How do we make the aims of the Public Service Reform Strategy in relation to preventative budgeting a reality and what pitfalls need to be avoided? Some of our thoughts here: fraserofallander.org/scotlands-bu...

6th Jan 1979 - Kevin Cummins took photos of Joy Division in a wintry Manchester. I loved investigating the story davehaslam.substack.com/p/ian-curtis... From a Wimpy Bar in Bradford, then to a wedding, a club called the ‘Glory Hole’, a sculpture called Alice, and an old mill near a river.

My first piece of 2026 was intended as a general look-ahead. Then the future became the present. How Trump has opened the door to Putin and Xi. The power politics of the hemisphere has been enshrined in Venezuela. johnkampfner.substack.com/p/the-trump-...

How to see clearly in 2026, from Gillian Tett @financialtimes.com giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

This by the excellent @jburnmurdoch.ft.com confirms my view that political trends are being driven by the halting of the upward economic conveyor belt - striking charts: www.ft.com/content/30a4... Welcome to the age of zero-sum politics

Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center should serve as a warning to UK arts institutions | Charlotte Higgins

The twilight of the physical letter on.ft.com/4oRJ25l | opinion

‘Cruel’ amendments are being used to thwart assisted dying bill, says lead MP

Donald Trump is set on regime change - in Europe. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This piece of analysis which I have just posted, first @foreignpolicy.com and now updated in my newsletter, is the result of several conversations with defence and security officials and politicians. It is stark in its warning. We are in grave danger johnkampfner.substack.com/p/enemies-to...

I'm not really starting a substack, I don't think. But 1 of the best things that happened to me this year was being shortlisted for the Anne Brown essay prize. The essay was on my great aunt, her house & her remarkable siblings. You can read it here, if you like. danigaravelli.substack.com/p/lepanto

It is what Trump feeds on, what he nurtures, the irrigation of his proto-authoritarian rule. Without disorder and violence – or their apparition, on a billion social media feeds – he is nothing ✏️ Matthew d'Ancona

During a recent trip to Prague, I was struck by the mismatch between the mood on the street (especially to foreigners) & the political convulsions. You can see the same in Budapest, Bratislava & elsewhere. That is the sinister smartness of far-right populism johnkampfner.substack.com/p/another-eu...

Today UNAIDS published their #WorldAIDSDay report: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response. We asked @eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org's#WorldAIDSDayDirector of Policy and Advocacy, Richard Pyle, to share his three key takeaways.

My column in today’s FT: a government with no real vision is reverting to its comfort zone of launching campaigns and drawing dividing lines - against Wes Streeting, on tax. Meanwhile in the real world its position keeps getting worse:

In Search of Berlin is a compelling read, beautifully written, painstakingly researched. As a Berlin obsessive I have a shelf load of books about the city and John’s book is the best in the business. Whether like me you know and love Berlin, or if you’ve yet to visit, it’s unmissable. 👇

Editor-at-large Matthew d'Ancona discusses his latest piece for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social on Trump's deal between Hamas and Israel. Comment your thoughts below 👇 Read full article: buff.ly/ZVdXNMN

From Paris in the 1920s to Berlin in the 1990s… why do nomadic foreigners always yearn for an ideal city at its ideal age? Boyd Tonkin on Vincenzo Latronico’s PERFECTION, the defining chronicle of a generation’s expat adventures:

It’s National Coming Out Day. I wrote this post six years ago. Political trends across the globe in the intervening years, not least in the United States, make it, and the words of Harvey Milk who I quote, even more relevant today. We’re not there yet. open.substack.com/pub/chriscre...

I’ve been curating an exhibition about the Two Roberts and it opens next week at Charleston in Lewes. Over 100 works, including some that have never been shown before! Big gay Scottish working-class art lov and joy FOR YOU! Book now: www.charleston.org.uk/exhibition/r...

Some very exciting book post this week. The new Patrick Gale revisits people and places we first met in a Place Called Winter (which I launched at my Literary Salon a lifetime ago).

My magnum opus - a unified field theory of why the post-literate society spells disaster for civilisation as we know it jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-o...

