What’s Scotland supposed to do? Consult Nostradamus to find out how we have another referendum? Rachel Reeves says that even if the SNP wins a majority on its own at Holyrood the UK government will still not permit another vote. It’s a democratic outrage My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column

🥇Breaking: Welsh colleges have dominated the medal table at the 2025 WorldSkills UK national finals Full results: feweek.co.uk/worldskills-...

Just 13k more signatures and the call for a public inquiry into Russian interference has to be debate in Parliament petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Scotland will not be denied its right to follow a different path should it wish to do so. A whining article from the opinionated journo who writes for the Daily Heil and Spectator, obviously. www.spectator.co.uk/article/yes-...

'Ireland's "golden combination" of independence and EU membership is a template for Scotland' www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...

Rachel Reeves has been accused of showing an 'astonishing level of arrogance' after she dismissed a second independence referendum if the SNP win a majority at next year's Holyrood election

I've spent some time defending Labour and attempting to provide facts on what it is trying to achieve. But this democracy denying wee squeef's comments are a Trumpian step too far. Scotland must have at least the same rights as given by the Good Friday Agreement. www.bbc.com/news/article...

"Our analysis shows that over this period extreme wealth concentration has hardened into political concentration, as unelected influence has risen sharply over the past twenty years, reshaping the balance between wealth and democracy in the UK." equalitytrust.org.uk/evidence-bas...

“Just three companies – DMG Media, News UK and Reach – control 90% of UK national newspaper circulation, a 20% increase in market concentration since 2014. Newsquest and National World – control 51% of the UK’s 882 local newspapers and local news websites” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

BBC: The IFS points to analysis ... by the OBR, which forecast that the *average* disposable income would grow by "only" 0.5% annually over the next five years. Impact depends on where you live. Gross disposable household income by UK constituent country and region: www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regi...

Operation ShitBrit (aka Brexit) continues to eviscerate the country. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...

Efforts to encourage us to recycle have barely budged the dial in Scotland, even though rates in the rest of the UK are higher - much higher for Wales. Copy Wales. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ignorance is no defence. How can you run a modern country with such poor data? Or maybe that's the point and being taken advantage of by the right wing parties and their media. www.theferret.scot/is-there-a-l...

So it turns out Trump/Farage/MAGA/Reform UK Ltd are just talking bollox. What a surprise. 😯 theconversation.com/does-immigra...

"The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness will be chaired by editor of The Spectator, former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove." 🤔 www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...

I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities. Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...

Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue a year, new analysis shows www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

How Greece’s recovery can be an inspiration for Europe on.ft.com/4oc5e9T | opinion

Top Stanford economists: By 2025, Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6% to 8%, with the impact accumulating gradually over time. We estimate that investment was reduced by between 12% and 18%, employment by 3% to 4% and productivity by 3% to 4%" Read the Stanford report: siepr.stanford.edu/publications...

What a shame to see COVID denier and GBeebies director Tory peer Baroness Helena Morrissey defending the grossly asset rich when interviewed by @sophyridge.bsky.social and Wilfred Frost on @skynewsrss.bsky.social this morning. Wilfred agrees obviously.

🚨WOW! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 47,000 signatures! Let’s get it to 50,000 tonight. If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

"The MoD tried to add to their shameful history of nuclear cover-ups by harassing officials with false claims of national security, hoping we’d never know radioactivity was negligently leaked from Coulport." www.theferret.scot/navy-try-kee...

Daily Mail publisher agrees to buy Daily Telegraph for £500m. Inevitable given their gross similarities. Or synergies I'm sure they'd say. www.bbc.com/news/article...

💬 “The Europeans are exhausting themselves trying to find a viable solution to use the assets for the benefit of Ukrainians and Trump wants to profit from them,” an unnamed EU official told Politico.

"Regions with abundant renewable energy resources, such as solar or wind, would likely see lower prices."🤔 www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-elec...

“We are sleepwalking into full-scale de-industrialisation.” Not sure the message and impact has been felt further south yet. Find out next week I guess. www.energylivenews.com?p=357596

Well I suppose a milder form of proto fascism is better than the alternative. Maybe next time comrade? www.itv.com/news/border/...

Losing our community police when the football is on and picking up the pieces. The cost of football policing. Everyone should be concerned that the cost to tax payers for policing football matches is too high and explore ways to address this. commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Not before time. Reselling tickets above face value set to be banned by government. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

‘GDP reduced by 8%’ – Nine-year study reveals how Brexit decimated UK economy www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/bre...

So counter-productive. Use dishonesty to aggravate feelings of grievance over asylum, and respond to the problem you create with performative cruelty.

Katie Johnson's testimony. If your heart and stomach can handle it. Mine can't. 🫂😢🙏🏽 youtu.be/gnib-OORRRo?...

Full Fact’s Government Tracker is monitoring the government’s delivery on its promises so voters can judge what progress it has made. fullfact.org/government-t...

... the average UK worker paid less tax on their wages in 2024 than any year since the War, and less tax than their counterparts in any other large European country. taxpolicy.org.uk/2025/06/27/u...

The UK raises less revenues than most western European economies which is largely due to the UK raising less from social security contributions (NICs in the UK). commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Scotland has a separate law for treasure trove and so it's a secret and so we're not going to tell you. 🤣 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"The BBC isn’t perfect – but it’s ours. If we don’t defend it now, we may lose a cornerstone of British democracy"

Reform UK Ltd gets 92% of its funding from climate change deniers and fossil fuel corporate interests, provoking negative reactions | Mark Cunliffe @markcunliffe.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk

1:10 p.m.: "But we're going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones don't need any of our help. We're going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country." Trump watches TV (1:25–4:03 p.m.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...

Eviscerating, and rightly, this from @janemartinson.bsky.social, about the inept attack that brought down the BBC's inept leadership. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I am an atheist, but I like this Pope!

Today marks just six months to go until the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election! As is now usual, I'll be looking to commission a pre-election poll. If you can, please chip in to the crowdfunder here - all donations gratefully received, and even if you can't donate, please share! gofund.me/cf862de1a

Lest we forget. Scottish independence: Treasury figure for cost of Yes vote ‘badly misrepresents’ key research – says academic whose own work it was based on. archive.is/2014.06.10-2...

X effect: How Elon Musk is boosting the British right

"This morning, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised David Lammy for suit shopping after learning about the mistaken release of prisoners." As echoed by exceptional journo Emma Barnet on Radio 4 this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

A magnificent piece of work. Comprehesive, revelatory & shocking. Journalism this good is always rare & precious but never moreso than at times like this. Latter day Lord Haw Haws being plumped, preened & delivered to your doorstep in plain sight by a Nazi-saluting goon news.sky.com/story/the-x-...

"HOW ELON MUSK IS BOOSTING THE BRITISH RIGHT For nine months, Sky News' Data and Forensics team has been investigating whether X's algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content. It does."

Looking forward to Emma Barnet interviewing Professor Nick Hardwick, past Chief Inspector of Prisons, on Radio 4 on why wrongly freed prisoners has been an issue since 2010 and made worse by the hurried early release scheme introduced in panic in 2023 by the previous government and superseded since.

Shocked to hear BBC journo Emma Barnet assert on Radio 4 that prisons don't open to ministers until 9am and Lammy spent all morning shopping for a suit yesterday. 🤔

Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."