Sebastian Payne

Podcast: the SNP threat to Westminster and the myth of a house building crisis

Are the SNP poised to become Westminster’s kingmakers? On this week’s View from 22 podcast, Alex Massie discusses this week’s cover feature on the role the Scottish nationalists could play after the next general election. If the SNP wipe out Labour north of the border, will questions about the future of the union be back on the table? How is propping up a Labour government second prize for the SNP? And are the Scottish elections in 2016 more important to Scottish labour than this year’s battle?

James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman also discuss why the upcoming election will not be very general. Are any of the parties planning to fight a national campaign? Do the opinion polls say anything relevant about the state of the campaign? And are the party leaders simply talking past each other, avoiding the real issues?

Plus, Simon Jenkins and James Forsyth debate the problems with house building in Britain. Is there a myth of a house-building crisis, as Simon suggests in the magazine this week? Or is this another example of nimbyism that has lead to shortage of suitable housing young people can buy?

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