(angmc.bsky.social).

Immigrant’s daughter. EU.

[(angmc.bsky.social). @angonthetwit]

👏

[Mike Morrison @MDMorrison82]

In the dead of night the Scots arrived at the Airbnb across the street. Decked out and playing the pipes at 6:30 am. So it begins…

[Calum Miller @CalumMillerLD]

The Prime Minister, No10 and FCDO have some VERY big questions to answer.

https://t.co/QI3yBuFvTp

[BELLA CALEDONIA @bellacaledonia]

Lord George Robertson who has urged slashing of welfare to pay for defence has claimed £681.6k of allowances from sitting in the House of Lords. Benefit Scrounger? https://t.co/cHS1dtgjL4

[(angmc.bsky.social). @angonthetwit]

1st journey into Glasgow Central since the fire. V. impressed with @ScotRail staff organising public thru different exits. Bravo 👏 for getting the station fully open so quickly. *doffs-cap*@NetworkRailSCOT

[Joanna Hardy-Susskind @Joanna__Hardy]

Hello, there 👋

Have you heard David Lammy MP and Sarah Sackman MP talking about people stealing bottles of whisky and swiping mobile telephones as examples of people who should not get jury trials?

Well. I’d like to tell you a story.

🪡 🧵

[sarah @llemonsteaaa]

I’m crying at this 😭😭😭

[Dan Neidle @DanNeidle]

Then the bigger picture problem: Zahawi said, through his lawyers, that he wasn't under investigation from HMRC and had fully paid his tax.

These were lies.

How can it be that someone can instruct a lawyer to lie, for personal advantage, and there are no consequences?

[(angmc.bsky.social). @angonthetwit]

@Mango Had email stating order delivered, when it is not been delivered.

[Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK @CovidJusticeUK]

Kemi Badenoch has rejected mask-wearing to curb flu, saying she is “still traumatised” by “all the mask-wearing” during Covid.

You know what's more traumatising than wearing a mask?

Having your family members die because politicians played culture wars with their lives.

1/2

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

The image of a triumphant Scott McTominay tearing across the pitch at Hampden Park clutching a corner flag adorned with Scotland’s Lion Rampant emblem. Unforgettable. The sight of Harry Wilson holding the match-ball after his hat-trick for Wales. Memorable. Club football is wonderful, often technically and tactically better, but international football brings astonishing drama, especially on the judgement day of the World Cup qualifying group stage. Nights like these mean the world.

Elite club football storms back this weekend, eager to reclaim the headlines, and Liverpool-Forest, Newcastle-City, the North London Derby and other club collisions will swiftly seduce the gaze back the Premier League’s way. But these last few days, including Troy Parrott’s pyrotechnics for the Irish in Hungary, have been a welcome reminder of the compelling nature of international football and why it will always command such attention.

Look at the scenes online of celebrations in the bar at Dublin airport as screens showed Parrott’s third goal going in; drinks taking off, strangers hugging, a man doing a jig of joy between chairs with his suitcase wobbling behind him. Dublin Airport changed its Twitter bio to Troy Parrott International Airport 🦜. Two arrivals from Budapest declared Troy Parrott tattoos.

Few events unite a nation like a national team doing well. Work-places today will be abuzz with chatter about the patriot games, conversations perhaps even involving those not obsessed by the game but caught up in the excitement. Kids will be inspired by those leading their countries to the World Cup. Having games on terrestrial television adds to that connection. Viewing figures will be substantial.

International football is special. Look at the faces of the Scotland players, gilded with glee. International football is special because its players playing for the shirt, not money. Scotland’s players were running on pride and adrenalin, fuelled by belief in their manager and buoyed by the belief of their fans.

By added time, Scotland were staging their own Goal of the Month competition against Denmark. They had the game finally won with Kieran Tierney’s worldie three minutes into added time, 3-2, game over, passports ready, doors to manual. Kenny McLean could easily have headed to the corner flag and run down the clock but he decided to shoot from the halfway line. And score. Spectacular icing on an already special cake.

It's special for these players because all had suffered setbacks in their career. Andy Robertson rejected by Celtic - too small, apparently - but always big on determination and now celebrating his 90th cap. Craig Gordon not playing for his club but playing for his country – at 42. Tierney not making it at Arsenal but now making it to a World Cup. Scott McTominay unwanted by Manchester United but now unleashing Zico overheads.

Parrott’s not had the easiest journey towards the limelight; those spells on loan in the EFL, that failure to convince Spurs, and moving on. Now an Irish legend. Brennan Johnson hasn’t won over Spurs fans completely but he’s just starred in a 7-1 epic Wales performance.