My essay in this weekend's @ftweekend.com, featuring terrific charts and analysis by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com:

'Farage's core claim is that he somehow speaks for the British people, that his views reflect the “commonsense” views of the silent majority. It’s not true. On issue after issue, including those that define him, he is out of step with most Britons.' Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

New report from @scothealtheq.bsky.social highlights a ‘policy blindspot’ in Scotland with younger men at risk of dying from drugs, alcohol or suicide. @emmanomics.bsky.social tells @dailyrecord.co.uk that too often the focus is on crisis intervention rather than prevention⬇️ bit.ly/4nELIDh

1/7 This morning we launched our 2025 Inequality Landscape report at the Fraser of Allander Institute 50th Anniversary conference #FAI50

See coverage of today's report from SHERU on how younger adult men, at risk of deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide, are a 'policy blindspot': www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/policy-...

🏡 Our new report: what role can Scottish housing policy play in reducing health inequalities? See here: scothealthequity.org/raising-the-...

When Edinburgh AC’s Jake Wightman won gold at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in 2022, I wrote this. Today, winning a brilliant silver at the same championships in Tokyo, he underlined how true my words were. He is the best of our sport. chris-creegan.medium.com/jake-wightma...

Another free link to this, in case people have going to bed reading requirements on.ft.com/3K1ZFg3

On Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump and the spectre of political violence. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

An incredible breakthrough performance from newcomer Power solidifies Brendan Canty's CHRISTY as a must-see! 🤩 Read @bethanylola.bsky.social's 5-star review from the Edinburgh Film Festival! Out in cinemas in Ireland on 29 August and Britain on 5 September! 😍 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #Christy #EdFilmFest

"The world is burning. Fascism is rising. Countries are falling. And we’re on the brink of incredible technological change, which will either be the end of everything or a new beginning. So, who needs artists?" I've written about what it takes to make art & live bravely. tinyurl.com/bdfjszbu

As ever @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social speaks truth to Trump’s incontrovertible path to authoritarianism. 👇

Lovers of books, cruisers of shelves, sniffers of hardbacks, my books tv show is back on telly tonight. Join me John Niven, Desiree Burch and Hallie Rubenhold on the Big Scottish Book Club. 1030pm. A joyful bastion of civilised chat. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

This is the first major show in England since 1962. Then, their relationship was illegal. They could not paint their truth, not in any way that could land them in jail. My show celebrates their love and talent and links the two intimately. Meet The Two Roberts www.charleston.org.uk/exhibition/r...

Fantastic piece by @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social:

Scotland's Population Health Framework recognises that improving health and addressing worsening inequalities requires action beyond health and care services. @chriscreegan.bsky.social​‬ argues that a focus on prevention will determine if Scotland can reverse the tide ⬇️ https://bit.ly/46NDZgO

My wee contribution to The Salt Path debate. www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2530...

New from me on Substack: on the 30th anniversary of the death of my late partner, Lawrence. open.substack.com/pub/chriscre...

The unveiling of the PRS for Music Heritage Award for Bronski Beat. SILENCE = DEATH ACTION = LIFE ACT-UP London • Bronski Beat played their first gig at The Bell pub in 1983, Smalltown Boy become an unflinching anthem of queer liberation. #bronskibeat #prsheritageaward #thebell #actuplondon

New from me on Substack: on the 30th anniversary of the death of my late partner, Lawrence. open.substack.com/pub/chriscre...

My piece in @heraldscotland.bsky.social today on behalf of @healthfoundation.bsky.social in response to recent strategy announcements from the Scottish Government on population health and public services reform. www.heraldscotland.com/politics/vie...

My piece in @heraldscotland.bsky.social today on behalf of @healthfoundation.bsky.social in response to recent strategy announcements from the Scottish Government on population health and public services reform. www.heraldscotland.com/politics/vie...

This was, unsurprisingly, very good from @johnkampfner.bsky.social And, as he reflects, soberingly relevant to the world around us now. Well worth an hour of your time. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

“The pulsating, international, love-fuelled parade, which stretched more than a mile through Budapest’s most prominent landmarks, was everything the Hungarian far right hates.” #BudapestPride www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Can liberal Europe prevail in 2029? “It’s not likely, but it’s still possible.” Essential reading from Timothy Garten Ash in the @ftweekend.com 👇

New from me on Substack: I couldn’t miss the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt at Tate Modern: 30 years on its time to make a panel for my late partner. open.substack.com/pub/chriscre...