Subscribers - The Lesley Riddoch Podcast

This week's episode focuses mainly on the rapidly changing shape of international relations under the influence of the Trump administration.
Keir Starmer made a major speech at Westminster signalling an increase in defence spending from 2.3 to 2.6% from 2027 onwards. This at the expense of aid and development. We analyse the speech and how he sought to secure not only support in the Commons but across the nation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyrkkv4gd7o

Starmer flies out to meet Trump on Thursday in the wake of the USA siding with Russia at the United Nations over the war in Ukraine. How will he handle this? What does the UK's abstention in the UN Security Council vote tell us about this?
https://news.sky.com/story/europeans-win-in-un-clash-with-us-over-rival-resolutions-on-ukraine-war-13316417
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160456
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7435pnle0go

In Germany the CDU/CSU became the largest party after the recent elections. However the far right AfD surged into second place. Will Merz, the leader of the CDU be able to form a coalition with the Social Democrats? Do his outspoken statements on Trump, NATO and Russia mean a complete change in pan European defence and security policy?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-elections-merz-trump-nato-b2703379.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx29wlje6dno
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/25/how-afd-the-left-won-the-german-youth-vote
Anas Sarwar claimed that the £200 million pound "investment" by the National Wealth Fund had secured the future of Grangemouth and showed the benefit of a Labour government. We subject both those statements to scrutiny.
https://www.nationalwealthfund.org.uk/

Along the way we look at the threat of AI legislation to the creative industries, Michael Shanks on Eigg, and biscuits.