Loading summary
Transcript175 lines
- [00:00]
A
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk. Yes, you can. A five minute quick and easy calorie burning workout. Give it a try. Come join our sweat sesh on TikTok. Hello, this is our mega Live pre elections election cast special. Were there enough words in that title? Basically, this is your last episode of Newscast before voting in the elections for local authorities in England, the Scottish part, Parliament and the Welsh Senate. And we're going to touch lots and lots of bases. And this was broadcast live on the BBC News Channel and iplayer on Thursday evening. So you can imagine it's got a bit of a live vibe to it. And if you stay right till the end, there will be a bonus for you as a podcast listener, which is me and Chris catching up with our new celebrity pal Paddy McGinnis from Radio 2 after our guest appearance on his quiz. And there's going to be a lot of news that you're going to want to get your heads around in the next few days. And if you want to make sure you never miss an episode of Newscast as we bring you all that news and the best analysis in the business, then you can subscribe to us on BBC Sounds. And you will never miss an episode of Newscast. An episode such as this one. Newscast.
- [01:16]
B
Newscast from the BBC.
- [01:22]
A
Hello, it is Adam in the newscast studio.
- [01:24]
C
And hello, it's Laura in the newscast studio.
- [01:26]
A
And Laura in classic style, because you've got many programmes to make over the next 36 hours. You're going to be here for about 10 minutes.
- [01:31]
C
I'll be here for 10 minutes. Marvellous. 10 minutes that. Let's hope they will be.
- [01:34]
A
Yes, and that will seem very short compared to the 36 hours of broadcasting you will be doing.
- [01:38]
C
Yes, we are going to be on air. Not me all the time, but me much of the time, for 21 hours on BBC1.
- [01:44]
A
It's almost like there's a lot of results and a lot of different elections to get our heads around.
- [01:47]
C
Almost like there's a big contest on.
- [01:49]
A
Should we just remind everyone what we're actually looking out for? So we've got in England, lots of local authorities, but not all of them. 136 of them. 5,000 councillors.
- [01:59]
C
That's right, more than 5,000 councillors, as you said, 136 town halls up for grabs. They are dotted around the country, not everywhere, but all the boroughs in London. Some other big councils like Manchester and Birmingham have got elections too, but also lots of smaller councils too, in all sorts of bits of England. So, yes, so there's England Then there's Scotland and there's Wales and there's hugely vital national contests with the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Parliament, otherwise known as the Synod.
- [02:31]
A
And the good news is, when Laura has to go off and do her day job, I will not be sat here on my own because we've got some other newscasters with us. Chris Mason is at Westminster. Hello, Chris.
- [02:39]
D
Hello. Hello.
- [02:40]
A
Felicity Evans, host of our sister podcast Walescast, is in Cardiff. Hello, Felicity.
- [02:45]
C
Hello, Adam.
- [02:46]
A
And BBC Scotland editor James Cook is outside the Scottish Parliament. Hello, James.
- [02:50]
D
Hello, Adam.
- [02:51]
A
James, have you built your own studio for these elections? It looks very sophisticated where you're sitting.
- [02:55]
D
Yeah, they've built me this whole studio. It's just for newscast. It's just nice. It's nice, isn't it?
- [03:00]
A
Are you going to send me the bill?
- [03:02]
D
It's definitely someone else's studio that we're squatting in. It does look good.
- [03:07]
A
And before we get into the issues, just like the sort of the science bit, Felicity, the big news in Wales, apart from the results and the campaigns, is the new voting system.
- [03:16]
E
Yes, that's right. I'm a bit jealous that James has got a special studio and I'm making do here with the Cardiff newsroom, but
- [03:21]
A
feels like we're just on a teams call with you.
- [03:23]
E
Yeah, absolutely. I know. I couldn't even get the newsroom camera this evening. Yes, it's all up in the air in Wales. It's the first time that we've had a system like this, so we've really got very little to compare it to in terms of baselines, because everything's different. We've got a new voting system which is more proportional than first past the post, but not totally proportional. We've got new constituencies. There are only 16 constituencies now, but they are big and they will elect six MS's each, which means we'll also have a bigger senev after Thursday, when the new MSS are voted in, and we'll have 96 new MSS instead of the old number, which was 60. So virtually everything is different about this election and.
- [04:09]
A
And, Chris, I'll come to you for some. Some big picture analysis in a second. But, Laura, just before you go and carry on your rehearsals, I mean, is there a big kind of overarching plot line for these elections or is it as it sounds, lots of different contests?