International football is special because a manager has to address squad weaknesses with his coaching not with a cheque-book. Even then, such is the squeeze on training time, he must work his magic in meetings and with selections and in-game changes. They create cultures and buy-ins from players. So Steve Clarke brings on a left-back at right-back and Tierney scores a screamer with his left foot. Clarke builds a culture. He cares deeply about the team, his players and the country, and people respond to that.

Craig Bellamy was missing important players, facing opponents who had conceded only three goals in seven qualifying games, and Wilson, Johnson and Co promptly put seven past North Macedonia. Would Clarke or Bellamy be considered for major Premier League jobs? No. But Clarke is off to the greatest show on earth, the World Cup. Bellamy may not be far behind him.

Both could be pitting their wits against Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Didier Deschamps as the world tunes in. Knowing Scotland’s luck they’ll get drawn with Spain, Croatia and Italy. But, who cares for now, they’re on their way to the USA. International football's special because of the prize at stake, a place at the World Cup. It really does mean the world.

[(angmc.bsky.social). @angonthetwit]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Peter Geoghegan @PeterKGeoghegan]

Andrew Lownie wrote an explosive book about Prince Andrew Then came the backlash.

Legal threats. Social media trolls accused him of visiting sex workers.

Journalists were told they’d lose Palace access if they spoke to him

Must watch
https://t.co/l7KlE6rZII

[Peter Geoghegan @PeterKGeoghegan]

🔴 MPs are banned from been paid to give 'political advice' - but Lords can.

And guess what? Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid by the industries they’re meant to scrutinise.

New on Democracy for Sale
https://t.co/625edrUz10

[EuropeanPowell @EuropeanPowell]

Based on the Teesside Freeport Scandal, which saw Sunak's flagship Brexit project gobble up £560 million of taxpayers money, there are 11 more freeports to consider, including the 3 Freeports US Blackrock has 80% stakes in, Harwich, Felixstowe, and Thamesport.
How is the public to know if the £25 million seed capital is also not going to be increased to similar levels that occurred at Teeside?
This is an absolutely critical question about transparency and accountability.
Based on the Teesside precedent, there are several concerning factors that make it difficult for the public to know what's actually happening:
The Transparency Problem
The UK Government's June 2025 "UK Freeports Programme Report" appeared more than eighteen months after investigative journalism began exposing systematic problems at Teesside, meaning the omissions were deliberate choices, not innocent oversights.
The government report presented Teesside as a success story while omitting the £560 million in actual public spending, suggesting a systematic pattern of obscuring true costs.

Why the Public Can't Know
No standardised reporting: There's no apparent requirement for freeports to publicly disclose total public expenditure beyond initial seed capital
Multiple funding streams: Public money flows through various channels - seed capital, tax breaks, business rates relief, infrastructure loans, government grants - making it nearly impossible to track total subsidies
Private partnerships: With BlackRock holding 80% stakes in 3 UK Freeports, Harwich, Felixstowe, and Thamesport, profit and cost structures remain commercially confidential.
Post-facto discovery: The Teesside £560 million figure only emerged through investigative journalism, not government transparency

The Structural Risk Given that:
Teesside model: £25m claimed → £560m actual (22x multiplier)
12 freeports total in England
BlackRock's commercial interests in maximising returns on their 80% stakes

If even half the freeports follow Teesside's pattern, we're potentially looking at billions more in public subsidies beyond what's officially stated, with profits flowing to private equity while taxpayers bear the risk.
The public has no reliable mechanism to know until investigative journalists or auditors uncover the reality years later, by which point the money is spent and the 25-year contracts entrench opacity.
https://t.co/sO34TfzN1v

[Led By Donkeys @ByDonkeys]

Farage: epic grifter. Part 2

[Led By Donkeys @ByDonkeys]

Farage: epic grifter. Part 1

(Part 2 below 👇)

[Joan McAlpine @JoanMcAlpine]

Wrote about the Mandelson affair for @HolyroodDaily Reflects on how quickly everyone moved on after Epstein’s crimes were exposed…

[TheMonk88 @themonk1967]

Friday innit 😎

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

@heraldscotland 👉 https://t.co/4i4eDnUSZC

[(angmc.bsky.social). @angonthetwit]

22% Reform! Good grief. *smh*

[electionmapsuk @electionmapsuk]

Barrhead, Liboside & Uplawmoor (East Renfrewshire) Council By-Election Result [1st Prefs]:

🌹 LAB: 41.9% (+21.7)
🎗️ SNP: 25.1% (-8.3)
➡️ RFM: 22.4% (New)
🌍 GRN: 5.4% (+2.0)
🌳 CON: 4.6% (-6.2)
✖️ ABO: 0.6% (New)

No Inds (-26.0, -5.1) or ALBA (-1.1) as previous.

Labour HOLD* - Elected Stage 6.
Changes w/ 2022.

*Notional GAIN from SNP.