YouSaid · the spoken record

Stephen Flynn

lines on the record: 58
first: 2023-05-18
most recent: 2023-05-18
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Oh no, the SMP are going up. You know, there's a lot of folk who are hoping for the demise of the Scottish National Party, but Nick, I'm very confident about where we are. We're just getting started and we're moving on to brighter and better things.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I don't think United are in a particularly good spot at the moment, which is very frustrating for me. It's a big passion among. And I'm fearing the worst at this point, as I think a lot of United fans are.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think we can certainly be at the heart of the independence campaign because that's what we're here for. But simultaneously, that general election will go back to it offers us an opportunity to really see the stars align and give us a chance to have that referendum.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So we need to do two things we need to get the independence campaign up and running, be at the forefront of it. We are the party of change, we are the party of independence.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I've never felt like I've not been able to disagree with the party. I know others have. You can disagree without being disagreeable. And I think within a political party, we need to be able to have disagreements and discussions both internally and externally. But once we decide where we want to go, we need to go there together as a united force. And I think we can get back to that place.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Within the party itself, there's obviously a desire for a bit more openness, discussion, transparency. I'm game for that. I think that's a good thing. Disagree.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But when we, so this is the important part there. So, one, we need to hit energy security, but two, when we tried to make this just transition, and this is hugely important for Aberdeen, the North East Scotland, the entire Scottish economy, we need some of the big energy majors to go on that journey with us because they've got the ones with the skills, knowledge and expertise to do these things. And this has got to be a partnership, a partnership to secure energy security for all our futures.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“If there's climate compatibility checks which can be met, and if it's essential to meet our energy security demands without us having to import oil from elsewhere, which has higher carbon intensity, then I think we should be able to have discussions about where we need to be and how we need to get there. And energy security has got to be at the heart of that.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“When we have this discussion, and I sometimes get a little bit frustrated by it because it's very polarized, and I think our mindset should be as very much the what is our demand for energy, because in the West we like to consume lots and lots of energy. And how do we meet our demand? And in that regard, energy security has got to be at the forefront of what we're doing.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Think what we're talking about is building new relationships, not tearing them down. Let's have Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland operating on even terms. Let's make sure that Scotland has access to a market which is seven times larger than the UK market. Look at how the Irish economy is doing. They've got a budget surplus. They've got GDP growth, I think, of 5.9%. And compare it to the UK. So the opportunities are there. We need to gas.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So, I think what the Windsor framework has shown is that you can get to a place which is mutually beneficial, and I think that can be achieved in Scotland's case as well, because it's not just a benefit to Scotland, it's a benefit to people in England as well. Let's reflect on the energy trade and the like that flows from Scotland down to the rest of the UK. There's”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So, I think the important thing when we're talking about that is to reflect on the words of the Prime Minister, with the best of both worlds and the like. And yeah, I do want Scotland to have the best of the both worlds. And I think that we can get to a point where we can have access to that single market, but also have good relations with the rest of the UK.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Hypocritical to do it. I didn't open my mouth apart from express complete shock at how good the Welsh Sigur was, I've forgotten his brin phenomenal. I think that was the only occasion I opened my mouth in the course of the couple hours I was there.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was quite uncomfortable with it, the opulence, you know, there's folk in my constituency saying right across Scotland who've got nothing, can't afford to heat their homes or feed their kids, can't afford baby formulas we've seen in the news over the course of the last few days. In the meantime, there's one of the world's most expensive jewels walking past you on a count on someone's head. That's a hard thing for me to get my head around. I don't necessarily understand why we're in that space, but I was there for the reason that I'm the leader of the third party at Westminster. It's the head of state and I'll respect them whilst they're still in that role.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Of course, at a time that the public want that, if people stick it in their manifestos in independent Scotland and the folk vote for it, then let's do it. But the point of why we went to the coronation is an important one because the head of state is our head of state and deserves to be respected in that regard. Now, if you have a democratically elected head of state who's not of the political ilk that you like, you're still going to have to go and respect them because that's how democracy works.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It means that if they want to change the head of state to a democratically elected one, then that would be something they'd say about.