- [04:22]
C
It's both, actually. So if I can say it's both, it is both, because, first and foremost, local elections and. And elections for Holyrood and for the Senate are always primarily about who are the people going to be who are going to make decisions that genuinely make a difference to the quality of our lives. That's the most important thing. That's what they're all about. However, given that there is a government with a very tricky position, given that there is a government who have been very unpopular, given that there is a leader who has long been seen by many in his party as not the right person for the job, without question, the second part of this story, which is probably what will develop more kind of late Friday and into Saturday and Sunday, is whether or not this could be the moment when, when Keir Starmer's rivals for the job actually have the bottle to do something about it, is the Labour Party, rather than whispering in corridors, sending angry whatsapps to each other, briefing journalists with only the odd MP with the bottle to go over the top and say, we should change the leader, is this going to be the moment that the party actually does, that we simply don't know the answer to that question? It's possible. It's absolutely not inevitable. But it strikes me that the question after these results is likely to be, as we go into the weekend, what is the evidence that the Labour Party has in front of it that changing the leader would improve their standing? And what is the evidence that Keir Starmer can actually change and regain anything of the party's popularity? Because whether it's the polls, whether it's the conversations that we've all had on the road, whether it's the conversations we've had over a period of many months with Labour MPs, MSPs, Senate members, activists, members of the public, they've got a very big problem. And this weekend has long been seen in as the moment that whether or not labor is going to try and fix that problem. That said, what I would just say a member of the Cabinet said to me recently, political changes. When people thinks about a big moment, actually, it's like when you see the lighthouse in the distance and when you're actually at the lighthouse, that's not the moment when anybody does anything, because we all know it's coming. So, you know, I know that there are people being drafted into Downing street to help fight for the Prime Minister's authority on Friday. Obviously, people have been talking for ages about what they might do. This weekend often actually doesn't turn out to be the moment at all.
- [06:50]
A
I think I need to spend more time sailing to understand that metaphor.
- [06:53]
C
Well, just if you can see it coming right, if you can see this big fat problem coming with you, then you know how to go around it.
- [06:58]
E
And actually.
- [06:59]
C
So I probably explained it very badly.
- [07:01]
A
No, no, not at all.
- [07:02]
C
When it was expressed to me, it was probably much more effective. So sorry about that.
- [07:06]
A
Laura, you please go whenever you need to go.
- [07:08]
C
Oh, we'll all be reunited, I think, at various points over the next few days. So thank you for having me today. Newscast is always a joy to be
- [07:14]
A
with you and enjoy your copious bananas and nuts, which I learned after doing my own all nighter is actually the healthiest way to get through these processes.
- [07:20]
C
And then chocolate on day two. Tea all night. Remember, tea all night and then coffee in the morning, coffee at night.
- [07:25]
A
No, you go to Laura Kuenssberg.
- [07:27]
C
Thank you, everybody.
- [07:28]
E
There we go.
- [07:28]
A
Laura, thank you very much. Pleasure, Chris. Laura was talking about what might come after, but I think let's for now focus on what we've been reporting on in the last couple of weeks and the last couple of months from the campaign trail. I noticed the last few nights on the 10 o' clock news, you've had this magnum opus of traveling around all the elections. So I feel you've probably got a very good sense of just how the whole country feels at the moment.
- [07:50]
F
Well, I wouldn't want to overstate that.
- [07:51]
A
I mean, that's my job to do that.
- [07:54]
F
I've done a fair bit of dashing about. But I think, you know, as we were exploring there with Laura, the very nature of this set of elections is actually a reminder of the kind of complexity of how we're governed around the uk. So places with elections, places without them, there are differences within and between the contests happening in England, in Scotland and Wales. So that's an added level of complexity. Devolved parliaments being elected in Scotland and Wales, English local authorities in parts of England and then some mayoral races too. And sometimes it's all out councils where every seat is being contested. In other places, it's a third of council seats being contested. And of course those places in Northern Ireland and England without any contests at all. And I think because of that, the nature of that complexity, it is, you know, I can't claim to be savvy about the precise mood in, you know, parts of West Yorkshire or parts of London that I'm not familiar with or parts of, you know, you name it. But I think what we. We can take away and the parties across the piece acknowledge, is that kind of range of competitiveness that there is now, both geographically and in party political terms, how Labour and the Conservatives both feel squeezed at the. At the Same time, and how, at least for now, this kind of multi party politics in a multi polity uk, with the different nations having their own, if you like, perspectives and arguments and conversations about what matters and who's up and who's down, etc, etc. That for me is the sort of takeaway thought at this point. And then obviously once the, the electorate has taken its collective set of decisions, then the stewing over the outcome begins.
- [09:48]
A
And James, I mean, at street level, in the English local authority elections, so much of it seems to have boiled down to potholes. I think we're in the middle of a pothole crisis, if you judge how angry and voluminous the complaints about the state of the roads have been. If you listen to an English local radio phone in, even though actually English local authorities, their main jobs is looking after adult social care and facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities. What are things you've just been hearing time and time and time again in the Scottish campaign trail?
- [10:22]
D
I mean, as we discussed with Alex Forsyth, you know, that issue of the state of the cities, the state of the country, and to use a very highfalutin for phrase, the public realm has definitely come up that, that's come up a lot. But pollsters will tell you that what comes up over and over and over again, and this is, you know, this is the case in the private polling of the political parties as well, because they all talk about it constantly, is the cost of living. It's the cost of living, it's the economy. I actually think it's interesting if you add together the NHS comes very, very high in list of voter concerns as well, but that if you add cost of living, economy, housing, arguably a cost of living issue, together they just seem to massively outweigh everything else. There are a lot of unhappy voters and Adam, there's a lot of undecided voters, or at least a decent number. Maybe it's been coming down as we've got closer to the polls. And don't forget, some people have voted, you know, by post already. But, you know, it's been, they've been hard times, haven't they? We've had faltering growth, we've had war, we've had high inflation problems in the nhs. So I suppose two questions who do voters blame and who do they trust to fix what's going on here? I think they're two of the big questions at the heart of this election.
- [11:42]
A
And then, Felicity, if we try and map those issues onto actual party politics and campaigns, how has that unfolded from your point of view in Cardiff?
