Vonnie Sandlan is right. Despite all the talk, the SNP have done little to widen opportunity in Scotland. FE colleges have been overlooked and underfunded for 2 decades now. labourlist.org/2026/04/tale...

Our plan for change - Growth is up, and unemployment is down. I fear, however, that the war in Iran will push the global economy in the wrong direction.

OMFG I had to go and check that this ACTUALLY happened. Since when does the BBC ever do chyrons with a political party's branding, rather than their own? Not to mention this is during a pre-election campaign purdah. (h/t @iainsol.bsky.social)

All those graphs, eh. Que sera, sera. theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2026/04/new-...

The Meadows is looking pretty as a picture. The trees are heavy with blossom just reaching its peak.

Yesterday we had a journalist post on Threads to say the press doesn't like Labour and holds Labour to higher standards than other parties. It confirms what we all knew and see every day. But shocking that someone in the media bubble actually said it out loud!

View from a bridge (Harrison Road Bridge, Edinburgh)

Critics including Amnesty International said it was “farcical” that the UAE was not challenged on its “notorious” record https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-uae-sudan-human-rights/

This is desperate, really desperate. To find yourself or a dear friend or relative at their most vulnerable either without support or facing bills of up to £400 per day to get the help they need is just awful. www.sundaypost.com/fp/terminall...

So I measured the peach ballot paper for Edinburgh and Lothians East out of curiosity. It's 61 cm long or 2 feet in your old money. Can any other regions beat that?

Peak tree peony in our modest shared garden. They smell as good as they look.

Was just sorting through election leaflets to send in to this and my eyes were drawn to where the leaflets were printed. Only 1 candidate had his printed in the constituency. 2 chose to have theirs printed in England. And the other 3 randomly across Scotland Scotland in Glasgow and Dundee.

𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏 💷 Queen of the South have reported losses of £200k for the 24-25 season and similar losses are expected for the 25-26 period. Queen of the South believe it is essential the club remains full-time.

For any Edinburgh speedway fans, the Cancer Research shop on Home Street has a basket full of vintage speedway programmes from the 60s for £2 a go. Some would look great framed.

In March, I launched the biggest ever survey of young people in Edinburgh South West to understand what issues are important to them. This is what they said: scottarthurmp.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/h... @edinburghminute.com @edinreporter.bsky.social @edinburghlive.co.uk

I finally got along to this today and it felt like a soothing, warm hug. Highly recommended - you've got a week.

A handy guide to some of the less well-known parties that might be appearing on your regional ballot for the Scottish election. You're welcome.

Confidence isn’t thinking you’ll succeed, it’s knowing you’ll survive if you don’t Image: www.instagram.com/tyler_spangler

A big bold newcomer in the Edinburgh Central graph-off today, although to be fair, the Lib Dems haven't specified which Edinburgh Constituency they mean. But still, any graph is preferable to the Scottish Family Party AI foetus, which they choose to spell as fetus (US spelling), for some reason...

NEW: Growing fears of food shortages on USS Tripoli & other US ships in the Middle East. This photo is the kind of meals now being served. It was sent by a sailor to her family. Families are now trying to send food parcels to the ships. Full story 👉 www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

‘The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the SNP’s pledges were not backed up by a credible plan to pay for them, given that substantial public sector efficiencies were already planned to pay for existing policies & this lack of precision was a “familiar pattern” in Scottish elections’

It's a depressing trend that 'progressive' parties – the Greens, now the SNP – are promoting fantasy economic policies. Seems not very intellectually healthy!

The Edinburgh Central graph-off continues... Greens and SNP appear to be living in alternate realities. Why waste space on dodgy bar charts if you've got lots of brilliant policies to show the voters?

Wonderful news. Several events at this year’s #FestivalofEuropeScotland will feature #ErasmusPlus. Including this free event 👇Aimed at educators, it will provide guidance around how to participate. Find out more, and sign up via link: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reconnecti...

This is a harrowing read.

The war in Sudan is not inevitable. It can end and it must end. #KeepEyesOnSudan Read more here www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/anneli... www.gov.uk/government/n...

The Scottish Family Party PPB was just on the radio. FFS. The neighbours were probably wondering what was happening, given the scale and volume of swearing coming from our kitchen.

Incredible! Evacuation of a wounded Ukrainian soldier using ground drones. Drones have redefined modern warfare. Ukrainians have quickly adapted, and this is one of the key reasons Ukraine continues to stand while russia has been stopped.

Scottish Tulip Festival at Craigies Farm has begun Experience a celebration of spring at the Scottish Tulip Festival at Craigies Farm just outside Edinburgh. The floral display is set in the countryside backdrop and the tulips are now in bloom. Contact Craigies for booking details.

It's kind of remarkable how effective he is at bringing Europe together. From Left to Right, everyone in the EU and UK can agree... this guy is a shcmuck and we are better off without him.

A stop-the-car moment to photograph this greeting to Nigel Farage on his rather unspectacular visit to Shetland today. Apologies to any frogs offended. 🐸

It took a while to come back from Rebuilding. Slow, melancholic, quiet, beautiful and hopeful. youtu.be/QkwoapyJjiI?...

The cherry blossom in The Meadows is getting very close to bursting into bloom! 🌸🌸🌸

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.

If attacking Pope Leo online then posting an AI generated picture of himself as Jesus doesn’t convince you that the president has zero respect for Christianity, after all that has happened up to now, I can safely say you do not care about the truth.

There are continued reports of increased drug harms in Edinburgh and the Lothians, including near fatal and some fatal overdoses. This includes benzos and heroin, sometimes with heroin reported as looking unusual, potentially contaminated with synthetic opioids.

Seven countries now use renewable energy for 100% of their electricity Recent data has shown that in 2022, countries including Albania, Paraguay, Ethiopia & Nepal produced more than 99.7% of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, /1 thread www.renewableinstitute.org/seven-countr...

In absolutely chef’s kiss timing, Matthew Goodwin is due to speak at Orbán’s in-house propaganda group MCC *today* Badloss strikes again.

Whilst I very much don’t want to look at everything globally through the lens of British political culture, I also want to point out that Matthew Goodwin was getting paid a lot of money by the Victor Orban led government and highly likely he won’t be from now on and that’s y’know very funny?

Jeez. So many Question Time panellists need a new sugar daddy.

Debate Night - John Swinney was happy to commit to an Independence Referendum by 2028, but had nothing to say about the housing emergency he created. Anas Sarwar was the only leader who committed to building more homes for social rent. #bbcdn

Excited supporters of Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party are already dancing outside Parliament in Budapest. 🇭🇺

walking from my election party to the Tisza rally and we heard crowds cheering in the distance as Orban officially conceded 🥰

BREAKING: Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán has called Péter Magyar to concede defeat in today's election. With 53.45% of votes counted, Magyar's TISZA looks set to secure a super majority. A defeat for Putin, a defeat for Trump, a victory for Europe, and above all, a victory for the Hungarian people.

Rainbow o'clock in Edinburgh.

Hungarian nationals living in Scotland queue to cast their vote in the country’s parliamentary elections at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. The current Fidesz government, led by prime minister Viktor Orbán, is being challenged by the TISZA party and its leader, Péter Magyar👇 𝘝𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘖: 𝘌𝘴𝘻𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘢́𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘪

A cartoon by Harry Bliss, from 2015.

Beautiful www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/solar-projec...

It’s still so strange to me that both russia and the USA are openly campaigning for Orbán 🤯