Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Monday 1st November 2021: world leaders arrive for the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. So it could only be the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof and 'I Don't Like Mondays' - a number one UK hit from  1979.

If I remember correctly, Glasgow's refuse workers have been warning about the city's rat issues for years. The underlying problem is the City Council's mentality which insists that all Glasgow needs is a 'wee spruce-up' - instead of a big clean up which requires more bins, bigger bins and/or more frequently collected bins. As well as better enforcement against litter louts and rubbish dumpers.  

Glasgow's increasing problem with rats confirm that far from getting 'Miles Better' - they city is gradually becoming miles worse! Read the dreadful reports in the Daily Record and Glasgow Live Rat sightings treble in Glasgow and pests are 'getting bolder' 🐀 https://t.co/ZoMFNABOO9 — Glasgow Live (@Glasgow_Live) December 28, 2024  

Thanks to Mark Smith for joining feminist groups in calling out these irresponsible remarks. Unspecified accusations whether uttered from a broom cupboard or otherwise can act as a dog whistle & have consequences for feminist activists https://t.co/24af5jWpNs — Joanna Cherry KC (@joannaccherry) December 28, 2024 Mark Smith in The Herald heaps well deserved scorn on Nicola Sturgeon's bogus claim that mysterious forces have been at work in the public debate over self-ID and gender ideology.    "This is pretty poor stuff from Ms Sturgeon though, mostly because it falls into the trap of the polarisation she’s complaining about.  "You’ll have heard of Godwin’s Law which states that it’s only a matter of time in any debate before someone accuses someone else of being a fascist or a Nazi or a literal Hitler and it’s worrying because it trivialises what those words actually mean. "We’ve seen left-wing feminist lesbians being accused of fascism because they’re opposed to ...

This is why you don’t have boys and girls share the same intimate spaces. This is one school and one boy who had hundreds of videos of unsuspecting girls. Mixed spaces make this common now. This happens all the time. Bc of course it will if you make it this easy. 1/ pic.twitter.com/zWqsoGZyCZ — Jennifer 🟥🔴🧙‍♀️🦉🐈‍⬛ 🦖 (@babybeginner) December 21, 2024 Jennifer speaks the truth about teenage boys sharing intimate spaces with teenage girls.  It's not rocket science - it's an accident waiting to happen.  

I agree Mark and say as much in my Splash column today .. https://t.co/Kk7MbZSsD5 — Donald C MacLeod MBE (@DonaldCMacleod) December 21, 2024 Donald McLeod has a great Substack column on the run down state of Glasgow and Sauchiehall Street in particular. "Instead, we have a hollowed-out shell of its former self—a historic shopping and entertainment boulevard crippled by endless building works, collapsing footfall, and an unforgivable lack of progress. "The tragedy of Sauchiehall Street is that it’s not just an eyesore—it’s a glaring indictment of mismanagement, vanity projects, and leadership disconnected from the needs of Glasgow’s people and businesses."

In 2010 French police arrested Dominique for upskirting and didn't inform Gisele. They then misplaced his DNA sample, despite it matching a 1999 violent attempted rape. In 2011 Dominique started drugging and raping Gisele. She could have been spared. https://t.co/aJLXHe0PTF — Dr. Ann Olivarius (@AnnOlivarius) December 19, 2024 Sacre bleu - t he French police would appear to be in deep doo doo over their previous arrest of Dominique Pelicot!  

Minister and son chauffeured to Cup Final in official limo https://t.co/G63DKuQ1kt — Graham Grant (@GrahamGGrant) December 20, 2024 I wonder how the Minister's son got himself invited to the Cup Final - did the SFA ask him independently of his mother or did Angela Constance ask for another ticket to the game, presumably a hospitality ticket into the bargain?  

Not all men's toilets are as bad as 'the worst toilet in Scotland' featured in in this clip from 'Trainspotting' - but there's no doubt that unisex rest rooms, in general, are a backward step for women and girls.

Eddie Izzard's daftie idea about getting rid of urinals and having unisex toilets would punish women for the gross behaviour of manky men and teenage boys. As for his suggestion about schools - I can't imagine young teenage girls (and their parents) being anything other than completely grossed out!  

I mean, who would ever have thought the SNP promoting a woke agenda in Scotland's schools would lead to this kind of situation? The vast majority of Scots, I imagine. Women, Girls and Single Sex Spaces ( March 16, 2023 ) Well I never! Who would ever have thought that teenage boys would behave like teenage boys in mixed sex toilets?  I'd sue the school.

The woeful state of Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street is a national disgrace - never ending 'works', empty shops, boarded up pubs, graffiti everywhere, dirty pavements, litter, fly-tipping and an ugly, intrusive, often dangerous cycle lane.

