The US fumbling and thrashing around.

Clannad singer and harpist Moya Brennan dies in Co Donegal, aged 73 Celebrated musician won a Grammy and an Emmy during hugely successful career

www.irishtimes.com/culture/musi...

⚔️ 9th-century sword hilts ⚔️

Left: Eigg, Inner Hebrides, Sco.
(copper-alloy, silver, gilt)

Right: Søndersø, Jutland, Den.

The immense expense of, and status associated with, the swords owned by Scandinavian elites across the Viking world is self evident here.

My 📷 NMS | NMD

Updated Scotland poll tracker, accounting for today's Norstat poll for @thetimes.com.

SNP 2 short of a majority.

Pro-independence majority of 23.

Seats (+/- 2021)

SNP: 63 (-1)
Ref: 18 (+18)
Lab: 17 (-5)
Grn: 13 (+5)
Con: 9 (-22)
LD: 9 (+5)

1/2

I was in Washington DC in 2006 and remember well the protests against a misjudged US war that was going horribly wrong. Twenty years later, we're on the cusp once again, engineered by a White House whose stupidity and arrogance is unprecedented.

Netanyahu orders military to expand invasion of southern Lebanon As troops push towards Litani River, mourners gather for the funeral of three slain journalists killed in line of duty.

As troops push towards Litani River, mourners gather for the funeral of three slain journalists killed in line of duty.

McDonald's re-opens 70km from Ukraine’s southern front line The reopening of McDonald's restaurants — the first American fast food chain to enter Ukraine in the 1990s — is always met with great fanfare after Russia’s full-scale invasion forced the company to p...

'There is no joy without Clan Donald.'
kyivindependent.com/sense-of-nor...

The First Post-Reality Political Campaign Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is waging cognitive warfare on a new scale.

Viktor Orban wants Hungarians to re-elect him, even though he has turned Hungary into the most corrupt and one of the poorest countries in the EU. To do so, he is telling Hungarians to fear sabotage, thievery, or even a military attack from … Ukraine
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

This is not government.

War crime on hold for the time being.

If it's not John Nettles, it's not Bergerac. End of. Direach sin. 🙂

A gentle Aonachan Gardens burr should get it over the line 😎

Trump is a hideous human being.

Scottish parliament votes against legalising assisted dying MSPs reject bill after concerted campaign to block it and despite amendments intended to placate critics The Scottish parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying after critics and religious groups led a concerted campaign to block the measures. MSPs voted 69 to 57 to reject the proposals in a late night vote on Tuesday, despite a series of last-minute amendments designed to placate critics of the private member’s bill. Continue reading...

Scottish parliament votes against legalising assisted dying

Allan Massie, 1938-2026 Father died this afternoon.

Alex Massie's tribute to his remarkable father. Take a few minutes out of your day to read and enjoy.
alexmassie.substack.com/p/allan-mass...

Humans. The smarter they get, the stupider they get.

Authentic Scotch.

A fine dram.

'US abandons Kurdish allies.' I've seen this movie.

‘Middle Powers’, European Union Agility (or not) and UK Looking On Trump won’t, perhaps, invade Greenland. But the US is choosing enmity and chaos over its allies. So what do ‘medium powers’ and the EU do now?

Trump won’t, perhaps, invade Greenland for now. The US is losing its allies - choosing enmity and chaos instead. So what do ‘medium powers’ and the EU (a bigger power but not a superstate) do now? my latest blog.
open.substack.com/pub/kirstyhu...

I'm not smart enough to understand 'the art of the deal'.

‘Nostalgia is not a strategy’: Mark Carney is emerging as the unflinching realist ready to tackle Trump In a speech at Davos, written by Carney himself, the Canadian prime minister laid out his doctrine for a world of fractured international norms

‘Nostalgia is not a strategy’: Mark Carney is emerging as the unflinching realist ready to tackle Trump

Walk.

Probably the last time we'll do this. Savouring the moment 🎄

This is my new book (26/026). It's the 1st time in years that I'll be published as 'Shona' rather than 'S.G.'and I am very happy to be reclaiming my name. It's about a reading society formed in a northern Scottish town in the 1830s. Drama ensues. (My mother-in-law crocheted the shawl 🧶)

Powerless, rudderless Europe continues its genuflection to Trump. What a truly unedifying spectacle.

It's not 'complicated'. It's crystal clear.

The gradual extinction of the Teuchter Wagon sticker. One of the great Highland tragedies.

Congratulations to Bologna and their Scottish captain, Lewis Ferguson. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

5:45 am