If we had an education system that was fit-for-modernday- purpose people would be taught to spot how they're being manipulated. If we had a fit-for-modernday-purpose legal system people would have protection, perpetrators prosecuted & assets frozen. But we don't. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

For some reason, this Christmas card I made some years ago came to mind yesterday. Not sure what the title should be. "The Voters' Dilemma"? "The Death of Democracy"?

Inaccurate assumptions on mode of transmission, Long Covid still a significant health priority? The UK Covid Inquiry report contains many criticisms & recommendations for the NHS. But are they taking any notice? What can we do? Join the discussion, Mon 11th May 6pm us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

This looks great! The link to the festival website where you can find out more and book is here: guinesspig.ghost.io/inspirefesti...

This is long and written in 2023 but I'm glad I spent time reading it. It touches on many of the profound societal shifts brought by the pandemic to a focal point, which continue to accelerate. We are in deep trouble. But it is not inevitable. johnsnowproject.org/insights/end...

📢 Happening today, Monday 13th April, at 6.00pm BST. Should be good. Still time to register...

1) 🔬🦠New article: we've made a comprehensive overview of the immune system in ME/CFS, analyzing major studies of the past 40 years. A longread with separate chapters on: - viral persistence - cytokines - neuroinflammation - antibodies - immune cells such as NK, B, and T cells

NEW: We often hear that Scotland’s more progressive income tax is “driving people out the country.” New HMRC data shows the opposite. Far more taxpayers are moving to Scotland than leaving it. Let’s look at the data 🧵

MSPs vote today on the assisted dying Bill. Many will wrestle with what to do. The right thing to do is vote against because no training can ensure coercion is detected & no 'safeguards' can't be got round now & removed later. This Bill is dangerous. I'm scared by where it will lead.

It beggars belief that 6 years into an airborne infection pandemic healthcare settings are among the places you're most likely to sick from airborne infection & every Winter hospitals are overwhelmed by them. When is Infection Prevention and Control policy and practice going to wake up?

I took this photo when I visited the War Horse statue, located in a park in a small town in the south of England, commemorating horses lost in the First World War. Today as the US seeks to unleash World War 3, it takes on a whole new meaning. Please everyone. Don't climb on the war horse bandwagon.

Still time to register for this great opportunity to hear from a leading international expert & join in discussion of the critically important issue of pandemic (un)preparedness. Monday 9th Feb 6.00pm GMT. Register here: bit.ly/cafebjv Please share 🙏

A chance to hear from and join in discussion with @jvipondmd.bsky.social, scientific adviser for @thewhn.bsky.social, advocate, and emergency physician based in Canada. Monday 9th February, 6.00pm GMT, registration details below.

A very clear explanation of where we are [spoiler alert - it's not good news]. Worth your time to watch.

Thanks for namechecking @inclusivenew.bsky.social's INN the Arts Group's coproduced good practice framework for safety from airborne infection in the arts (DM for a copy). I certainly can't take all the credit! Looking forward to Serina's play - remarkable for itself modelling good practice.

🚨By-elections to be called automatically when MPs defect to another party - lets get this to the 100,000 signatures needed petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

1/6 This morning, I attended the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee to learn the fate of my petition calling for protection from airborne infections in health and social care settings. I went armed with a few protections/ visual aids myself – mask, portable HEPA and CO2. 🧵

Thanks @healthandcare.scot for this article, in advance of my petition calling for protection from airborne infections in health and social care settings returning to Committee. Still time to sign 🙏(anyone anywhere can: petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...) healthandcare.scot/stories/4366...

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless in these incredibly difficult times, but there's so much individuals can do to make a difference locally, on protection from airborne infections, & to build new connections and communities. Come & find out more, share your ideas & experiences 👇

In a world full of much ugly cruelty and injustice, I wish you courage and kindness in 2026. May we never forget that there is love and beauty to be found in this world too. Here are some images for you from a calendar I made for my mum, with photos I've taken over the year, to remind myself.

One of my 'Star of Silver Linings' cards for everyone as exasperated as me by the total inability of Govts to grasp that good indoor air quality & respiratory masks is how to stop the NHS falling apart each Winter. Wishing you festive things & silver linings despite the cloudy forecast for 2026.

Thanks BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast Programme for the opportunity to talk about why following the science, wearing a mask, & cleaning the air to help avoid you & others getting horribly ill with flu is a better idea than not doing that. Starts approx 7.05 minutes in www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Honoured to be featured in the #ThereForME advent calendar! Huge thanks to @murtoz.bsky.social for the nomination🙏. Inspiring to work with people like you, with lived experience of ME & pandemic disability, via @inclusivenew.bsky.social & we're so grateful to those who've listened.

