Interview: First Minister John Swinney

Podlitical

BBC

Government, News

4.6 • 157 Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney sits down with Podlitical. The First Minister talks about becoming SNP leader right before the UK general election was called, how he worried his party faced a wipeout when the polls closed, and how he believed he was "the only person on the planet who could turn it around" for the SNP following a bruising period under former First Minister Humza Yousaf. Swinney talks about the realisation he'd entered a "government bubble", why he believes the SNP is back on the front foot post-Scottish budget, and how he wants to make Scottish independence a "compelling proposition".

For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	BBC Sounds
0:02.4	You're listening to BBC Scotland
0:09.7	Hello, you're listening to Podlitical, BBC Scotland's podcast that brings you the latest
0:16.5	from Holyrood and Westminster.
0:18.4	It is about 20 past four on Wednesday the 18th of December. I'm
0:22.8	Phil Sim, a journalist based at Holyrood and today I am joined in our Scottish Parliament studio,
0:27.0	not by one of my BBC colleagues but by John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland.
0:31.7	Indeed, John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland. How are you?
0:35.3	I'm well very well.
0:36.4	Thank you for joining us on Political. So, First Minister, eh. So you've been First Minister of Scotland. How are you? I'm well. I'm very well. Thank you for joining us on political.
0:38.3	So, First Minister, yeah.
0:39.3	So you've been First Minister for, is it seven months now?
0:42.3	About seven months, yeah, just over that.
0:44.3	You enjoying it?
0:45.3	Loving it, yeah.
0:46.3	Enjoying it wouldn't be a word I'd use.
0:48.3	I'd say loving it.
0:49.3	Loving it. It's an absolute privilege in my life and I am loving it all.
0:55.9	Days where it's full of joy, days where it's full of difficulty, but throughout it all, I'm loving it.
1:02.7	I can believe that in a way because I've seen lately you do seem to be quite enjoying, you know, the sort of rumble-tumble of the politics in the chamber in particular.
1:12.0	I feel like it's changed a bit from the way things were at the very start.
1:15.1	When you first came in his first minister, obviously, it's a sort of turbulent period.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -98 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.