Last day to register to vote! 16, 17 year olds are eligible too.

Graphic explains that people seeking asylum receive very little money from the government. UK asylum system support covers £9.95 weekly in hotels or £49.18 in self-catered housing.

An asylum seeker is someone who has asked for protection in the UK and is waiting for the Home Office to make a decision on their claim. A refugee is someone whose claim has been accepted because they have proven they’re at risk of serious harm in their home country.

Less than 7,000 people are seeking asylum in Scotland. People seeking asylum do not get priority access to housing or healthcare. People seeking asylum do not live in luxury hotels, they live in cramped hotel rooms with strangers.

Infographic explaining why most refugees stay in neighboring countries and the UK hosts less than 1% of the world’s refugees due to connections and language.

We've seen a lot of divisive language and misinformation about people seeking safety lately.

This is the reality of claiming asylum and being a refugee in Scotland 👇

Quite right, Patrick. Is the billboard on the side of a van? I can't imagine anything fixed would last very long in Glasgow...

Always worth listening to what Anna Hood has to say about...anything! 👍 #HeathEquity #HealthInequities #ChronicPain #PainCare

📢New report out today 📢

People in Scotland are clear:

83% say the wealth gap is too big
90% think inequality is more harmful than good
85% support higher taxes on the wealthy over reducing them

Public opinion is NOT the barrier to reform.

#TaxJustice #Scotland

Pain ConcernPeople living with long-term pain and illness need social security - Pain Concern In this blog I cover some of the difficulties that people with long-term pain and illness face with the UK benefits and welfare systems, and why governments

Congratulations! Out of interest, will you be investigating solutions to the difficulties ppl with chronic pain/illness face with paid work difficulties/limitations and the social security interface (as per blog)? painconcern.org.uk/social-secur...

So sorry to read this. 💔

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Thanks for sharing. It reminds me a little of ideas we raised about deepening engagement with 'intersectionality' journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Ideas about ideas: The politics of recognition Which ideas get heard? Why?

New Ideas about Ideas essay "The politics of recognition". This explores the politics of recognition: how status, institutions, and power shape whose ideas are taken seriously. Written with @sandrogalea.skystack.xyz and cross-posted on The Healthiest Goldfish. open.substack.com/pub/nasonmaa...

Who is providing pain care? Mapping chronic pain services across Scotland using freedom of information requests - Cassandra Macgregor, Christopher Seenan, Sivaramkumar Shanmugam, David N Blane, 2026 Background The Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain advocates multidisciplinary provision of care, stratified across sectors. However, there is lack of trans...

New publication: Who is providing pain care? Mapping chronic pain services across Scotland using freedom of information requests. #ChronicPain #PainCare journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

Campaigner turned down MBE over ‘scapegoating’ of people with disabilities Exclusive: In letter declining proposed award, Tressa Burke, CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance, accused government of ‘fuelling hatred’

NEW Tressa Burke of Glasgow Disability Alliance turned down MBE over ‘scapegoating’ of people with disabilities

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Palestine Action hunger strike - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament That this House expresses its extreme concern that six prisoners associated with Palestine Action have felt that they had no other recourse to protest against their prison conditions but to launch a h...

Check to see if your MP has signed to express their concern about the six hunger strikers and 'call upon the Secretary of State for Justice to intervene urgently to ensure their treatment is humane and their human rights are upheld'

edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...

CommonHealth Assets CommonHealth Assets

We are pleased to share a new article, based on a collaboration between GCPH, @commonhealthassets.bsky.social & others, on the economic evaluation of participation in community led organisations for individuals
▶️ doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

See also: www.gcph.co.uk/our-work/25-...

Criminologist and friend Fergus McNeill speaking to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament debating chamber today.

🔗 to watch @fergusmcneill.bsky.social's full speech, in Prisoners Week, to @scotparl.bsky.social 👇 #Criminology #CrimSky #Prison #PrisonersWeek
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/meet...

It's almost full, but still a few tickets left for NRS Pain: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sparcnrs-p...

Special report: Living with Chronic Pain #health #news #pain YouTube video by STV News

Scotland Tonight featured a piece on 'Living with Chronic Pain,' now on youtube. We follow the stories of Marie and Kevin - David and I furnish the stories with our experiences of delivering care. #ChronicPain #PainCare
youtu.be/exaw8dFApdA

Which one is more English?

China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show - BBC News Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.

Pretty extraordinary story here
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

'[I]f we refocus attention on elites, using the same measures that are often applied to migrants, we see a complete lack of integration. [...] Elites choose to segregate, but that choice is quietly normalised'. www.gla.ac.uk/schools/soci...

Dr David Blane, GP and Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Glasgow calls for caution when discussing lifestlye approaches for chronic pain in his blog 'Chronic Pain and the Limits of “Lifestyle” approaches'.

ppa.csp.org.uk/content/blog...

He talks about an under-recognised aspect of healthcare in many settings - to bear witness.

❗️Remember to submit your abstract before the 6th of October❗️

Group of 7 people sitting at a table in a pub with drinks.

Yesterday I successfully defended my PhD thesis -'An Exploration of Acceptance of Chronic Pain: from Individual Journeys to Social and Political Contexts.' (passed with very minor corrections) 🎉 Wonderful to celebrate afterwards with some of the team🥂

Prominent UK women tell rightwingers: stop linking immigration to sexual abuse Exclusive: Open letter says politicians are exploiting violence against women ‘to fuel hate and division’

Prominent women, including cultural figures, politicians, and campaigners, have signed a letter criticising rightwing attempts to link sexual violence to asylum seekers and immigration.

"We reject the far right's racist lies... They are not defenders of women"
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Come join me, @rozfoyer.bsky.social Tressa Burke from Glasgow Disability Alliance, Anne Marie Clements from Justice & Peace Scotland & Terry McTernan from the Darkwood Crew to talk about why the Scotland Demand Better Campaign is needed and how you can get involved

As part of The Scottish Wellbeing Economy Strategy Group, we are launching a new webinar series aiming to generate energy and discussion around the concept of a #WellbeingEconomy and what this means for Scotland. First up will be
@gerrymccartney1.bsky.social

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The bravery of these healthcare staff is incredible 💔

Great piece by @danigaravelli.bsky.social

House in community - as for normal people
Close mass accommodation sites & detention camps
Lift the ban on work after 6 months if claims not processed
Process claims
Stop with the lies about ‘pull factors’ & ‘deterrents’
Use New Scots integration strategy

Thanks to everyone who has already read and engaged with mine and @haylesben.bsky.social new paper ‘Lived experience as evidence in anti-poverty policy making: a governance-driven perspective’ Thought I'd give a summary of the paper here, I've found it useful when others have done this, so here goes