One more shout into the #Bluesky void to tell you that my new album is out today 🎉🥳🥂 It's electronic, instrumental and, in places, a wee bit noisy. Listen/buy here: andrewhowie.bandcamp.com/album/i-want...

Andy Burnham says he will give 15% of his MP’s pay to local causes

The scale of the EU's decoupling from Russia is huge, with trade down from roughly 260 billion euros ($295 billion) before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion to only 58 billion euros ($65 billion) now, a more than 75% drop.

Improving reading in schools is hard but doable. The answer is not a glossy resource, but instead enacting brilliant talk routines that open up the curriculum. The R.E.A.D.S. framework is an approach to support teacher judgement to do does just that: alexquigley.co.uk/improving-re...

Bluesky! I have a new electronic album out tomorrow. As a wee taster, here's a video for 'Flower', the song you get when you pre-order the album (which you can do here: andrewhowie.bandcamp.com/album/i-want... ) Enjoy!

Private equity controls UK dentistry. Initial consultation fee up by 23%, tooth extraction up by 32%. Gross profit at private equity controlled companies rose by 20% year-on-year. Profit margins of 20%-30%. Govts handed dentistry to finance industry. Too many can't afford dental care.

If I were in government I'd be scoping an announcement to have solar, batteries and air conditioning (heating and cooling) in every school and hospital by 2030

NEW ANALYSIS: UK sales of electric vehicles just overtook petrol cars for the first time What's that you say? Something something demand, something something ZEV mandate? Take a look at the data: www.carbonbrief.org/...

❗️More than 140 MPs now back @alexsobel.co.uk's amendment for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. 📢 Yesterday in Parliament, MPs made the case for it during a debate about the future of the UK's voting system. 👉 Full list of signatories: bills.parliament.uk/bills/4080/s...

NEW: May’s election reaffirmed Scotland's commitment to delivering a just transition. What must the new Parliament do to deliver this in practice? Our new briefing identifies the key policy priorities for the new parliamentary term 🧵

Beatroute Arts are taking on an exciting mission to transform subway carriage 117 into an accessible and creative community space 🚇 To find out more about the project, or offer your support, check out the JustGiving below 👇 justgiving.com/campaign/sav...

Heartening to hear the Chief Inspector Sara Snell (HMIPS) call for the Sentencing & Penal Policy Commission report and recommendations (Feb 2026) to be taken seriously, at the Criminal Justice Committee. She has emphasised our Commission's recommendations in her news media contributions, too. 6/🧵

The personal consequences are the most important thing here, but it is worth mentioning that Exeter is a major hub for Arabic/Islamic studies. Following on from Lancaster, Kent and Nottingham, our country's ability to talk intelligently about religion is being erased as religious prejudice rises.

Once again: 🫠🫠🫠

10 years to the day....

Eh 20% is not a great proportional representation of the Labour Party which has long cynically opposed electoral reform

HMRC failed to collect £59.2bn in taxes last year (tax gap, difference between taxes collected and what should have been) Small businesses accounted for 62% of the tax gap. £500bn+ not collected since 2010. Offshore tax gap data not released. Silence on tax avoided through profit shifting.

Ghana certainly stood against them… a battling performance - let’s hope we can match that against Brazil tomorrow

Good use here by a local authority of its power to apply for injunctions. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Tomorrow's front page 📰 Andy Burnham wants to "tear up" Holyrood funding system

Larry Elliott doubling down on his disastrous Corbynite take on Brexit

Ten years ago, Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU but was taken out against our will. Our best future lies in becoming an independent member state of the EU, and working with our neighbours to build a stronger, more prosperous country. 🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Lovely midsummer swim tonight at Carrick Bay - warm seas and hardly a soul in sight.

I reckon at Cabinet they've just wheeled a telly in and put on a film

Nigel Farage, asked about the £5mn gift from Christopher Harborne by LBC: "It's an unconditional gift. I can spend it on Ferraris if I want. That'd be entirely up to me."

Catch the recording of Professor Jean Kidula's 2026 Alexander Duff Lecture, entitled: “This time, I must sing: African Missionizing and Christian Song.” #WorldChristianity #DuffLecture #YaleEdin2026 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISMA...

A decade on from the shock vote that saw Scotland dragged out of the bloc against its will – after the nation voted 62% to Remain – the wounds run deep, and they run much deeper than tales of red tape and economic woe 👇 Read more: www.thenational.scot/news/2...

Nation (re)building: Can Ivan McKee make public service reform work? www.holyrood.com/news/view,na...

1659 painting by Elisabetta Sirani depicting Timocleia of Thebes pushing the Thracian captain who raped her into a well #womensart

I wrote this 7 years ago In it I called for cities to better embrace greenery, reflective coatings, water and shading to tackle urban heat. More relevant than ever…. www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/...

Your regular reminder that Ayn Rand, who was a stupid person with hateful and selfish ideas, died on public assistance that a government social worker helped her sign up for. In the real world, when Atlas shrugs, innocent people die.

I have a chapter in this book on the (constitutional) effect of Brexit on Scotland. I'm sure it will surprise no-one that I don't think it has been good: www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...

Scotland has had 3 First Ministers in 19 years - stability with the SNP or chaos with Labour and the Tories? 😎

The unfair, undemocratic and disproportionate FPTP system can’t even deliver stability through vast disproportionality… we need PR - but will Burnham and others finally be able to overcome Labour’s cynical addiction to disproportionate majorities - i will believe it when I see it!

I’m all for freedom of speech but protesters (and preachers/buskers) shouldn’t be able to use loud amplified media to drown out other people - should need a licence and police should be able to shut it down immediately

Starmer speech still off key at the end - the annoying use of “I” for govt achievements which is designed to project authority but gives out hubris - the overwrought description of the ‘bankrupt party’ pre his leadership - the formulaic list of ‘wins’ without acknowledging people’s discontents…

Most of us are richer than Musk…

Richer than Musk: Joyce Carol Oates on her 88 years of watching, writing, feeling and loving

NEW SUBSTACK: Europe's best defence against the next energy crisis is the one nobody talks about. The EU pays 29% less for energy today than it would have without the efficiency gains made since 2000. Energy you don't consume can't be withheld or weaponised. open.substack.com/pub/janrosen...

✝️ Kilmartin Cross, AD 800-1000 Interlace, key pattern, and even crosses within the cross as a whole decorate this early medieval masterpiece, which displays several Insular parallels, including Govan School and Manx / Irish Sea Region carved stones 🪨⛏️ My 📷 Kimartin Museum

Add AUSL to this list. Pro softball should have been a thing a long time ago and it finally is.

right, well, Brazil it is, then

This week's edition of Talking Climate covers record-breaking battery storage, India's climate impacts, and how to start impact investing. Share one thing you learn with someone else. That conversation matters more than you know ... and you might be surprised where it leads!

"So ... so I said ... why not sign your treaty here, at Versailles?"

They’re calling it the quote on British politics that ended the need for all other quotes

Bafana bafana were disappointingly boring … and slow!!

Good - a find out moment