Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Humza Yousaf has an ego the size of a small planet - even though during his brief time office he proved himself to be Scotland's worst first minister by a country mile!

Almost one year to the day. Never forget what Hamas did to our families. Tamar, 35 Yonatan, 36 Shahar, 5 Arbel, 5 Omer, 2 An entire family, shot to death by Hamas terrorists as they suffocated in their shelter. pic.twitter.com/YxeNMIGscz — Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 5, 2024 I wonder what threat this Jewish family posed to the sadistic Palestinian fanatics who murdered them in cold blood on October 7? None, of course - they were killed out of sheer Jew-hate and Islamist ideology.

Woman tries to block the German autobahn and finds out pic.twitter.com/3oKaQUErUm — Crazy Clips (@crazyclipsonly) September 30, 2024 A protester tries to block the motorway in Germany, but is given short shrift by a no-nonsense police officer!

For some reason this great song by Melanie Safka - 'Brand New Key' - was in my head when I got up this morning. I ride my bike, I roller-skate, don't drive no car Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far For somebody who don't drive I've been all around the world Some people say I've done alright for a girl

I wonder who paid for Nicola Sturgeon and husband Peter Murrell to attend Wimbledon in days gone by? I presume it was 'hospitality' from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) or one of its sponsors, but who paid for the travel, accommodation and other expenses en route to the lovely London Borough of Merton Politicians are great at attacking the excesses of rivals in other parties, but are not so good when the spotlight is closer to home.

Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons” performed by the children of the Goede Hoop Marimba Band, South Africa. pic.twitter.com/hFbDEkwBMb — Figen (@TheFigen_) October 3, 2024 How wonderful - the concentration and sheer joy on the faces of these young girls is something to behold as they nail Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons'! The Goode Hoop Marimba Band from South Africa.  

Scotland’s local heroes were shut out of Holyrood’s 25 anniversary event. The founding MSPs were not invited to mark this historic occasion. Whose parliament is it? My @TheScotsman column https://t.co/EHTzdk3eZk — Susan Dalgety (@DalgetySusan) October 5, 2024 Fair comment from Susan Dalgety - local heroes shut out, critics banished, selfies take centre stage.  "And while former First Ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf indulged in their favourite pastime of taking selfies on the floor of the chamber, their erstwhile mentor, Alex Salmond, arguably the most consequential figure in the history of the parliament, was confined to a seat up in the gods, where he cut a forlorn figure seated on the edge of the parliament he did so much to define.  "I am no fan of Salmond’s, but he and the local heroes should have had the best seats in the house. After all, what is a parliament without its history and its people?"

  Jenny Lindsay, a Scottish poet, was the target of a unbelievably vicious 'cancel campaign' after criticising this call for violence against women in the Skinny magazine - from a well known trans activist:  "I [have] received much criticism for demanding violent action against these TERFs … While my comments were extreme, I stand by what I said. Any trans allies at #PrideLondon right now need to step the fuck up and take out the TERF trash. Get in their faces. Make them afraid. Debate never works so fuck them up." Jenny responded with the following Twitter post: "Hello! One of your commentators here advocates violence against lesbian activists at Pride. I find it extraordinary that such views are given an airing in The Skinny, and, for clarity, the “I stand by what I said” refers to beating up “TERFs”, i.e. women. At Pride. Just FYI." Shortly afterwards the roof fell in on Jenny's world as former friends and people she'd never even met tried to ruin

18 months ago the political outlook in Scotland was totally depressing - Team  Sturgeon had just railroaded their absurd gender reform/self-ID bill through Holyrood helped by all the opposition parties with the honourable exception of the Conservatives.  18 months on and the outlook is completely transformed thanks in no small measure to the Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht - who took their campaign outside parliament and refused to be fobbed off by the political establishment. The remarkable story is told in this great book edited by Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn - a must read!   

What a great article in the Sunday Times on the 'women who wouldn't wheesht' and shut their gobs over gender ideology. Inspiring women who simply refused to be fobbed off by Scotland's political establishment after 86 MSPs tried to impose self-ID and remove women's rights to single sex spaces. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/we-wont-wheesht-over-gender-and-now-our-book-is-making-history-60mx9tq8d We won’t wheesht over gender and now our book is making history As campaigners’ account goes to No 3 in Sunday Times Bestseller List, Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn explain why they wrote it A demonstration at Holyrood in September 2021 - Photo IAIN MASTERTON/ALAMY BY Susan Dalgety, Lucy Hunter Blackburn -  The Sunday Times Our first formal approach to a publisher about our book, The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, was almost our last. “There is no market for it, sorry,” we were told. Last Sunday, only days after it was published, it entered the Sunday Tim