A reminder of what we stand for — primroses, gorse, snowdrops, bluebells, woodlands, paths, rivers. When the stressors of politics get to me, I am happy to retrain my sights to nature, touch grass, remember that what we’re fighting for is older, bigger, & kinder than anything we can see in a day.

Building from my work as a writer, poet, grassroots arts organiser, and my prior and ongoing engagements with the traditional arts and culture sectors in Scotland, I am delighted with my appointment as the Culture Spokesperson for the Scottish Greens. There’s much to be done! 🌿

We are concerned by the nature of the media attention focused on the election of Dr Q Manivannan to the Scottish Parliament at the recent election.

Congratulations @qmanivannan.bsky.social 👏👏👏👏👏✨ You were so good in the culture hustings. Great to see today’s result.

As a migrant, I can tell you nothing filled me with more love and hope for this country than when the SNP and Greens voted to give people like me the vote and right to stand in elections in Scotland. @qmanivannan.bsky.social being elected fills me with pride now that I am a citizen. 1/3

As an immigrant who went from work visa to study visa to post-grad visa to spouse visa to ILR to citizen, it is such a relief to have @qmanivannan.bsky.social as my MSP. Someone who actually understands my experience for once!!

🚨STATEMENT🚨 Please read Out for Independence's reaction to the SNP being returned for a historic fifth term at last Thursday's Scottish Parliament election, as well as to the election of @irisduane.bsky.social and @qmanivannan.bsky.social as MSPs.

All solidarity with @qmanivannan.bsky.social . As someone who lives in Scotland &has gone through the horrendous, impoverishing 5 year immigration process I'd much rather have an MSP who can tell me what the IHS surcharge is than someone who can't (and many who set immigration policy even cannot)

This cis, born and raised Scot is thrilled to be represented in parliament by a trans Tamil immigrant, and I can't wait to see everything @qmanivannan.bsky.social does for the country we both call home 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 💚

“My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them” “This is what diversity looks like in power.” - @qmanivannan.bsky.social

When you know you’re on the right side of history. 🎉Congratulations @qmanivannan.bsky.social 🎉 #votegreen #TheGreenPartyUK

Vote for hope tomorrow, this Thursday the 7th of May, in Edinburgh, the Lothians, and all of Scotland!!! 🌸 @katenevens.bsky.social @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

Your fave duo of candidates visited Leith Depot last week to chat about preserving our local cultural spaces (and spotted about 20 Green posters on the way!). Tomorrow: vote Scottish Greens to secure MSPs who care about their communities! @qmanivannan.bsky.social @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

My incredible fellow candidate @qmanivannan.bsky.social spoke so beautifully at this year's Trans Pride in Edinburgh. Parliament needs people like Q, and I am so excited to work with them if we are both elected! 💚 @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

Reform, Labour and the Tories all take money from oil & gas giants and private healthcare interests. That tells you who they’re really working for. The Green Party doesn’t take that money. We answer to you - and to the future of our planet. Vote Green on Thursday. 💚

Best part about seeing the #GreenWindaes around Edinburgh & Lothians East? The posters that locals have paired with them — for taxing the rich, solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸 , with women’s autonomy over their bodies, trans solidarity 🏳️‍⚧️ On the 7th of May, we show up and fight back.

With just over a week to go our numbers are continuing to rise - - @ch1453.bsky.social - Ross Stalker - @mareetodd.bsky.social - @qmanivannan.bsky.social - @houstinium.bsky.social - William Linegar

Community hubs like @weightogo.bsky.social are such a huge asset to Edinburgh & Leith 🌱 Visit, support our local circular, sustainable and ethical businesses, and keep war profiteering out of our everyday lives. @qmanivannan.bsky.social @lornaslater.bsky.social @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

It was great to see so many of our members last night at our CCPS election hustings. Representatives of a wide range of social care and support providers gathered in Edinburgh to hear from candidates from the six major parties about their visions for the future of social care in Scotland. 🧵

I recently sat down with my wonderful fellow candidate @qmanivannan.bsky.social on an episode of Edinburgh Uni's The News Hub. We chatted about environmental & social justice, bringing our activism into political spaces, & my distaste for Reform and the monarchy. @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

Meet the “queer Tamil immigrant” hoping to make it to Holyrood MEET the "queer Tamil immigrant" and PhD student hoping to become the Scottish Greens' newest MSP in Lothian. Q Manivannan, 29, is third on the Scottish Greens candidate list for Lothian ahead of the upcoming Holyrood elections, with…

Scottish Greens candidate Q Manivannan says ‘we are an island of friends’ www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/...

When the yellow’s on the broom, when the yellow’s on the broom, Oh, I’ll tak’ ye on the road again when the yellow’s on the broom… —Adam McNaughtan, “Yellow on the Broom” The #song was inspired by Betsy Whyte’s 1979 autobiography THE YELLOW ON THE BROOM: The Early Days of a Traveller Woman 1/3

Not the wonderful Alan Cumming telling folk to vote Scottish Greens on the regional list!! 💚 (Peach ballot paper - look for Scottish Green Party, we're standing and set to win seats in every region) #VoteScottishGreens

Excited about the prospect of electing more socialist, feminist and climate-conscious voices to Scottish Parliament next month?! There are loads of ways to help... @edinburghgreens.bsky.social @qmanivannan.bsky.social @lornaslater.bsky.social

New polling predicts that all four of us will win seats in the Edinburgh and Lothians East region! I could not be more excited about our prospective MSP team, & the potential we'd have to make real change together. @qmanivannan.bsky.social @lornaslater.bsky.social Vote Scottish Greens on 7th May!

