Doug Gay 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Think I'm done here - Grok has made me grue - I'll miss you @Rokewood and @alastairmci and so many others... off to bluer skies

🇪🇺🇳🇱 Former Dutch Chief of Defence Berlijn warns annexation of Greenland will cost the US its military bases in Europe. "Forget about Ramstein, Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Aviano, Alconbury, Lajes, Móron and Zaragoza"

I thought this was excellent - rare example of a genuinely 4 nations survey of UK politics - the cross questioning format worked well - the BBC should be doing this but lack the nous! More like this please ⁦@HolyroodSources⁩ podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hol…

The country on strike. Massive numbers on the streets. Internet cut. Mullahs seen at Moscow airport. Yet the regime still shoot at protestors. Many dead. But the people keep on coming. The courage of our fellow human beings is staggering. #IranRevolution2026 Tehran tonight ⬇️

If today was meant to be a conservative reset moment, Pope Leo XIV had other plans. Opening his first extraordinary consistory, he aligned himself squarely with Pope Francis’s reforms, the Second Vatican Council, and a synodal Church — despite vocal opposition from Bishop Robert Barron and allied critics. open.substack.com/pub/lettersfro…

Pope in address to Cardinals this evening: “Herod fears for his throne; he is agitated by what he feels is beyond his control, tries to take advantage of the Magi's desire, and attempts to manipulate their search for his own benefit. Herod is ready to lie, he is willing to do anything. Fear, in fact, blinds. The joy of the Gospel, however, liberates. It makes us prudent, yes, but also bold, attentive, and creative; it suggests paths different from those already traveled. This [encounter] for me is one of the many expressions in which we can truly experience the newness of the Church. The Holy Spirit is alive and present among us. How wonderful it is to be together in the boat! That image that Cardinal Radcliffe offered us in his reflection this afternoon, as if to say: let's stay together. There may be something that frightens us; there is doubt: but where are we going? How will it all end? But if we place our trust in the Lord, in his presence, we can accomplish so much.”

People fatally shot by UK police in 2024/25: 2 People fatally shot by US law enforcement in 2025: 1280

'There’s so much talent and so much to offer in the South of Scotland' 👇 𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘎𝘌: 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵

Pork barrel unionism undermining devolution for party political ends

What Tricia said…

"Greenland has been part of Denmark for longer than the United States has even existed." Why does Trump want Greenland as part of the US - and how far is he willing to go to get it? 🔍 @lewis_goodall breaks it down.

PSA: If you live in the UK you can get a library card with which you can get a PressReader account that gives you free access to all national and many international newspapers, magazines, and so on. Many people have totally given up on the mainstream news, understandably, but it’s good to check in once in a while and there’s no need to pay because you already did through taxes. In short, join your library and use it because libraries are awesome.

Good explainer for those not familiar with the Scottish system and how it will shape coming Holyrood Election

On how the @ScotParl electoral system could make a difference to the outcome of #SP26. bylines.scot/politics/holyr…

“A high proportion of leading figures in the British media are from private school backgrounds. While only 7% of people in Britain attend private school, 47% of political commentators, 45% of leading podcasters and 38% of BBC executives.” - Sutton Trust. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

This looks good… spring.site/blog/power-shi…

The most charming image of the Magi for Epiphany - c.1120 by Master Gislebertus for Sainte-Lazare Cathedral. One of the Magi wakes as the angel strokes his hand & points out the star. My @ThatShakespeare podcast on Epiphany & #TwelfthNight below! cassidycash.com/ep351 🎄

Starmer, Macron, Merz, Meloni, Tusk, Sanchez and Denmark’s Frederiksen collectively tell Trump: hands off Greenland

Britain’s shame…

According to the Equality Trust, unelected membership of the Lords has expanded from 676 to 803 in the past 20 years – the same period that political donations above £250,000 have jumped from £7.6m to more than £47m. buff.ly/9lWJcWw