I'd like to say that it's because Scots are less racist and more leftwing than the English but that wouldn't actually be true (social attitude studies consistently show little difference - for example this report (pdf) "Is Scotland more left-wing than England" finds very modest differences in concern over income inequality and support for tax-and- ( Read more... )

Really glad I joined the Scottish Greens and got involved this year. Going to the count last night was really good fun. We didn't get either of our deposits back but we substantially increased our vote share in both constituencies and managed about 3% (and 4th place) in Dundee West which was pretty damn good all things considered, since that was ( Read more... )

National identity is a funny old thing. As a young person, I think you probably start off inheriting your national identity from your parents but as you get older, particularly if you move away and make your home some place else, it becomes a more complicated. Unsurprisingly, the indy ref has brought up a lot of issues regarding national identity ( Read more... )

This is an artificial trail full of obstacles. These are meant to require skill and be something you have to get over. I will be wracked with self-doubt and convinced that because it is hard I am going to struggle. Therefore I will struggle ( Read more... )

( cut for obvious reasons, musings about losing weight and being thin vs being fit and healthy )

Caught the end of Newsnight last night and the piece they were doing on whether the success of women at the Olympics (this Olympics has been all about the women in my opinion) and the wall to wall coverage of women athletes on the TV, will actually translate into greater exposure for them *after* the Olympics and improve equality of access, ( Read more... )

or do people mostly submit a pile of rubbish to Postsecret these days?

There used to be some really moving posts on there. Today's offerings include 'I don't shave my legs in the winter' (me either, and I still go swimming and no-one has ever made any comment about it) and a man admitting he fantasizes about getting married ( Read more... )

Maybe I'm just feeling cynical because I'm ill but I'm reminded again today about the dangers of Twitter, and confusing online 'clicktivism' with actual activism.

Today, I'm reminded of this because #RIPHarry is trending on Twitter and various people are apparently tweeting in memory of 11 year old Harry Mosley, who has died of a brain tumour ( Read more... )

*Saturday started off very badly, when I woke up to Tony Blair being interviewed on the Today programme and wanted to stab his eyes out after about 2 minutes. I then spent the rest of the weekend avoiding all news and coverage of the 9/11 memorials like the plague, which did wonders for my sanity ( Read more... )

Reproduced from a discussion on FB with permission, because I thought it was great advice and also wanted to record it for my own benefit.

How do you get better at commitment?"You commit to it. That sounds sarcastic but I'm serious. You make the decision one time. You choose once. And then once you make that choice, you don't get to choose anymore ( Read more... )