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So I'm quite relaxed about this because I think that the people of Scotland should be able to decide who the head state is. And if they want to be the monarchy, then so be it. If they don't, then they should be empowered to change it. You're the”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think just to challenge you there, and I think we are winning the country well, you know, when we look at, we often get education. The 95% of school leavers in Scotland go to positive destinations when it's the health service. Scotland got the best performing health service in the entire UK. Of course, there's challenges within government. That's true right across the UK.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“These numbers do matter. Broadly speaking, there's been ones in the last couple of years where we've been ahead and then the no sides been ahead as well. But broadly speaking, we're roughly 50-50. We're stuck in a logjam. And the only way to break that logjam, in my view, is to obviously let folks decide where they want to go. But we need to have an opportunity to get to that space, which is what that hung parliament affords us. It affords us the opportunity for Scotland to be empowered.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, so this is the important point because as we now know due to the Supreme Court last year, the authority and control over this West with Westminster, that's wrong. It should rest in Holyrood and it should be for democratically elected members in Scotland to have the power to define their own future and to put that forward to the public.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So I think when Mike was making those comments a few weeks ago, what we hadn't seen was the local government elections in England. And the Labour Party are not where they need to be in order to win a majority, irrespective of what Kiers tried to put forward. And that political reality of the hung parliament affords us an opportunity. It's a political opportunity. But we also need to get...”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Of that, yeah. What we do know is likelihood there's going to be a hung parliament, and it's time for Scotland's voice to be heard in Westminster, so let's do it.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I don't think Gordon Brown's going to come in and have a conversation with me about such things, if I may, because the Labour Party would be very worried about the optics. I'm not going to discuss.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“On the Gordon Brown side of things, I think we need to see much more meat on the bones. And we can offer the solutions to the Labour Party in that regard. Let's talk about energy policy, immigration policy, access to the EU single market. The employment law that the STUC agree with us that should be devolved to Holyroods. But within that, we need to have that discussion about can we devolve the powers for Scotland to decide its own future to Hollyrood, to let Hollyrood decide at a time of its choosing to allow the people of Scotland to define their own future.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And those policy issues will be quite clear. It will be empowering Scotland's Parliament on the big issues to make sure that we can grow our economy and offer opportunity to people, but also to allow people in Scotland to decide their future. I think that's a pretty basic thing.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“He's the man that thinks going back in the single market would be daft. So I think we need to reflect upon where labour are in terms of their policies and also how we can perhaps drag them to a position which is much more progressive and beneficial, not just for people in Scotland but people right across the UK.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that when push comes to shove, Keir Starmer is going to want certainty. Because what we know from Keir Starmer up to now is he's desperate to be Prime Minister. That's why he's changed his mind on so many policies. It's why he was an arch remainer who's now an arch Brexiteer.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“If Keith Stammer wants to get into a situation where our very basic asks kind of in relation to the devolution of further powers to Holyrood, the right to decide our own future, if he's not willing to countenance that discussion, I guess that's a matter for him to then explain that to the people of Scotland. I would perhaps flip it back onto the Labour Party.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We're not here to be in government, we're here to secure concessions in relation to devolution where I think we need to get the discussion to. I think we need to be saying to the Labour Party, why don't we devolve energy policy policies and migration on the single market access like when Northern Ireland has? But then also why don't we devolve those powers over Scotland's constitutional future as well?”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was attracted by the opportunity to firstly beat the Conservatives in the seat, but then to make sure that Scotland's voice was being heard down here.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So at that time in 2019, the battle for Brexit was here. That was the big issue in politics. So we wanted to come down and make sure that we could be that loud voice for Scotland to try and stop Brexit. Of course, what happened in England kind of made that a bit of a issue because Boris won so handsomely. But the battle was here. And, you know, the battle on Brexit hasn't gone away in Scotland. It might have gone away a little bit in England, but certainly not in Scotland.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“David Lamy, David's ability to control the chamber, and certainly when I wasn't in there and he was doing a lot of stuff, it was just phenomenal to sit and watch how he controlled the chamber. Closer to home Tommy Shefford, Stuart Hosey, phenomenal speakers. And Emily Thornbury as well. I'm a big fan. Very entertaining.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You study it. Yeah. And you know, there's a lot of people to learn from. I'm still, as you say, 34. I'm a pretty young guy when it comes to the political world. So making sure that you're picking up hints and tips from others is important.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I am a person who likes to see what other people do well and see if I can perhaps do it in a style which is more befitting of me but also lands the blows where I need to land them.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, of course. And Tom had the entire chamber in the palm of his hands and the ability to control the Westminster Chamber is quite a thing.