There are two kinds of empathy: Cognitive, understanding what someone feels. Emotional, feeling it with them. Neurotypicals often mix the two. Autistic people can separate them, we might understand without reacting, or feel deeply but struggle to express it. 1/4

I’m not a type of autistic person, I’m a person with an autistic mind. And maybe that’s the difference. I look for the mechanics of everything, emotion, morality, order, justice, and try to make sense of it through logic and patterns. And i try to make sense of this strange world.

I’m not coded to protect certain absolutes. Even AI is more “human” than me. 1/4

Justice isn’t a universal truth. It’s perspective, dressed up as certainty. One person’s justice is another’s betrayal. 1/3

Scottish Labour is campaigning for more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, which means burning more fossil fuels. Call me old fashioned, but that doesn’t sound very environmentally friendly, does it?

Trump should take the BBC to court and prove in a court of law that he had nothing to do whatsoever with the Capitol Riots. But he won’t. Because court isn’t a rally. It’s where truth is tested, not performed. 1/2

I often assume people don’t like me. It’s not insecurity, it’s uncertainty. I don’t instinctively know how people feel about me, so my brain fills in the blanks with the safest guess: “They probably don’t.” 1/3

We think the most important questions are complex, but maybe the real one is simple: “How do you feel?” It’s a question no PhD can answer, and yet it’s the one that defines what it means to be alive.

Autistic people see the world through precision and logic, so when words are used ambiguously or inconsistently, it probably feels like static in your brain. 1/2

Scottish Antifa WW2. Lest We Forget.

Please read and share. Difficult but important read.

I’ll always fight for change and for a better world for neurodivergent people. But I’m also a realist. Society will change, in small but important ways, and understanding will grow. But the world will always be a challenge for us. 1/2

When life is not giving you the proverbial lemonade. 🍋 🎧 Great interview with @pierrenovellie.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/3eg6...

Meanwhile Billionaires get richer while avoiding paying taxes. www.disabilitynewsservice.com/new-official...

A few months ago, I got my official diagnosis. It was confirmation. It was validation. I wasn’t mad, I really was different. That’s the upside. 1/4

The science is clear. If we are to have any hope of preventing total climate breakdown, there can be no new oil and gas fields.

A week ago, Grace was in surgery to have her S shaped spine straightened (scoliosis). but now she’s home and beginning her recovery. A huge thank you to everyone who sent messages of support. Grace was genuinely overwhelmed by people's kindness.

The Scottish Greens stand with the dozens of workers sacked by @rockstargames.com for exercising their right to organise with @gameworkers.co.uk @iwgbunion.bsky.social Reinstate them now, then get around the table & give your staff the pay & conditions they deserve for making you billions.

Britain has been enriched by the contribution of people who’ve arrived here to create a better life Britain is not broken because of migration Britain is broken because of inequality Britain is broken because billionaires hoard wealth while millions struggle to survive @gillianmacmsp.bsky.social

Lately I don’t feel sad or upset, just flat. Head heavy. No spark. Things that should feel exciting look exciting but feel like nothing. Old anger sits just under the surface. Motivation? Almost zero. 1/4

Another mistake Another retake. Faking my way thru this world. How to be human...still learning #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent youtu.be/xNwrnjwj2-Y?...

Gender isn’t a rulebook. It’s a story society wrote to keep people in neat little boxes. Time to rewrite it, in every colour, every pronoun, every truth.

Masculine. Feminine. Who decided those words should limit a human being? Break the stereotypes. Be who you are, not who they expect.

If your freedom depends on denying someone else theirs, it’s not freedom, it’s fear wearing a moral mask.

Make hope normal again! 💚 Scotland can be a fairer, greener place if we fix the systems rigged by the super-rich.

Thats us home from hospital. Grace doing well. Long week but she can now rest and recuperate at home. #Scoliosis

Comedian @pierrenovellie.bsky.social talks about his hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence. Worth a watch. Pierre is the author of Why cant i just enjoy things...a comedians guide to autism. www.youtube.com/live/3geQZKR...

Glad to say that the Scottish Government has agreed to work with me to end the absurd loophole allowing shooting estates owned by billionaires and tax avoiders to get a 100% tax break as 'small businesses' Thanks to @protectthewild.bsky.social, @revivecoalition.bsky.social and other campaigners 💚

Masking 24/7 when your child needs you is exhausting. But my daughter’s health comes first, no matter how hard it is for me.

Why do we hate each other so much? No forgiveness, just a constant culture war. Brexit supporters, unionists, Trump fans, people we disagree with on gender, instead of trying to change minds, some would rather see each other wiped out. 1/2

Up and down day for Grace today, she struggled a bit, but she’s back on track. The surgeon’s happy with her progress and says she should be home from hospital by Wednesday. Fingers crossed 🤞

Being poor, disadvantaged, or ignored doesn’t justify racism or Islamophobia. Punch up, not down. The real fight is with the elites who profit from division and fear. “Divide and rule” is their tactic. Don’t fall for it. Unity lifts us up. Disunity keeps us down.

Grace is making really good progress. She’s been sitting up in her chair for short spells, and I even took her for a wee spin in the wheelchair today. The surgeon’s happy with how things are going, looks like she’ll be home by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.

For years, I drifted through politics, left, right, and everywhere in between. I went down rabbit holes I should never have entered. I mistook noise for clarity, anger for conviction, belonging for understanding. 1/7

Stewart Lee: From Charlie Kirk to Conservative Campaign Headquarters, the right has realised they can lie and not be challenged. So let’s change that www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...

Stewart Lee: How do all these rightwing astroturfers get on the airwaves? Doesn’t anyone Google them first? www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...

Come on Ye Saints! Grace is going to the final!

Day 2 after surgery: Grace is making a good recovery. She’s still in some pain but has already started walking after her spinal operation. She’ll soon be back on her feet! She’ll be cheering on her favourite team, @stmirren.com, from her hospital bed.

Happy Halloween 🎃

👏tax👏the👏rich👏

Grace is out of surgery and now resting in the ward. Thank you all for your kind wishes.

That’s Grace just gone into theatre for her spinal operation. It’s going to be a long day for Mum and Dad.

Our energy system is rigged in favour of a handful of private companies and their shareholders. To tackle the huge levels of fuel poverty in Scotland, we need more energy in the hands of the people, whether that's public, community or individual (micro-renewables like household solar) ownership.

Sometimes the words in my head are just noise, scattered, tangled, out of order. But every so often, they fall into place. Not because I planned it, but because something deeper in me finally found the shape it was looking for. 1/2

"Thanks for Listening” I danced with the devil and did the boogaloo, I walked with angels and broke their hearts. I won and lost for a cause I can’t spell, Loved and despised for no reason at all. 1/3

"We're all gonna die That's the truth Quit measuring time By money and youth Time's no straight line Time's a slope My credit's declined Keep dancing with hope We're all gonna die Prescriptions and pills So live true your shine Don't live unfulfilled... Let go of the mind Lie back and float"

In a world gone crazy, the mad hatters are in charge. Down the rabbit hole we go. 🎩 rabbit 🐇 🕳️

When capitalism bares its teeth, it’s got a name...fascism.

Reading for hospital waiting rooms. Take my mind off our daughters operation tomorrow.