WHO's advice needs to change. Excellent @thewhn.bsky.social letter. Please sign & share by 31 October (anyone can sign) @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social @chrischirp.bsky.social @martinmckee.bsky.social @kityates.bsky.social @tryangregory.bsky.social @njbbari3.bsky.social @drjoepajak.bsky.social

Interested in ME/CFS research? Want to do a PhD with @aryback.bsky.social, @avakhamseh.bsky.social, @sjoerdvbeentjes.bsky.social & @cgatist.bsky.social? Then apply for a *funded* Future Medicine PhD Fellowship. See: www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Please contact us to discuss before applying.

Delighted to be on the new global Commission for healthy indoor air. Taking action on this alone would greatly improve public health, reduce NHS pressures, labour market inactivity, work/ school sickness absence & disability benefit cost. So why don't they? healthandcare.scot/stories/4307...

If you thought you'd heard it all where it concerns explanations for increased demand for healthcare 'post-Covid' without mentioning the health impacts of ongoing Covid, I refer you to Cabinet Sec Neil Gray's response to the Citizen Participation & Petitions Committee yesterday 😕

Hugely proud that our Founder & Director Dr Sally Witcher is be part of this incredible initiative. Keen to know what your priorities would be for action on healthy indoor air. There's a long way to go to get even health, social care & education settings to take this seriously here in Scotland & UK.

1. As someone at high clinical risk interacting online daily with others locally & globally whose lives are similarly restricted due to unsafe indoor air, I couldn't be more honoured & excited to be part of this landmark initiative to make healthy indoor air a priority for every country & community

1/4 Today global leaders gather in New York to push for action on healthy indoor air, at a high level side event at the UN Assembly. Meanwhile, tomorrow in Scotland Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray @scottishgov.bsky.social takes questions... webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1v...

There's real momentum growing across the world for action to make indoor air safe,World Ventil8 Day on 8 November& lots of local activism too. Looking forward to speaking at this event, to share ideas on what we can do. Mon 8 Sept, 6pm BST. Register at: bit.ly/ccseptsw

Basically a petition calling for @ukhsa.bsky.social to do its actual job. Ridiculous it should be necessary, but here we are. It is. Please support 🙏

😱 Yikes! That's the highest CO2 reading I've ever seen!! I'm told it means approx 15% of the air you're breathing in comes straight from other people's lungs. That's a lot of bodily respiratory fluids to ingest 🤢. And potentially a lot of infectious aerosols. Take care out there. Have #FunNotFlu

A hugely important study confirming what sufferers have always known yet medics have rarely believed - ME/CFS is a real, serious, debilitating physiological illness. And please can everyone stop talking using minimising language like 'brain fog'. It's brain damage. It's cognitive dysfunction.

It's so important to call it out when supposed 'commitment to involve people with lived experience' descends into timewasting farce. Good on @longcovidscot.bsky.social & @longcovidkids.bsky.social Scotland. Scottish Government Ministers - hang your heads in shame 😡 www.scotsman.com/health/chari...

I actually saw the live @BBCNews coverage of this. Couldn't hear a word! Of the many clips online today this is the only one I can find where the sound engineers haven't been busy dialling up the annoying grating babble and dialling down the bagpipes. youtube.com/shorts/awQNH...

Yesterday in Edinburgh... #NaeTrump

Scoland is famous for its poetry

Scotland says no.

Scotland prepares to say 'Get tae f**k'

Noam Chomsky had a word for this. Thirdworldisation. The deliberate transformation of wealthy developed countries to resemble (become?) 'third world' countries where elite wealth coexists with mass poverty, through dismantling public services, labour protections, and democratic institutions.

Looking forward to chairing/ facilitating discussion, Saturday 19 July, 4.00-5.30pm. Covid is still here, there's loads of learning on preventing airborne infections, so much more to do on Long Covid, so much avoidable damage being done to public health, economy, education & so little being done 😠.

📣What do you want to see in the Manifestoes for the Scottish Parliament Election next year, on tackling the ongoing impact of Covid and preparing for the next pandemic? Action to make indoor air safe? Access to vaccines? Research? It would be great to know your priorities. Come along or reply 🙏 👇

They're parcelling up the UK, handing the pieces over to - who exactly? - taking them out of the tax system, eroding democracy and sovereignty. Personally I think this is a very very bad idea.

Following the Government's decision to cut billions from disability benefits, and my blog to my MP on Wednesday begging him (again) to vote against it, I found out how he spent his day 😡 threadreaderapp.com/thread/19436...

Blog - letter to my MP, @chrismurraymp.bsky.social, urging him to vote against the Bill and explaining why he should. medium.com/@sally.witch...

On BBC Radio Scotland earlier, discussing the UK disability benefit reform car crash of an omnishambles, why ‘concessions’ won’t fix it, just make a bigger unfair mess, & why it makes a bad situation even more complex for Scotland. Segment starts approx 11.13 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2525580... h/t @salwitcher.bsky.social

Do MPs want an unsafe bill to pass? This isn’t about assisted dying, this is about a really awful bill!