They're now talking about which cabinet secretary is best friends with which other cabinet secretary. High school drama levels, except with the running of a major world economy.

Can reflect on the individuals, but my eldest is nine and is now potentially looking at their 6th PM coming on the scene. I was in my 30s before getting to the same number. It doesn't feel like an optimal way for the country to work long term.

Struggling with my current non-fiction book because it opens on a lengthy chapter about Stonehenge, a place I have never, ever managed to find interesting.

A lot of my friends lost jobs today, and two of the best MSPs in parliament won't be returning, and we're subjected to five more years of a party that openly lies to the populace and gets away with it. Feeling pretty miserable right now.

Beyond angry at the result in my seat. One of Holyrood's most useless and most arrested MSPs rides back in having done almost no campaigning. An already rich grifter rides to five more years of doing nothing for the community I live in.

Been out on the doors for nine hours today! Turnout will be miserable! A lot of seats closer than polls suggest! The SNP are still a blight on the country!

Have taken my five month old baby on so many canvassing sessions that I'm worried his first words will be "have you thought about who you're voting for?"

Film nerds, is there a name for the edit in a comedy where someone sets up something that definitely won't happen and it immediately cuts to that thing happening?e.g. "I am *not* flying to Ibiza." Next shot is them on a plane. It's incredibly lazy but happens all the time - is there a term for it?

What are the best wuxia films? Seen and loved Ashes of Time Redux, Iron Monkey, Zhang Yimou's films.

Update from the world of cinema: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon still absolutely rips.

Calling it now: Richard E Grant is going to be one of the worst faithfuls, getting every major call wrong.

Huh. Another populist offering facile solutions to complex problems turns out to have a blind spot for anti-Semitism. Who would have thunk.

Very little time for people in giant detached houses with a Mercedes in the driveway saying that they won't vote because it doesn't make a difference.

Got delayed from door knocking today because I stopped to admire a sparrowhawk. Could have swung this seat.

The 49ers drafted a man named Ephesians Prysock, both a football player and a 19th-century corrupt mayor.

This is a lie and it's galling that the Cab Sec for climate and energy, who should know how energy markets work, keeps repeating it.

Bills trading down just to keep me awake for longer.

Stetson Bennett is proof - McVay knows QBs.

Ross is right, always ignore MRP polls, especially in Scotland as it can't handle D'Hondt. However it doesn't stop Ross from sharing MRPs, which is curious.

Watched The Taste of Things on iPlayer and was delighted to learn that the French term for Baked Alaska is "Norwegian Omelette."

I'll never understand people who are rude to canvassers. Even if you're a different political persuasion, great chance to talk about it!

The problem with Race Across the World is that it inspires the most outrageous wanderlust that I can't possibly manage on my income and with a tiny baby.

They opposed it as recently as 2025.

Got three pages into the SNP manifesto (first two are intro bumpf) before I found a lie. Impressive work.

Quite impressive that in the @scottishgreens.org 167 page manifesto they didn't manage one policy on reducing crime.

I've seen the Scottish Labour manifesto being criticised by the press for being both uncosted with big, expensive promises and also unambitious with nothing new and a restrained financial approach. Can't be both, surely?

@rickburin.bsky.social happy birthday Rick! We've never met but I feel a great deal of affection for you, and always value your opinions. Here's a randomly chosen gif.

1/ This line, that because a Chinese company has a minority stake in Hinkley Point C, the UK Labour government must be “anti-Scottish” to have blocked the Ming Yang wind turbine factory, on national security grounds, is very easily debunked.

Finally some good news - Orban set to lose Hungarian election www.politico.eu/article/hung...

For me, the best point of the night was Anas' response to "we need independence because all the important issues are reserved," pointing out that the ScotGovt is responsible for the NHS, our schools, our justice system, our housing. That's what needs to change, not our constitution. #BBCDN

Genuinely can't believe they've wasted the last question for the leaders' debate on independence - nothing on justice, nothing on education, very little on housing. You know, things we're electing people to lead. #BBCDN

Russell Findlay is getting off very lightly this evening - probably a tacit acknowledgement that the Tories are largely irrelevant now. #BBCDN

Swinney getting rightfully roasted for his record on the NHS. #BBCDN

Just got an unintentional crash zoom on Ross Greer - someone on the cameras is going off. #BBCDN

This is what I mean about independence and bills - John Swinney is lying, in a very exploitative manner at a time when people are struggling, about a fantasy independence where everything is cheap.

It's worth noting that there's absolutely zero reason that independence would lead to lower bills - Contract for Difference guarantees a MW/h price. If anything it could make it a lot more expensive. Absolute fiction from John Swinney.

With regret, I am very biasedly watching #BBCDN leaders debate.

One of the most impressive things about Race Across the World is how it consistently finds young guys who are actually charming and who you root for.

Thought from door knocking: few things depress me more about someone's house than artificial lawns.

I would recommend that everyone who spends too much time getting annoyed about politics online goes out doorknocking once with whichever party they're closest to. People are funny, fed up, chatty, curt, opinionated, undecided... The whole gamut.

Having just seen a kind of mid film by a sketch duo I truly love, it made me wonder: is Hot Rod the only truly great first feature by a sketch group?

The Greens want to be a serious party in Scotland but a) don't actually put candidates in most constituencies, just ride the list and b) want to improve public transport (admirable!) but fund it by taking the money from the roads that the buses will presumably use.

what if we got a 100% blockrate on it. what if they designed an AI and we unanimously said "nope"

Galindimir: Did I ever leave you? Elphagon: You let me go. Wicked for Godot

'The place of faith in public life and the freedom of religion and belief extend to all faiths and none, or else they are meaningless.' - I've written for this week's @churchtimes.bsky.social about why Nick Timothy is wrong about the Trafalgar Square iftar: www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

My four month old son tore up the Reform flyer that came through our door. That's praxis.

Sarah Boyack is delivering her final speech in the chamber at Holyrood - a genuinely decent person, an immensely hardworking MSP who believed utterly in the work she was doing. She will be missed in Holyrood, whatever it looks like after May.

So strange having the Scottish Parliament dissolve this week, cancelling diary reminders for weekly bits of work I have to do. Elections are great, looking forward to campaigning in my spare time for this one, but it's a bit stranger when your job is sort of on the line.

Every once in a while I get freshly annoyed at Sundance critics being snooty about Benh Zeitlin:s magnificent film Wendy, because it was too similar to his other magnificent film. Ungrateful bunch of grouches.