- [11:51]
E
Well, I think James is bang on about cost of living being the single biggest issue in this campaign. But just to refer back to what Chris and Laura were saying, Adam, you know, Keir Starmer is a big figure in the Senev election campaign, undoubtedly. And Elinad Morgan, the current First Minister and Welsh Labour leader, is constantly being asked about him. Only today she was asked whether he would have to resign on Friday if there was a bad set of election results. And she said, look, I'm focusing on getting the vote out tomorrow. I'm not prepared to speculate about what might happen on Friday. So not a ringing endorsement there from illy Ned Morgan currently, but when you go out and speak to voters, their big issues are cost of living, they are the state of the nhs. You know, we have long waiting times here in Wales and immigration features heavily for some, and obviously that's a big motivator for reform. But in terms of the way that that maps onto the larger picture, obviously we have Labour in power here in the Senate for 27 years uninterrupted, and we also have the double incumbency factor of an unpopular Labour government at a UK level, and the fact that in Wales we've had a century's worth of Labour dominance. So if the polls are to be believed, then, you know, I would suggest that the story on Friday is Wales, because we could see a vote that changes a century' worth of politics here. You know, one single vote and Labour dominance is gone in Wales for the first time in 100 years.
- [13:28]
F
I think it's a fascinating sort of observation and actually a challenge for us when we're broadcasting across the uk, to work out how we might anticipate telling the results, depending on what they are. Because clearly the prominence and significance of particular results will be determined by where it is you're watching, listening or reading around the uk. But in a scenario, and of course, we await the results and the votes and decisions of millions of people, but in a scenario where, as looks very likely, Labour are no longer leading the government in Wales after these elections and potentially, if the polls are to be leaved, are relegated into third place, then that result, the significance of that result, the ramifications, psychologically it'll have for the Labour Party and therefore potentially for the Prime Minister, I think we really shouldn't underestimate, particularly in a context where the indications are we could see significant gains for reform in all three nations of the UK that have elections this time, Scotland, Wales and England. And as is widely expected, if the S and P are the biggest party in the Scottish Parliament and head into another term of governance there, yes, that's wounding for Labour because a few years ago they might have anticipated winning there themselves, but they remain amongst the also rands, if you like. As opposed to, as you were saying there, Felicity, being toppled, being removed from power, particularly after so, so long.
- [15:03]
E
This is the thing. And you know, I was speaking to one Welsh Labour campaigner about the experience on the doorstep and, you know, you speak to a lot of candidates and they'll say to you, look, it's not as bad as the polls say. I mean, they'll say it's bad, but it's not as bad as the polls say. But this chap then follow up by saying to me, I mean, it's a bit. They're treating us a bit like where their ex, you know, and with your ex, you pass the period of absolutely hating them and then you go into the period of just being indifferent to them. And when I knock on the door, I feel like I'm in that phase. So they don't hate us, they're just indifferent to us. Now, there are a lot of other candidates who will absolutely challenge that take and say they are in with much more of a shout than the polls are allowing them. And I think there's really a over the muscle memory for a lot of voters when they go in, you know, that tradition, that culture of voting, labor, you know, will they actually be able to ditch that when push comes to shove? We really don't know the answer. But, you know, it looks like a lot of Welsh candidates are really reaching for some cold comfort from some of the things they've been saying.
- [16:01]
A
Interesting. Normally on election programs, when you talk about X's, it's about where people are putting their cross on the ballot paper. So thank you for expanding that, Felicity. And also, if you're watching us live on iPlayer or the BBC News Channel or any of the other places where we're broadcasting this episode of Newscast Live, you may spot that Felicity has behind her a TV with this podcast on it. So it's kind of infinite. Yeah, no, she's looking at herself. Looking at herself, looking at herself forever and ever and ever. Right. A few of you have brought up individual party leaders. We've talked about Eleonid Morgan and Keir Starmer in Wales, and maybe we just talk about some of the other party leaders and how, how they've been getting on throughout the campaign and may do over the next few days. Chris, Zach Polanski elected as leader of the Green Party in England and Wales because it's a separate party in Scotland. Great fanfare, lots of enthusiasm for him amongst his own grassroots. But he's been now confronted with what the scrutiny of being a national level party leader at election time is really like.
- [16:56]
F
Yeah, I think that's right. You know, Zach Polanski, I think, has transformed the prominence of the Green Party of England and Wales in a way that I don't think we have seen in recent decades. It's a party that has ebbed and flowed. It's had its higher moments and its lower moments in terms of prominence. It's had some prominent figures like Caroline Lucas for a long time, the only Green MP in Parliament. But since Zach Polanski's election as the leader of the party in England and Wales, that their prominence, their poll ratings, their by election success the other month in Gordon and Denton, in Greater Manchester, has been really quite something. But with it, as you say, has come no end of scrutiny. The latest two strands of it. So an investigation by the Times which rooted out the detail that he had said that when he was campaigning for the deputy leader of the Green Party a couple of years ago, he'd suggested that he was a spokesman for the British Red Cross, which he now acknowledges, in fact, he was on the Today programme this morning, acknowledged that that wasn't accurate. He had sort of worked for them. He'd been on a stage with a microphone in his hand seeking to help them with their fundraising, et cetera, but acknowledged that that wasn't the same as being a spokesman. And the parties also face a lot of scrutiny about some of its candidates and what they have said, particularly allegations around anti Semitism. So I think in the way that we've seen for Nigel Farage and all those questions about that 5 million pound gift that he was in receipt of before the general election and before he was a parliamentary candidate, but which he didn't declare and his rival suggest he really ought to have done. And he says he didn't need to. Yeah, you get a cranking up of scrutiny, don't you, that comes with the territory of election campaigns, particularly if you are, you know, if you're polling well, if you're, if you're, if you're prominent and polling well, then the scrutiny notches up that. That fair amount. And Zach Polanski is, you know, feeling that. And there's some, there's some evidence from some polling around individual leaders that the last week or so has been difficult for him, particularly that retweet of the remarks relating to how the Metropolitan Police officers handled the detention of the alleged suspect in the Golders Green attack. So, yeah, an intriguing and not always easy couple of weeks for Zach Polanski, as prominent and vociferous, if you like, as the Green Party are.
