaggy Thistle Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel. That way you’ll never miss another episode. If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link in the blurb below. Alternatively, If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! -o0o- The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min

  8. Feb 4

    Hideous distortion: The flaw in Holyrood's electoral system

    THE JAGGY THISTLE PODCAST: Today I’m looking at a fundamental problem in Scottish democracy - a flaw in the electoral system that could very well give us a Scottish parliament that does not reflect the political views of the Scottish people. My column in The Times this week is on the same subject. If you’d like to read it you can find it here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/holyrood-election-reform-2026-xkstxjlqj Please subscribe to this channel if you haven’t already. That way you’ll never miss another podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast why not buy me a coffee? You can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/thejaggythistle Two sugars, please! If you’d like to be better informed about Scottish politics and Scottish culture why not subscribe to The Jaggy Thistle newsletter on Substack, if you haven’t already? It’s a community and a conversation. You’d be very welcome. There’s a link below. -o0o- The Jaggy Thistle is a podcast with a focus on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. The podcast is presented by Kenny Farquharson, an award-winning Scottish journalist who is a political commentator with The Times. The Jaggy Thistle is also a Substack newsletter with essays, reportage, analysis and documentary photography. Subscribe for free here: https://thejaggythistle.substack.com You may well enjoy this podcast if you are a fan of The Rest is Politics, The State of It, The News Agents, Newscast, Holyrood Sources, Planet Holyrood, The Stushie, The Steamie, The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Coffee House Shots, The New Statesman Podcast, Scotcast and Americast. -o0o- “A chield’s amang you takin notes, And faith he’ll prent it.” Robert Burns -o0o- Get full access to The Jaggy Thistle at thejaggythistle.substack.com/subscribe

    19 min
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About

Award-winning journalist Kenny Farquharson on Scottish politics and Scottish culture. thejaggythistle.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Kenny Farquharson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kenny Farquharson
  • Show Website
    The Jaggy Thistle Podcast