I will not be surprised in the slightest if, come April, a number of these ongoing projects are shelved before completion. Still, those Deliveroo Motorways we’ve paid for are great. pic.twitter.com/oupeo6LiN2 — Brian Spilei (@BrianSpanner1) December 18, 2024 I was in a store in Sauchiehall Street the other day and asked staff what they thought of the 'improvements' to Glasgow's once-upon-a-time most famous shopping street. The place has been dug up for months on end, but it's fair to say that everybody I spoke to was underwhelmed at the final result - a few new trees dotted here and there doesn't add up to much.

How can anyone celebrate Christmas while the land Christ was born is soaked in blood. — Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) December 17, 2024 Diplomat dude asks how anyone can celebrate Christmas given the war in Gaza, but I don't recall Eid being cancelled in years gone by when tens of thousands of Muslims were being killed in Syria's terrible civil war.

EXC: Nicola Sturgeon probe secrecy row continues as civil service chief responds to @FOIScotland criticism SG wasted public money by pursuing weak court appeal against it. @heraldscotland @HeraldPols https://t.co/NfMNsBupMg — Kathleen Nutt (@kacnutt) December 20, 2024 Seems like the SNP government won't accept any criticism of its performance even when this comes from the Scottish Information Commissioner - an independent watchdog set up to champion the interests of the public on transparency and openness. 

The current Labour government believes that every time a woman sees "woman only" on the door, she must embark on a guessing game about which men, if any, that particular provider, will treat as a woman. No. https://t.co/0VjZZo9w4g — Lucy HunterBlackburn (@LucyHunterB) December 19, 2024 Fair comment from Lucy HunterBlackburn (MBM) and Sex Matters. Women shouldn't have to play a guessing game over their rights to single sex spaces - men should just stay out and respect women's boundaries.

"I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don't want them to be ashamed any longer." That shame was never hers to carry. Gisele Pelicot is so right and so brave to refuse it and to demand that it changes side. https://t.co/cRRxkLoMHl — Dr. Ann Olivarius (@AnnOlivarius) October 23, 2024 I came across this tweet on Madame Gisele Pelicot's fight for justice which is worth sharing.  "I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don't want them to be ashamed any longer."

The lawyer of one of Gisele Pelicot’s rapists gets emotional outside the court, calling the female protesters “hysterical”, “foul-mouthed” and “shit”. https://t.co/FSOBK6EFOa — Róisín Michaux (@RoisinMichaux) December 19, 2024 Róisín Michaux shares a video of the lawyer representing one of Gisele Pelicot's rapists - a chap called Christophe Bruchi who calls women protesting outside the court a whole load of nasty names!

Gisele Pelicot has delivered a statement after her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison She said she 'never regretted' opening the doors of the trial, 'so society could see what was happening'. Read more: https://t.co/0wOCRCjSD1 pic.twitter.com/4UETaSNF9U — Sky News (@SkyNews) December 19, 2024 Gisele Pelicot's powerful, dignified, proud statement at the conclusion of a horrific trial is well worth a read. Courage calls to courage everywhere.  "Please, if you could respect my emotional state as much as possible. Thank you. It's with a lot of emotion that I'm here to make a statement. "This case was a very difficult test for me. And I'm thinking first and foremost of my three children, David, Caroline and Florian.  "I'm also thinking about my grandchildren because they are the future and for them, I wanted to really put this struggle forward. Oran and Celene as well. "I'm thinking about all the other families affecte...

Euan McColm hits the nail on the head with his comment piece on Humza Yousaf, the outgoing MSP for the seat of Glasgow Pollok. Humza was Scotland's worst First Minister by a country mile and his track record in other posts was just as bad - his support for self-ID and sending rapists to women's prisons, for example. To use a Glasgow term Humza is a 'chancer' who owes his career to the patronage of others rather than innate talent or his ability to deliver anything - illustrated perfectly by being forced to resign by the Greens.     

You know we're winning when the cool kids are mocking the other side https://t.co/6qPhELQmR8 — Helen Joyce (@HJoyceGender) December 19, 2024 Now this young chap made me laugh - very funny! Does anyone know his name?

“Why do women’s sports exist? If you can’t define the difference between women & men, why not abolish women’s sports…” Gender ideology does not survive even the most basic scrutiny. pic.twitter.com/8RFxnvs26G — Sall Grover (@salltweets) December 16, 2024 It's painful to watch otherwise intelligent women making such fools of themselves - by failing to answer such a straightforward question Women's sports exist to ensure fair competition because males have an big physical advantage over females from the onset of puberty.