Nicola Sturgeon’s "Frankly" & Scotland’s Elected Mayors

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has released her long-awaited memoir Frankly — and it’s already sparking old feuds, reigniting the Alex Salmond debate, and deepening divisions inside the SNP.

In this episode of the Holyrood Sources Podcast, Calum Macdonald and Andy Maciver unpack:

• Sturgeon’s claims about Alex Salmond during the independence referendum
• The SNP’s internal factions: Team Sturgeon, Team Salmond & Team Swinney
• Her reflections on Gender Recognition Reform and the Isla Bryson case
• How her leadership shifted SNP ideology — and her political legacy
• The election wins and controversies that defined her time in power

Later, former Edinburgh Council leader Donald Anderson joins to debate the future of local government in Scotland:

• Should Scotland follow Manchester’s Andy Burnham model with city region mayors?
• Is Holyrood too centralised for effective local democracy?
• Reforming (or replacing) council tax and giving councils more power to raise revenue
• Could stronger local leadership transform Scotland’s economy?

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