- [19:24]
A
And James, Chris mentioned Nigel Farage, leader of Reform uk. They've got their own leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord. I mean, the received wisdom a few years ago in Scotland is that Nigel Farage would almost be sort of laughed out of town as a comedy Englishman. But actually that received wisdom has been turned on its head.
- [19:41]
D
Well, we'll see, I guess. I mean, yes, it certainly, the polls suggest that it's been turned on its head, at least to a certain extent. He's been up in Scotland in the campaign a bit less than I actually might have expected. Malcolm offered, has not appeared in front of the cameras at all today. My understanding is that he just didn't want to. And he's had, you know, he's had a fairly, you know, robust relationship with the media. He said in one of the television debates, he made a specific point of declaring his wealth, how much tax he'd paid. 48 million pounds he'd said he'd paid in tax. He said, I've got six homes, five cars, and. And he was challenging the Scottish Greens to say, do you want more people like me in the country? Or fewer. Fewer was their very quick answer. But he's not been. But then he didn't retreat from that message. He's been tweeting pictures of one of his boats and he's been saying, look, I'm aspirational, I think we should cut taxes. I came from a hard, you know, working class background in Greenock, which is not, with all due respect to some, both at Tenverclyde, not that necessarily the richest part of the country. So he has had an interesting campaign. And US Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, Adam, has had an interesting campaign as well. I mean, it's an extraordinary campaign, really, when you think about it, because it began, or before it began, he was calling for his own party leader, the man he campaigned for to become prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to quit. And he was doing that to sort of get it out of the way so he could try to focus on the Scottish National Party and what he says are its failures in government. And I think this all sort of gets to the heart of what's going on with this, with the elections in Scotland, because I think a lot of this campaign has been A battle about framing. It's been a battle about who is the challenger. The voters tell pollsters over and over again that they want some sort of change. So in a country which has two governments, the Scottish government and the UK government, alright, this is an election about who will run the Scottish government, as Laura points out, but it has two governments and obviously they intersect and one affects the other. And one of those governments wants fundamental constitutional change. And some of the other parties want pretty dramatic change. Not least, the Scottish Greens and Reform UK are saying the country should be run completely differently. You have the Lib Dems saying, we think things can be fixed and improved as well, and then Labour saying, no, no, no, we're the Change Party. So there's this real battle over who owns change. And I think that's going to, you know, whoever has won that battle will probably be whoever wins the election.
- [22:17]
A
And Felicity, in terms of the leader of Plaid Cymru, Rean AP Yourworth, who a few careers ago was a journalist, to what I mean, he obviously presents himself as like, Mr. Wales, but he's not like Mr. Wales, like a sort of like the equivalent of Alex Salmond when he was campaigning for independence for Scotland, when a few years ago, is he.
- [22:36]
E
No, that's right. I mean, he's really soft peddled the independence message during this election campaign. And when he. In various TV debates, for example, when he's been asked directly about it, he kind of answers the question with a question, you know, so, you know, an audience member in one debate said to him, look, do you have an independence agenda? And all this sort of thing. And his reply was, do I have ambition for Wales? Yes, I do. You know, that sort of thing. What the party has said, though, is that Srinath Pyodworth has said is that I understand that I've got to bring the people of Wales with me and it's not going to happen without your agreement. So what the party has said in their manifesto is that they're going to spend around. That they're going to spend around half a million pounds on a commission that will look at, you know, ways of sort of developing the independence agenda, if you like. But he's also ruled out, during the lifetime of the next Senate, any attempt to hold a referendum on independence. So it's something that, you know, he is trying to draw attention away from, I would say, and he is focusing far more on presenting Plaid Cymru as the way to stop reform. Winning the Seneff election. And I say winning, no one is likely to get A majority. I'm talking about maybe being largest party here. So he is trying to present this as a two horse race, Plaid Cymru versus Reform. The other parties obviously are challenging that narrative, saying no, under this new, more proportional system. It isn't just a two horse race. You don't have to vote like that.
- [24:04]
A
And Chris, do you want to just say a few words about Cammy Bay Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Ed Davy, the Lib Dem leader? And obviously bearing in mind what you said at the start, their parties are fighting different campaigns in different contexts around the uk, but they are the leaders of their. Their parties nationally. Yeah.