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I've always been a fan of, and this is going to make me sound a little bit of an anorak, but when I'm listening to people doing interviews or listening to people speaking, I like to pause it and think, what would I say? How would I answer that? And then listen to what they do. And the same applies to the House of Commons Chamber. How do you present yourself in a way which captures people's imagination? One of the best speeches I've seen since I was elected was Tom Tugginhatz on the back of the situation in Afghanistan.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's one way of putting it, and I like to make sure that I don't miss PMQs, whether that's whether I'm talking about the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, or on the odd occasion, the Lib Dems, because our job is to hold Westminster to account and to highlight the fact that Westminster's not for us we can do things different and better in Scotland.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'll need to correct you there. Ian had stood down by that point, which is why I chose to run. And the fact that there was a vacancy there, there wasn't a leader in place, I thought, yeah, that's for me. Let's go and see if my colleagues want to back me. And they did.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Maybe there isn't, and you know, I think it's something which is bred into a lot of folks, certainly from my sort of background, that you need to get on and do things and nobody can hold you back but yourself. So I've just gone for the opportunities as I've seen them.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“The right word lucky or ruthless, probably. I bet I both. As I said at the start, when I see an opportunity, I like to grasp it. I've never been given a hand up in life I've had to work for everything that's been in front of me.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, effectively, yeah. And at that point, I was a leading counsellor in the city. And when you go through the School of Hard Knocks, you realize what's important and what's valuable. And I guess when you're in the heat of the Westminster Chamber, it allows you to reset quite quickly.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In terms of, yes, I recall being in the street and people shouting at me, calling me a benefits cheat when I'm walking down the street with my wife or my then-girlfriend”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, I actually didn't talk about being disabled until probably after I got the hip replacement because it was very difficult for me to accept that. I never wanted to be defined by my injury as I seen it. It's funny I get obviously heckled quite a lot, but I've got quite a thick skin because I've had to experience quite a lot at a young age.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, and it allowed me to change my outlook on where things were. Maybe not to change it, but perhaps to understand the world better than I ever had before. And it focused my mind on making use of the talents that I had and where my interests lay. And I was the first member of my family to get a degree from university and then obviously to break into the political world was quite a step. There's not a lot of folk with my background growing up in a variety of different places in Dundee and I've been breaking in Angus as well who find themselves in the House of Commons asking questions to the Prime Minister.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I mean, it was taken away from me entirely. I was laid up in bed on traction. I was in and out of hospital. I was doing hyperbaric chambers, oxygen chambers to obviously try and aid their recovery. It was difficult. It was really challenging for me on a personal level. Looking back on it, I was probably depressed because your hopes and aims and everything that you enjoy doing was taken away from you. And I ended up, I told at one point you'll be in a wheelchair, which I didn't want to do. So I ended up on double crutches, then taught myself to kind of walk with one crutch, which when I was obviously elected to parliament, I still had.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Revealed it. Yeah, revealed it. And it took about a year for there to be a proper diagnosis in and around that because... The pain was on my knee rather than on my hip, so it took a bit of time for the consultants to get to the bottom of it.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think maybe about six, seven, eight stairs. I would need to go. The school's not even there anymore. Yeah, just the energetic kid that I was.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Not necessarily fights And when I had that, when I was diagnosed with that condition, I had to think along and hard about what I wanted to do with my life because I couldn't go and follow my mates into being welders or plumbers or fieries or something. I had to do something different. So I picked up books and started reading and learning.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, so I was walking through school one day and collapsed and I had a rare hip condition called vascular necrosis which left me disabled for the best part of 17, 18 years. And I had a lot of time to think. I was a bit of a difficult child. It was probably how my teachers and my parents would describe it.”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, when I was growing up, there wasn't politics around the table. My mum and dad were focused on, and at that time, my mum had very many different jobs, was just to put food on the table. And we were like passing ships in the night sometimes, just getting by. That's a normal life for so many people. But what kind of focused my mind was certainly around the era of the Iraq war and looking at that. government making a decision which the public quite clearly didn't agree with, that the Scottish public most definitely didn't agree with. And we had no agency in that decision. And when you look beyond that and look at why was Dundee in the state it was with the lack of opportunities for people, it's because of what Westminster government under Thatcher had done. And then when we look beyond the Tony Blair era and we go into austerity with David Cameron or we look at Brexit, where's Scotland's agency been within that? Where's Scotland's voice?”
2023-05-18 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Flynn One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source