How radical is Scotland?

To continue our summer of travel with Close Readings, Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley look at the medieval bestseller The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. The fictional traveller’s fantastical descriptions of different places, peoples and animals across the Holy Land and Asia ...  Show more

In April this year, the US Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's voting map on the grounds that state lawmakers had violated the constitution by creating a second district with a majority of Black voters. This was followed by a similar decision by the court in June, giving Alabam ...  Show more

With the Scottish parliament election less than a week away, Jack Blanchard looks back at the history of the Scottish nationalist movement and explains how it shifted from a fringe pursuit to perhaps the majority view in Scotland. Former First Ministers Alex Salmond and Jack McCo ...  Show more

Scotland has had a long and complicated relationship with its southern neighbour. But will it ever break free? In this episode, we explore the key arguments for and against Scottish independence and look at whether it will ever become an independent nation. Scottish independence ...  Show more

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure following the row over her gender reforms and a drop in the polls.

But is she in serious trouble, or will the dominant force in Scottish politics continue to confound her critics?

Matt hears from f ...

David and Helen are joined by the historian Colin Kidd to try to make sense of last week's elections in England, Scotland and Wales. What do they mean for the future of the UK? What do they mean for the future of the Labour Party? Are either (or both) in terminal trouble? Plus we ...  Show more