- [24:18]
F
So a couple of things. So in, in summary, the Conservatives are expecting to go backwards in these elections and the Liberal Democrats are expecting to go forwards. Just to unpack both of those a little, I think curiosity with Kemi Badenog is that she leads a party and took over the leadership of a party that was nursing the colossal wound of a colossal defeat at the last general election. And since then the party has gone in many senses backwards in the opinion polls and backwards in its headcount of MPs with the defections that they've been to Reform UK. And yet the parliamentary party seems chipper. It seems relatively together the loss of people like Robert Jenrick and think it to reformers actually helped that there's a sense around Kemi Badenoch and her MPs that she has worked her way into the role, that she's more confident in the role, that she is more prominent. She appears to be outperforming her own party in terms of popularity. Perhaps that's inevitable given where the party was after such a crushing general election defeat. I think for her perspective, in this set of elections, they will lose seats overall, but it won't be as bad a night or series of days of results for them compared with how it is for the Labour Party in all likelihood. And so, if you like, their misery will be drowned out by that, that we expect the Labour Party to have inflicted upon it. As for the Liberal Democrats, they are scrapping in this sort of multi party world. They are no longer, if you like, as prominent a alternative to the Big Two at Westminster as they might once have been in some context, because there are so many others competing to kind of fill that slot. I think they will make advances, particularly in places where they made advances at the Conservatives expense at the general election a couple of years ago. So places like Surrey and Hampshire in the south of England, they've got their eyes on places like Stockport and Hull as. As well. And I should say that for all of these contests, there's a full list of candidates on the BBC News website. But, yeah, they are looking to make some progress against what's been occasionally a bit of chat at Westminster among some of their MPs privately about whether or not they are making the most of their 72 MPs at Westminster. But I think Ed Davey, in all likelihood, come the weekend, we'll have things he can point to that that amounts of progress from his perspective, and then
- [26:51]
A
Felicity will have this big moment of drama of the results in Wales, for example, and then actually there might be, I'm not going to say chaotic, but actually forming a government because there's a good chance no party will have won enough seats to be in charge on their own.
- [27:03]
E
Yeah, that's the probability that no party will get a majority. You need to get 49 seats now. And the system really is engineered to try to prevent one party getting a majority. So then that begs the question of how all this will come out in the wash. I mean, if reform is the largest party, led by Dan Thomas, the Welsh leader, then arguably he's got limited options in terms of who he can work with, because the Welsh Conservatives have said that they would work with reform, but the parties on the left have said that they wouldn't. So arguably that gives Srinath Biodwath and Plaid more options. The Greens, who also are pro independence for Wales, and the Liberal Democrats too, although they've said they have a red line on anything that would further the independence agenda. So there's going to be a lot of horse trading come the results being declared. Hopefully Friday night, maybe into Saturday. We'll see.
- [27:52]
A
Yeah.
- [27:52]
D
Outright victory is unusual in the Scottish Parliament because, as you point out, the electoral system is designed to have a proportional element. There are 73 constituency MSPs elected first past the post. That is to say, the person who gets the most votes wins. And then there are 56 regional MSPs elected by proportional representation. So that electoral system makes minority or coalition government the norm. There's only been one occasion in the seven. Seven elections. Yeah. There have been seven elections since devolution in 1999, five of which, if this is the seventh, isn't it? So if the SNP win this, this will be their fifth victory in a row and there's only been one that resulted in a majority. And we know what happened. That was 2011, the SNP majority, and it led to a referendum on independence. And John Swinney, the Scottish National Party leader, is campaigning on that platform, saying, give me another majority and I will. Effectively there will be another independence referendum. Other parties completely reject that. Labour say no, they won't. It's up to the UK government. The Supreme Court has ruled that. And the Scottish Conservatives have been particularly keen to talk about this throughout the election campaign, saying they are the defenders of. Of the union, because that's worked well for them electorally in the past and they're just hammering that point home again at this election. They were second last time, don't forget there, before this parliament behind me dissolved, they were the second biggest party here and they now, the polls suggest they're. They're really fighting for their place because Reform UK might be taking some of their votes. So they're really keen to hammer home this pro unit message.
- [29:35]
A
Right, we're approaching the end of this final episode of electioncast newscast, or at least the last one before the results. I'm going to give you all a final word and it's up to you. What you leave us with. Is it something that you are looking out in particular for over the next few days? Is it a niche thing that maybe you think is underestimated in what's going to happen? Who wants to go first? Felicity, why don't you go first?
- [29:57]
E
Yeah, thanks, Adam. I mean, one of the things I'm going to be looking at is turnout, because turnout's always been pretty low at Senate elections. It's never hit 50. And one of the theories for that has been the lack of jeopardy in Welsh Senate elections. The idea that a lot of people don't bother to turn out and vote because they think it's baked in that Labour will just get back into government. Well, obviously this time around there is actual jeopardy, as we've already discussed in the Welsh Senate election. So that's going to put this theory to the test. So I'm going to be keeping an eye on turnout to see whether it is higher. Can it beat that 50% mark? I think it's open to question because, you know, speaking to a lot of. And going back to what James was saying there about cost of living being a really dominant issue, I think a lot of people are feeling pretty disillusioned, to be honest, with the whole thing. So we'll see what happens with turnout.
- [30:49]
A
James?
