🔴 NEW: The health and wellbeing of hundreds of babies and toddlers is at risk in temporary accommodation, it is claimed, due to unsafe sleeping conditions, overcrowding and a lack of basic necessities.  Our latest: https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-accommodation-babies-risk/

Women supporting asylum seekers in Scotland say they have been threatened, followed and abused at protests and online. The Ferret spoke to 14 women about their experiences. Our latest: http://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/

Scottish activists are still facing terrorism charges for wearing T-shirts or holding signs. Now it turns out they've been more terrorism charges in relation to Palestine Action than charges against all other groups. My latest with @lukejbutterly.bsky.social www.theferret.scot/more-palesti...

Nice spread in the The Sunday National today!

More than half of all terror display cases in Scotland relate to Palestine Action. There were also more cases involving loyalist paramilitary displays (66) than republican ones (13), the reverse of N Ireland - 83 republican v 11 loyalist With @billybriggs24.bsky.social & @karingoodwin.bsky.social

No words for this ongoing horror and violence in the West Bank. Is there ANYONE that believes that this family car – a father driving home his wife and four children after shopping and dinner – "accelerated towards the forces"?! It has to stop. www.haaretz.com/west-bank/20...

I really enjoyed this conversation with Laura, Natalie and Calum on Scotcast. As the dust settles after the Union Street fire, we talked about who owns our cities, what that means for our heritage and how we can give ordinary people more ownership over their cities. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Fire which destroyed Glasgow’s Union Corner building, built in 1851, and closed Central Station, Scotland’s busiest, started in a vape shop which hadn’t paid business rates and isn’t registered to sell tobacco or vaping products. @karingoodwin.bsky.social @theferret.scot

"This needs to be a wake-up call in terms of the risks these types of premises pose to public safety”

The Scottish government has pivoted back towards a pro oil position to attack the Labour government and the energy profits levy tax. I spoke to @karingoodwin.bsky.social from @theferret.scot on the SNP's confusing commitments to 'just transition' and 'it's Scotland's oil'.

More than four years ago then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon said it would be “fundamentally wrong” to keep extracting fossil fuels indefinitely. Today, ministers’ language on new projects like Rosebank is noticeably more cautious. We looked at what changed www.theferret.scot/has-the-scot...

🔴NEW: Former tour guides have come forward with allegations of 'intimidation' and discrimination at Stirling Castle, adding to mounting scrutiny of Historic Environment Scotland.  Read: https://www.theferret.scot/intimidation-and-discrimination-allegations-keep-coming-at-scandal-hit-heritage-agency

UK ban on Palestine Action unlawful, high court judges rule www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech. “While hopefully librarians will not remove books, they may feel pressure to remove some from open collections and limit access”. www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...

“There are a lot of questions about this money that need answered. I’m glad OSCR will now look into it.” Yesterday we reported OSRC was launching an inquiry into the CCA following concerns raised from former staff. https://www.theferret.scot/cca-to-be-investigated-over-financial-governance-concerns/

🔴 Posts on social media claimed Swinney had stayed in Mandelson’s residence last year when on a trip to the US.

Thanks to former staff who've been speaking to me in recent weeks about financial concerns at the CCA, and questioning especially what happened to ring fenced project funding. Good news for them that OSCR has now decided to launch an investigation into the CCA's "financial governance". 👍

Great investigation here on what’s going on in Scotland. And pleased to be able to share my thoughts with the Ferret team.

🔴NEW: Books are being removed or restricted in Scottish school libraries following complaints, creating a “chilling effect” that campaigners warn threatens both freedom of speech and inclusive education. Read the story: https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/

This is a really useful read... It doesn't solve anything itself, but it helps provide understanding - and without that, we can't even start to solve the issue of GPs, appointments and best use of limited funds.

“Why can’t I get a GP appointment?” has become a national refrain. Our latest De-noiser looks at the data behind the 8am scramble – and asks whether new funding and walk-in clinics will change anything https://www.theferret.scot/why-cant-i-get-an-appointment-with-my-gp/

🔴 Farmed salmon were treated with a lot more drugs than the industry said, leading campaigners to question the credibility of the salmon farming industry. Read our latest investigation: https://bit.ly/4bt4mLq

This is not normal wapo.st/4pFh6lw

Great to see a new chair in place for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry. The family have been waiting a long time for answers so delighted for them that the work continues from March. #ShekuBayoh www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

2025: A year of British politics in pictures www.channel4.com/news/2025-a-...

ICYMI: In late November I went to Bethlehem. The city was preparing for Christmas for the first time in two years. But for families I met in Aida camp, things were far from peaceful. www.theferret.scot/its-christma...