Even the dugs are Green in East Linton… great campaign session in the sun today. Hearing a lot about how disappointed people are with Starmer’s Labour and the need for a genuine alternative. #VoteGreen #ChooseHope

A few of the fantastic speakers at Trans Pride today: "Our liberation is bound up with every person who's ever been told their body, their land, their life doesn't matter" - Q Manivannan Also pictured: Esme Houston; Sister Alaska Lott; Guiders Against Trans Exclusion 🩵🩷🤍 #transrights #edinburgh

Joining friends from the Greens and Women Against the Far Right Scotland to smile, dance and outnumber the fascists in Edinburgh yesterday Great speeches by @qmanivannan.bsky.social and @talatyaqoob.bsky.social and many others ✊️ #FuckTheFascists #OurStreets #RefugeesAreWelcomeHere

We spent the morning speaking with the Edinburgh Central Mosque, discussing their work engaging local neighbourhoods and global communities from nearly 60 nationalities. We spoke about Shaheen Bagh, about justice and care, & the transformative work that Muslim women are pioneering in the Lothians.

We're out talking with viewers in Musselburgh today, in the glorious sunshine! ☀️🌻💚 After Green wins in Gorton & Denton and Stroud Council elections, we're on a roll. Will you #VoteGreen in Scotland on 7th May? With Green candidates @katenevens.bsky.social and @qmanivannan.bsky.social

Keen for this timely conversation this evening on the UK and Scotland’s asylum structures, representing the @scottishgreens.org! Echoing @zackpolanski.bsky.social and @lornaslater.bsky.social — we’re an island of hospitality, and an island of neighbours (not strangers).

PhD submitted ✅ “A duty of care: narrating anti-authoritarian resistance”

PhD submitted ✅ “A duty of care: narrating anti-authoritarian resistance”

Great hustings, thank you. Delighted to hear you mention Ireland's successful artists income.

Thank you @campaignforthearts.org @fedscottheatre.bsky.social @hallamohieddeen.bsky.social #Dovecot & all involved in tonight’s Culture Hustings ahead of the coming elections. Huge plaudits to @qmanivannan.bsky.social #Greens for being the 1st politician to mention the #CCA closure, #ABI, & #EDI

I look forward to seeing some of you here tonight. Lots to be said :)

Politicians love to talk about the worst of the world — today’s a reminder that the light exists too 🌈 There’s friendship, fun, silliness, & hugs to be found amidst even the most rigorous of policy/budget/planning conversations! & there’s more to Parliament than suits, ties, & billionaire donors 🤗

Following news that the council is expected to overshoot its carbon budget and is off track on cutting emissions, Greens called for a climate summit to get back on track. That is happening today, with presentations from Council Leader, Finance Convenor & Transport Convenor.

When Anas Sarwar calls for Keir Starmer to step down today, let it be recognised as a last ditch attempt to distract us from this lovely tweet from 2025, far after Peter Mandelson was already implicated in a fair few disgusting acts. Westminster has failed us but so have their stooges.

Royal Family statements on Andrew and Epstein - without saying either name. Anas Sarwar calling for Keir Starmer to stand down as Prime Minister. Senior staff in the Prime Minister's office resigning. This is all simply about damage control and self preservation. It won't work.

This verdict leaves Labour’s anti-protest laws in tatters. Labour has tried to tell us that Palestine Action is a terrorist group & should be considered alongside groups like ISIS & Al Qaeda. But this jury verdict of not guilty makes a mockery of this. 1/4

Thanks to our guests @lezleymarion.bsky.social, Cllr Faccenda, @rosssmckenzie.bsky.social, @qmanivannan.bsky.social and @dastonsnp.bsky.social for joining us for the last session of the workshop, giving gig workers an opportunity to directly speak to elected representatives and candidates.

Very surprised to see @zarahsultana.bsky.social sharing the stage with infamous transphobe and bigot Kathleen Stock at this event. @yourparty.bsky.social and @yourparty.scot have my love (there’s room in the Left for us all), but this needs to be addressed. What’s an ethical way to engage here?

Door-knocking in Leith yesterday with fellow target candidate @qmanivannan.bsky.social, local councillor @chasbooth.bsky.social and a wondrously large and energetic team of folk, despite the dreich @edinburghgreens.bsky.social

I'm delighted to have been selected as a Scottish Green Party candidate for Holyrood 2026 on the Edinburgh and Lothians East list. I'm asking for your help to get me elected. We rely on donations from folk like you to ensure we can run our campaigns. 🙏 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/chas-booth...

Between the Leonardo case and the NHS Fife case that's two employment tribunal judgements back to back that conclude a bathroom ban is not only unjustified under the Supreme Court judgement earlier this year but would infringe significantly on the rights of trans people. Major, needed, good news.

Thanks to the @edinburghgreens.bsky.social members in our south west group who knocked doors in the Dalry part of the city this morning. Great feedback and enthusiasm from people in the area!

Very surprised to see @zarahsultana.bsky.social sharing the stage with infamous transphobe and bigot Kathleen Stock at this event. @yourparty.bsky.social and @yourparty.scot have my love (there’s room in the Left for us all), but this needs to be addressed. What’s an ethical way to engage here?