iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Conor Matchett

Chris Marshall @chrismarshll.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It becomes much harder to call out Reform's disinformation at First Minister's Questions when you're spreading your own.

133

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I would put some of this to the First Minister at his media event today, but as far as I can tell we weren't invited.

000

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Mr Swinney had several options after the PM's speech last week. He could have committed to a new pension-age benefit, an improved social care offering, or even a massively uprated Scottish Child Payment. He chose none of them. Politics is about choices.

100

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Some may argue there was an opportunity with the debate over the triple lock changes to a) admit the likely massive consequentials that would come from an uptick in social care spending in England and b) use it for mass generational wealth transfer to poverty-stricken kids

100

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Another day in Scotland and another damning report. This time on the SNP and John Swinney ducking responsibility" on child poverty from the JRF The First Minister said it was his top priority in the job but he has a long way to go to prove it www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1689880...

thescottishsun.co.uk

SNP ‘passing the buck’ in Scotland’s fight against poverty

ONE in five Scots kids are on the breadline — with Nats accused of buck-passing over the state of public services. Poverty experts also warn “radical change” is needed if John Swinney’s vow to end …

100

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Totally agree. Whether it succeeds will live or die by his actual *choices* in government rather than his rhetoric

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is maybe a really boring point but I do think Andy Burnham's way of speaking about politics and trade-offs is potentially a seismic shift-change in how British politics operates Totally dependent on his actual actions whether it succeeds, but he is showing it's possible to govern in this way

111

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yeah this is fundamentally City's problem. They weren't Juventus or Rangers and a juggernaut turned fallen giant. They were a mid-table, averagely-supported team with little to no international appeal or success. All of their success today or in the future is tainted by decisions made since 2009

040

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

There's a reason you fill a town or parish council with 15 to 20 local weirdos, and not just three or four people with oversized egos

001

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

All well and good until you piss off the husband and wife councillors who have a 2 to 1 majority on your local council when you want to build an extension or cut a tree down.

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I know we're not quite in the era of brown envelopes and council decisions being made in dark dingy corners of bars, but giving planning decisions to as few as four people in a not insignficantly small place like Leith (or anywhere else mentioned, tbh) will not end well

120

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Campaigning/providing answers to major questions until support for independence in the respective countries is 60+% for six months to a year would be a start.

130

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

To be blunt, the MoU changes nothing, says nothing, and ultimately means nothing. It's political theatre dressed up as something serious when in fact it's nationalist procrastination formalised via press conference.

010

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

All three nations, and critically the parties representing them on Monday, would much rather continue to talk about the prospect of independence than actually progress independence. None are ready to fight that referendum in an open battle.

260

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Advertisers/Marketers clocked the 'great jeans' outrage and took notes. Who's shocked?

100

Reposted by Conor Matchett

Stephen Boyd @stephenboydippr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

All the usual caveats regarding data quality but the significant fall in Scotland's 16-64 employment rate - and concomitant increase in unemployment - over the past year isn't great news. Employment rate now lower, and unemployment rate higher, than the UK

045

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Right of reply always struggles when it comes up against fundamentally bad actors...

010

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I would recommend getting angry at BBC Scotland. It's now a national pasttime for everyone from SNP voters to journalists to fans of the Old Firm clubs. A truly uniting experience

091

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Yeah I think that's fair - I mean I was at a premiere screening of their new series in Edinburgh where they had sold out all tickets in two separate cinema screens. But it shows format and content should come first.

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I *adore* BBC Archive, it's so good and such a painful reminder of what the BBC no longer is

020

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It's also such a 2000s view. Have they looked at literally anything, anywhere else? My favourite 'TV show' (on YouTube) is three 20-something guys and a rando racing each other on public transport. My favourite history creator doesn't show his face! If the quality is there, audience will follow.

280

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Lawyer: "My clients are serial liars, you must believe them, your honour."

041

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Hasn't stopped folk treating MSPs and councillors the same way in Scotland

020

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Not sure how Susanne Millar defends her comments playing down the seriousness of the Beastie House scandal She should consider her position and resign.

000

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Makes the pain of the rest of the season less terrible, at least.

010

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The SNP's dalliance with GFG Alliance appears to be slowly catching up with itself Who would have thought that, eh?

000

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

A party seemingly incapable of having an honest conversation with itself about it's *checks notes* 20 years of failure

0111

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

That's before we get to the clusterfuck that was the National Care Service (bill: £30million) and Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf, and John Swinney's apparent reluctance to do any actual policy-making on this issue. They'd much prefer it was solved for them, somehow. A dereliction of duty.

010

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The SNP's response to Andy Burnham's social care proposals is to whine about higher taxes possibly coming the way of Scottish taxpayers to - as they put it - fund "English" care That's forgetting how the Barnett Formula works and is just a big middle finger to voters who want a solution

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

My analysis on Anas Sarwar's decision to jump the sinking Scottish Labour ship and head to the House of Lords

243

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I for one hope Lisa Nandy does much better at DCMS than her predecessor

051

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Brilliant skewering of Scottish Labour and Anas Sarwar here, which DG may not realise he's done.

000

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

It's done at the expense of the broader storylines of the Games though, is my point. Today's BBC would probably relegate a Nadia Comăneci perfect 10 to a highlight reel after a GB athlete wins bronze on the track, for example.

000

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Oh I think that's changed hugely in the last 10 years. They nailed London 2012 but since they lost the rights for full live coverage, it's become painfully parochial and Brit-focused Lack of live coverage means there is less space to let the events breath. It's become pretty infantile.

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I'm a massive defender of the BBC and any suggestion it should be canned in favour of no public service broadcasting would be a national scandal and should never happen - but it's not helping itself at the minute.

030

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

There's still a part which institutionally understands it is there to serve different audiences at different times, or the radio offer wouldn't exist (though that's being slowly undercut too) That should be the blueprint for digital and TV/video content too. Make it for *someone*, not *everyone*.

020

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

You can't be all things to all people *all* the time, but that's what the BBC expects of its product.

2130

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

BBC Scotland's flagship radio show, for example, rebranded this year, added more 'chat' and 'banter', and overnight became a worse product because it still doesn't really know who its audience is or what it's trying to offer them.

3170

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I also think the BBC has become fundamentally less sure of what it is there to do, meaning it relies on talent more. Is it there to entertain, inform, simply report, or is it (as they seem to have picked) a messy mix of all three where nothing is done well and everyone comes away a bit miffed.

5465

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Aye, but the inference from your post is that it's the newspapers/journalists who are open to defamation cases which, in this case, isn't accurate.

100

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Qualified privilege allows for this coverage.

110

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

"It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times..."

010

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

In daily tram user voice: "Fuuuuuuuuuuuck."

130

Conor Matchett @conormatchett.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Tories are missing a trick. Take on the fight, lose anyway, then Farage may/may not end up fighting another one (no guarantee, for example, he loses a recall petition) where your data is better, you're still best placed to win, and you try again but better informed. Missed opportunity either way.

4152