"No Israeli soldier or official was held accountable for his killing, as is the case with virtually every Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces" www.theferret.scot/i...

This is heartbreaking. Among so many heartbreaking stories. We can’t become numb to this.

"There is a sadness inside that will never leave." I met families impacted by the violence that goes with the occupation of the West Bank. There's a lot of pretty horrific stuff going on in the world today. But I think these stories need to be told. www.theferret.scot/its-christma...

Mohammed was 17 years old when he was shot by an Israeli sniper in Bethlehem. Two years on, his family say there is no accountability for his death. Their story is one of dozens from communities across the West Bank Read more: www.theferret.scot/i...

The day after Palestine's ambassador urged SNP delegates to "isolate companies that profit from occupation, John Swinney had breakfast with Airbnb's lobbyist. Airbnb is on the UN database of firms profiting from illegal settlements. shorturl.at/p67Yt

Still here. Still waiting for HMP Bronzefield to call an ambulance for Qesser Zuhrah, who is on day 46 of her hunger strike and needs urgent hospital care now.

“What is the point of a certification system that looks the other way in the face of blatant breaches?” www.theferret.scot/a...

In the West Bank village of Umm al-Khair, 24-year-old Hanady Hathaleen is raising three children alone after her husband Awdah was shot dead in settler violence. Now the family faces demolition orders on their home www.theferret.scot/a...

“There is no other way to put it. They were trying to rip a food bank off.” Energy giant SSE says it supports communities. Fort William's Lochaber food bank, which was faced with a £24k energy bill, finds that hard to believe. Read the story here: theferret.scot/fort-william...

🔴NEW: The Lochaber food bank in Fort William claims energy multinational SSE tried to "rip them off". After a year of fighting – and questions from The Ferret – SSE has promised to re-issue the correct bill…but it is still unresolved. www.theferret.scot/f...

@theferret.scot is ten whole years old. It has a new look, a new website, and has switched from Wordpress to Ghost. www.theferret.scot

The Ferret is 10! We've spent a decade digging where others won’t — now we’re taking a night off to celebrate. Join us for music, dancing and some very special guests. Get your tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ferret...

I was interviewed by the freelance journalist, Jackie Kemp, about the #FOI story revealing that Loch Long had been polluted by radioactive waste from Scotland's nuclear bomb depot at Coulport. jackie125.substack.com/p/how-a-six-...

🔍 Did the UK Government give £600m to an Ineos plant in Belgium while failing to back Grangemouth? FFS took a look at this and other claims about the refinery and found the truth is a bit more complicated 👉 theferret.scot/why-g...

This is an excellent piece by @karingoodwin.bsky.social I used to spend a lot of time in Grangemouth and it saddens me that this community is having its main source of employment taken away by geopolitics and billionaires with seemingly little being put in its place.

When Grangemouth workers were told they were losing their jobs, it was already on the BBC. Many never got their promised transition into green roles. We looked at what went wrong: theferret.scot/grang...

🔴 NEW: Grangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way. Find out more: bit.ly/42k2yin

The cabinet is currently being reshuffled but more consequentially, the government is failing its promise to deliver a green industrial future at the cost of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs. You can read my London Review of Books article on the recent closure of Grangemouth oil refinery ⬇️

Grangemouth’s closure had been seen as “a litmus test” of the “just transition”. But the consensus is that this test has been completely failed. Almost six months after closure, I went to hear from the refinery's workers. Pics by Angela Catlin. theferret.scot/grangemouth-...

More than half of 434 Grangemouth refinery workers who lost their jobs in the closure earlier this year are still looking for work. Important reporting from @karingoodwin.bsky.social in @theferret.scot featuring quotes from current and former workers and me. Read ⬇️ theferret.scot/grangemouth-...

If you're based in or near Aberdeen we'd love to see you at our Open Newsroom. It's the first one we've held outside Glasgow so really looking forward to it.

🔴 NEW: Nigel Farage claimed Glasgow houses 50% more “illegal” migrants than anywhere else in the UK. Ferret Fact Service checked the facts — and found the claim is mostly false. Here's why: bit.ly/4fZygHj

📢 We're launching a new training project to help young people spot and challenge disinformation online. In partnership with @cilipscotland.bsky.social, @youngscot.bsky.social, thanks to support from @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk. Find out more more: theferret.scot/the-ferret-h...

🔴 NEW: Anti-migrant protests are becoming more common in Scotland. We investigated the groups attending, the messages being shared, and what’s at stake. Here's what we found: theferret.scot/far-r...