- [30:50]
D
I mean, I think that the interesting question is there are a lot of tight constituencies in Scotland. The polls have suggested the SNP are in a commanding position, but actually it wouldn't take a huge amount to swing that in the other direction. That's the great hope for the Labour Party, the Scottish Labour Party. One thing to look for is if they do very badly, if he comes third behind Reform uk, even if he comes second, doesn't as Sarwar have to resign. But there's this saying in US politics that undecided voters, and we've heard there might be quite a lot of them, always break for the challenger. Who is the challenger here? You know, there's a big debate about that. Everyone's been basically vying to say that one way or another, they are the challenger. And so, you know, it's up to the voters now to decide who they want to run their to run the Scottish government to be in charge and the parliament, which I'm sitting in front of here in Edinburgh.
- [31:43]
A
And Chris, you've had ages to think up of a final word, so it better be amazing.
- [31:47]
F
Psychology and numbers, the psychology of the electorate that will drive the numbers that we unpick on Friday and Saturday, which will then drive the psychology of the political, political leaders in responding to what they have been presented with by the electorate. And that's where the story will march on from Friday and Saturday onwards.
- [32:06]
A
And that was an excellent final thought. Thank you very much, Felicity. Thank you very much.
- [32:10]
E
Thank you. Pleasure as always, James.
- [32:12]
A
Thanks to you.
- [32:13]
D
Thanks, Adam. Great to talk to you all.
- [32:15]
A
And now, Chris, should we give newscasters the little extra election cast bonus of the celebrity guest based conversation we had earlier?
- [32:22]
F
Why not?
- [32:23]
A
Here it is. Now, Chris, as a special treat for newscasters listening to us on the podcast edition, should we reminisce about the little side quest we did a few Sundays ago?
- [32:35]
F
Oh, you're gonna gloat about your victory?
- [32:37]
A
I mean, I did win on guessing whether Paddy McGuinness was holding up his right hand or his left hand.
- [32:41]
F
It wasn't on Knowledge and I twice faced the 5050 question of left hand and right hand and twice got it wrong.
- [32:47]
A
Shall we have a little listen to our triumphant appearance on Radio 2? Well, triumphant for me at least.
- [32:52]
B
Oh, you'll never be able to face the Prime Minister again after this,
- [32:57]
F
whoever
- [32:58]
B
that might be next week or week after it probably changes as quick as that. Right, here we go. I'll do the first bit. When I say go, you're gonna come in, Chris.
- [33:06]
D
Okay.
- [33:15]
B
Push pineapple, shake a tree.
- [33:17]
F
I gotta manage the tune. That's gotta be worth half the point.
- [33:20]
B
Can't give you that, Chris. We've got to be strict on this quiz. What a segue this is. But what was Bugs Bunny's famous catchphrase
- [33:31]
A
oh, no, no, I saw a puddy cat.
- [33:34]
D
Because that's Tweety Pie.
- [33:35]
B
No, that's Sylvester in it. Sylvester. No, it's what's up Doc?
- [33:38]
E
Watch up, Doc.
- [33:39]
B
Of course it is, Chris, you beheads. Adam's tails. Chris's heads. Adam's tails. Flip it. And this is. You get to pick left or right, whoever goes first.
- [33:50]
C
Here we go.
- [33:51]
F
I got what's up Doc as well. Right. It's come out of heads.
- [33:57]
B
Right, right, you've got the first shout. This is it. Right, the ball phone camera. I'm gonna have to go right around the corner here.
- [34:05]
A
Right under the desk.
- [34:06]
B
Here we go. This is for a tie breaking shoot. I'm gonna be out of the street. Right, Chris, you've got the first penalty, pal. Get it right and you win the paddy pen. Am I holding up my left or my right hand?
- [34:21]
F
Your right hand. I'm going for your right hand, Paddy.
- [34:26]
B
He's the left. Adam is today's weakest liquid.
- [34:30]
A
Do you know what might make this wander down memory lane? Even better if Paddy McGuinness was here.
- [34:38]
B
I've got to say though, Adam Techn, Chris getting it completely wrong,
- [34:46]
A
which was itself just luck.
- [34:49]
F
No, exactly. It's cruel but true, Paddy. It's cruel but true.
- [34:53]
A
But Paddy, thank you so much, so much. Thank you so much for having us on.
- [34:56]
B
Oh, it was, it was so good. Because obviously, you know what you two do, you know, it can be. It's quite a serious business in it is the old politics and the fact that you both came on and just let your ear down and add a bit of fun. The listeners absolutely love seeing that Sadie as well. So thank you very much, gentlemen.
- [35:16]
F
No, no, it's a joy. It was a joy. Even if, even if I'm being barracked by my little lad the whole time. What do you mean? You didn't say left hand.
- [35:22]
C
You didn't even.
- [35:23]
A
Right hand.
- [35:25]
F
No, it's a lot of fun.
- [35:26]
A
And I'll never watch a Bugs Bunny cartoon ever again after forgetting his catchphrase if I might never even go to the doctor again.
- [35:34]
B
Yeah, it's true though, isn't it? When you, when you, when you watch it, even when you were sat at home on the coach and you're watching any qu. The TV and you pretty much can get most of the answers right, but when you're there and the pressure's on and everyone's listening to you, you can never quite pull the answer out the back of your mind.
- [35:49]
F
It's funny that, isn't it how it can be easier at the traffic lights on my way home from the baths on a Sunday morning. And you know, you think, oh yeah, I know that. But then when you're there and you're concentrating and you think, I really want to get it and you're actually paying attention properly as opposed to thinking the lights have just changed or whatever, you can't do it. It's weird.
