According to the annual report of the Varieties of Democracy Institute at Gothenburg University: "The United States is no longer a democracy and is sliding towards autocracy faster than Hungary..." Just take that in today.

📢 New Article! What happens when liberation movements fight in someone else’s war? @justinpearce.bsky.social examines MK’s time in Angola, showing how tensions with FAPLA & competing political visions shaped their alliance and contributed to the 1983–84 mutiny. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Interesting report but completely unimplementable recommendation: “all providers would be limited to awarding 15 per cent of classifications as a ‘First’, 35 per cent of classifications as an ‘Upper Second’, 35 per cent as a ‘Lower Second’ and 15 per cent as a ‘Third’.”

This is a major problem. Certain high-status institutions are hoovering up students for whom they don't have space or teaching capacity. It's not good for students, it's driving other universities to disaster and it has none of the benefits of either a planned or a "market" system.

This is a crucial report, shining a spotlight on the funding links between Russia, Hungary and the British mainstream right

Sputnik flopped in Scotland. Unfortunately the issue of misinformation and disinformation - including from authoritarian states - is so politicised in this country we have never had a proper conversation about why that was. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Useful and nnuanced overview of the upcoming French legislation governing #restitution www.lemonde.fr/culture/arti...

BREAKING: Following the American threat of an “Avignon Papacy,” Robert Kennedy has begun a Diet of Worms

Full circle, back to Orbán's beginnings on Heroes' Square in 1989 -- when he was telling the Russians to go home. Historic/Poetic Justice?

There is a rare permanent job in the UK - assistant prof (lecturer) in political science with a focus on quant methods www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRD143/a...

Rwanda: 'By the 2027 deadline, banks, hospitals, telecom companies, and government institutions are expected to use the [Single Digital ID] authentication system.' www.newtimes.co.rw/article/3439...

Trump taking trade back to the 14th century! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfalzgr...

I'm disappointed- in fact angry - to read in today's #herald that @anassarwar.bsky.social is still planning to cut #ActiveTravel funding l in this way. A backward move, which is likely to cost @scottishlabour.bsky.social votes in some key seats, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in particular @spokes.org.uk

The last few days have shown how topical will be our festivalofeuropescotland.org event on 'The Future of UK – EU – US Relations' (Edinburgh, 9 May). We're very pleased that @davidheniguk.bsky.social will be one of our speakers. Details & to book places: festivalofeuropescotland.org/event/the-fu...

In Jan 2024, Die „Letzte Generation“ staged a climate protest in Leipzig where they sat on toy tractors so they'd be treated the same as these other protestors The police were not fooled

Good morning philatelists!! Today’s Stamp of the Day is this 30 centime stamp from Rwanda. Issued - 1973 Type - Commemorative Print Method - Photogravure Please share your stamps from 🇷🇼 and have a lovely day. #stampcollecting #philately #stamps

St Fittick's Crowdfunder launches today, for a legal challenge against Aberdeen City Council's (ACC) claimed ownership of the land, aiming to protect the park from destruction by works for the new harbour. Details in link, and summary follows 1/ www.crowdjustice.com/case/protect...

hot take: i think the move in the direction of a more explicitly extortion based international order is bad actually. I also do not especially relish the idea of re-boning up on mercantilism

Trump backs down, again. A process of ultimatums and retreats make Trump look increasingly weak and fragile.

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV declares the Iran War is “unjust” and “is not resolving anything.” After suggesting Trump is committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure, he called on Americans to contact Congress to help end the war.

It's @professormusgrave.bsky.social o'clock again, alas

God help us.

@edinburghminute.com is consistently one of the best things to come out of Bluesky.

Yesterday in the media we saw £millions leeching out of UK universities to management consultants. Today it is student agents delivering international students to the highest bidding universities. This is where marketization and commercialization leads. www.theguardian.com/education/ng...

North American roundabouts are engineered to maximize car speed. Dutch roundabouts are engineered to maximize human safety. When you physically prioritize pedestrians and people on bikes, you naturally calm traffic and make the street work for everyone.

Also mentioned: Furendi, Gove and Douglas Murray. All of them Quislings

Reform in Scotland is heavily dependent on the votes of people who identify as Christian. Not just the Protestants who traditionally skewed towards the Tories, but Catholics too. Could Offord’s attack on RC schooling backfire on him? www.thetimes.com/article/6803...

Delighted that the Marchmont yarnbombers have devised a workaround for the solar panel.

imagine if i happened to be a trillionaire and bought twitter and 80% of the stuff on the site was just about big pants. you couldn't escape it. just an endless deluge of big pants propaganda

🚲 edi.bike | issue 139 | 6th Apr '26 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route - win at Transport Committee; our April TEC round-up; plus events, infrastructure, route closures & more: https://buttondown.com/edi.bike/archive/issue-139-6th-apr-26/ #bikeSky #edinburgh

Snow in Edinburgh!?

Reform in Scotland poll 15% in Scotland on both ballots in latest poll, a loss of 4% (a fifth of their support) in 7 weeks. Malcolm Offord has lost 9 points net to -32 which may indicate this is reputational damage from high profile canpaign beginning, not just a fluctuation. (Sunday Times)

Pope Leo XIV carried the cross across all fourteen stations for over an hour. The prayers named children who had been “taken away and imprisoned during protests, deported by policies devoid of compassion, shipwrecked on desperate journeys of hope, killed in war zones, and wiped out in death camps.”

Jeff Danziger, Rutland Herald

I know this will be a hard watch, but we all should. This part of history for decades has been so distorted, thru glossy Hollywood lens and Western political narrative.

A look inside the world’s only maple syrup strategic reserve, housed in Quebec Genevieve Beauchemin shares an inside look at the strategic reserve and how it is preventing a potential shortage during this year's slow production. #Quebec #Canada www.ctvnews.ca/video/2026/0...

This tweet works better in the original Russian

The horse op-ed is an instant classic. I can't tell you how much joy this piece gives me. It should be taught in every introductory writing class in no small part because the horse arguments are so compelling. "I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children."

Always nice to be reminded why we need copy editors…

Gabon's new nationality code joins the minority of states founding nationality on indigenous 'autochtone' descent - though also providing for rights based on birth in the territory and protection against statelessness citizenshiprightsafrica.org/ordonnance-n...

*taps the sign*

His ability to make even faith sound creepy is impressive.

"The United States will not only make worse decisions. It will become a less reliable ally, a less formidable adversary, and a less powerful country."

The Artemis moonshot is a great American achievement. By the way, one crew member is Canadian. The service module, which keeps the astronauts alive, is built in Bremen. The communications depend on ground stations in the US, Spain and Australia. Dear America- don't give up your friends too easily

Must read 🧵 #BurkinaFaso

this sounds interesting!

this story just gets wilder....

Would you like to hear me talk about all things New Labour, Third Way and social democracy? Come along to the University of Bath at lunchtime on 5 May and you can hear me discuss my NEW book on just that! Details below. 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/glen-ohara...

Say hello to the UK’s most successful growth industry: organised waste crime | George Monbiot

You’ve all been too polite to point it out, but though this will be the third World Cup Türkiye will have been to and their second as a candidate to join the EU, it turns out it’s actually the fourth they’ve qualified for.