- [36:05]
B
No, no, it is different. And then you sort of broadcast in live to the, to the nation.
- [36:10]
A
It's like the pressure's on now, Paddy. As well as you arriving in person down the line, a padded envelope also arrived in the newscast studio today, which I suspect may be related to this. So let's have a seat.
- [36:22]
F
This is like the what you could have won section for me. I'm picturing Jim Bowen now and showing me some caravan.
- [36:27]
A
It is the paddy pan.
- [36:29]
B
Oh, there we go. Fantastic. Not only have we sent it in a padded envelope, we're going to set up a padded cell as well for everything's Caddy related.
- [36:43]
F
Go on, Adam, describe and gloat at your, your winnings picture. Paint a picture.
- [36:48]
A
I'd say it's, it's defiantly mid range pen.
- [36:54]
B
We like to set the bar high,
- [36:57]
A
but it's got, it's got a lovely pressing action.
- [37:00]
B
Do you guys actually physically write a lot knowing your jobs or is it all typing on the phone and on the computer?
- [37:08]
F
I still do quite a bit of WR when I'm on the phone to people, which is all the time. You know, I'm, I'm scribbling down so I, my writing handwriting is dreadful so no one else would want to read it or could read it. But yeah, so I do, I do still do quite a bit of writing and sometimes when I'm out and about and you know, it's driving with rain or whatever and you. I can't get the laptop out or my phone's gonna get soaked. Good old fashioned notepad and actually pencil, because pens don't work when it's raining either, but pencils don't. So sometimes doing like an old fashioned, you know, write my script longhand with a pen. It feels quite wholesome doing that now and again.
- [37:42]
A
I just remember in the old days when I was a political correspondent at Westminster doing the early morning shifts and being in Downing street in the middle of winter in the dark and trying to write anything when you're that cold, you're like, I'll just have to remember all of this rather than write it down.
- [37:59]
B
Do you know you two will be absolutely used to being in and out of those press conferences, conferences at Downing Street.
- [38:07]
F
But.
- [38:08]
B
But I've got to say, when I. I went there, I've only been there once, no surprises. But I remember. I don't know what I was expecting when the door opened to Downing street, but it wasn't what I actually encountered. It's quite sort of. A little bit porky when you. And sort of a little bit sort of musty.
- [38:31]
F
Yeah. And when you speak to people who work in there, Paddy, of all different sort of political persuasions who, you know, suddenly find themselves, they're in politics and they' Downing street, which is like the ultimate place to go and work. And then they sort of turn up and it's a terraced house in central London and they're thinking, hang on a minute, this is like the centre of government for one of the biggest economies in the world. And it's a. It's a terraced house with all these kind of corridors and stairwells and it's not. It's not a modern office complex at all. And plenty of them say, oh, it feels a bit dysfunctional, but at the same time, it's kind of the. It's the place, isn't it? And also the other thing in that building is that one minute you're in a room with incredible portraits and maybe it's the Cabinet Room and all the history there, and then another one, you're in a little side kitchen and you could be. You could be anywhere. And there's a bit of washing up waiting to be done, and there's a mop in the corner and all of that, because kind of, that's how any kind of workplace is, I suppose.
- [39:22]
A
I think the two weirdest things about Downing street are. Number one, you can be in there in the middle of a massive global crisis and it's still quite calm. You sort of assume there'll be people running around, throwing papers around. That's just not how it works. And second of all, you're quite conscious that it's people's houses as well. And quite often you'll see like. Like the Chancellor's kids wandering down the stairs or the Prime Minister's wife popping out and you're like, oh, yeah, this is someone's house.
- [39:43]
B
It's essentially like when you used to go in a pub back in the day and the landlord would come walking. Oh, yeah, they live here, don't they? They live above the pub. Down street is just a really special
- [39:55]
A
pub now, Paddy, because me and Chris have Been part of one of your features. We wondered if you would like to be part of one of ours.
- [40:02]
B
Absolutely.
- [40:03]
A
So cue remote A voter. So, Paddy, just a reminder, this is where we are looking for people who cannot vote in person on May 7th because they're doing something else. And it doesn't have to be that they're a long way away. Although quite often newscasters are in very far flung destinations. But I love doing it because a bit like your show when. When you've got listeners calling in, it's a great way to just find out what people are up to and sometimes because you're just amazed by what hobbies people have or what adventures people are on. So our first person is the remote voter. So somebody who's not that far away. And it's Nick. He says, hello, newscast. I have a remoter voter submission which hopefully makes the cut. Good news, Nick. It has. Last May, I nipped out on my bicycle to ride around the world. Since then, I've crossed four continents and 32 countries. And I have to thank you for keeping me across what's been happening at home from afar. On the 7th of May, I will be nearly home, but not quite likely in Bilbao in Spain before crossing France and riding back into London on the 16th. So sad to be missing all that fun and having to eat tapas and go surfing instead.
- [41:07]
F
That is incred. I love the idea that somebody on a bike ride describes themselves as being nearly home when they're in Bilbao.
- [41:14]
A
I suppose if you've been across the world.
- [41:16]
F
I know, I know, but isn't that extraordinary?
- [41:17]
B
I'll tell you some at one.
- [41:19]
E
Nick.
- [41:19]
B
I take me out after Nick because I did a bike challenge a couple of years ago and I did just over 300 miles and my backside, it took about a week to get right.
- [41:30]
F
Now.
- [41:30]
B
Oh, Nick's going on. Or like doing that around the world is. Is behind. Must be made of leather.
- [41:37]
F
Now, when you say it took you a week to get your backside sort of back to how it should be, how was it for that week then? What was. What was.
- [41:48]
B
I'm not sure it's for the newscast audience. My. The ins and outs of my bike. But if I went on now, if I did Nick's challenge or going around the world, I reckon I'd get as far as rill where I'd need. I'd need the cream again. Me bottom's gone.
- [42:07]
F
It's.
- [42:07]
B
It's soft again now. I can't believe we're talking about this.
- [42:11]
A
Neither can I. On the eve of a Crucial set of elections. Right, let's now hear from our remoter voter. So this is somebody who's a little bit further afield, and it is. Is Eve. And she sent us a voice note.
- [42:25]
C
Hi, newscast. I'm usually not that far away from you. I'm just south of the river. But I will be a remoter voter on the 7th of May, because I will be in Houston, Texas. I'm also a journalist, and my beat is oil and gas. And I'll be at the Offshore Technology conference.
- [42:41]
A
Wow. I mean, I'd be quite tempted to go to that conference. I think it sounds quite interesting, especially in the current energy climate.
- [42:47]
B
Yeah, I'm gonna say. Did he say that? Was he Eve?
- [42:51]
A
Eve, yeah, yeah.
- [42:53]
B
Eve's gonna be really busy at the moment. Absolutely. Pulled out, is he? Well, you know, congratulations for actually casting the vote, because that is one job and a half to have at the minute. That.
- [43:05]
A
And now we're gonna hear from our remotest voter, who is Chris? Not our Chris, a different Chris. He's about 5,500 miles away, and he says, I usually vote by post as I work in the theater, which often involves touring. I'm jealous. At the last general election, I was working on a rep season in the Scottish Highlands, so it's pretty far from my electoral ward in southeast London. This election, I will beat my remoter voter personal best as I'm touring a play in Korea and will be in Pyeongtaek on May 7, and my wife will be voting for me as a proxy. I assume that's South Korea, not North.
- [43:41]
F
That is. I mean, that's quite a thing, isn't it? That's fantastic. I admire the kind of organization as well, of newscasters and thinking, oh, hang on a minute. I'm not gonna be around. Sort out the postal votes, sort out the props, get all the logistics right. You know, that's before you even start thinking about where you might be, you know, who you might be voting for and all that kind of stuff. So, you know, that's the enterprise of newscasters continues to surprise me in a great way. It's fantastic.
- [44:06]
B
Isn't it amazing people's lives, like, who ends up doing a play in South Korea? It's so amazing, isn't it? Like what people do.
- [44:17]
A
Paddy, I feel we could just chat all day, but we're gonna let you get back to preparing for your Radio 2 show on Sunday.
- [44:24]
B
Thank you very much. It's been an absolute pleasure to. To join you on your show. I am a big fan, as you know, and, and if we can get, if you can send me Laura and Paddy's autographs, I'll put them up in the studio as well.
- [44:37]
A
I mean, they love a quiz, so I think we should maybe get them lined up for a future installment.
- [44:41]
B
Well, Paddy has been on the show because I listen to his Radio 4 show on my way up in, because Radio 4amazes me. It's a law unto itself that that station, it's like some of the stuff they talk about. I'm like, one minute is politics, next minute it's, it's Gertrude's raspberries growing in an allotment in Devon or something. So. Yeah, but I'm a big fan and thanks very much for having me on.
- [45:06]
A
No, thanks for returning the favor and see you again soon.
- [45:08]
D
Cheers, buddy.
- [45:09]
B
Take care.
- [45:09]
D
Bye.
- [45:09]
F
Thank you. Cheers.
- [45:11]
A
What a really nice treat to round off our election coverage of 2026 and also sort of take our minds off the hardcore politics for a couple of so our current plan is that newscast will be back very early on Friday morning with the first set of results. But of course we will be monitoring the situation across the world in the meantime. And then I think the plan is to do a follow up newscast on Friday night, maybe after the 10 o' clock news when we've got a really, really clear picture of what has happened in Scotland, Wales and the areas of England where they're electing councillors. So that's all for this episode of electioncast. Newscast. I'll speak to you soon. Bye bye.
- [45:49]
C
Newscast, Newscast from the BBC, you've come
- [45:52]
A
to the end of Newscast. Some people, and you know who I mean, might say you ooze stamina.
- [45:57]
B
Can I encourage you to subscribe on BBC Sounds?
- [46:00]
A
And you can get in touch with us anytime? Email us@newscastbc.co.uk, you can WhatsApp us on 033-01-2390.
- [46:11]
E
Foreign.
- [46:17]
D
Big surprises could be waiting in Cash Avalanche Casino Slot.
- [46:21]
C
Every spin brings the chance for exciting rewards.
- [46:23]
D
Collect sweepstakes coins, join spin challenges and explore colorful themes.
- [46:28]
C
With frequent updates and smooth gameplay, the fun keeps going.
- [46:32]
D
Download Cash Avalanche Casino Slot on the
- [46:35]
C
App Store and claim your bonus.