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Norman McWhirter

@critsect.bsky.social
159 followers 235 following 201 posts
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Reposted by Norman McWhirter
North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 12h
Oct 17: Feast of Regulus (Rule) (4thC). Greek who followed an angel’s request to bear some of St Andrew’s relics into ‘northern parts’. Arriving in Fife, the angel brought him to a halt. There Rule built a church to house the relics, which was later called St Andrews.
St Rule’s Tower in St Andrews.
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 9h
My latest blog piece - Pulling focus, Burnham and Badenoch's transparent attempts to distract attention from the SNP conference reveals how scared they are of the Celtic Alliance and rising support for Scottish independence. weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/10/17/p...
weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Pulling Focus
It’s a sign of how spooked they are by the Celtic Alliance and the question of Scottish independence that just won’t go away that both Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch decided to pay visi…
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WillieMillersMoustache @williemillersm1.bsky.social · 19h
These are proposals that were specifically offered by Labour and rejected at election mere months ago. Get fucked Andy. You and your pet kestrel.
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Aida @aidap.bsky.social · 11h
Notably this means the rule only bites on one group: trans people who told their manager. And the guidance tells you to tell your manager! "It is advisable to inform your line manager", more than once. Disclose and get restricted, stay quiet and nobody can lawfully check. Brilliant.
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Osbert Lancaster @osbert.org · 10h
Light in the dark if we work together locally: “What also comes through clearly from working with these places is enthusiasm, commitment, and a sense that no problem is too difficult. Improving social determinants of health is possible and, as our partners say, we will do it. It is inspiring.”
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 20h
I've got one just like that
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Andrew @generalising.bsky.social · 22h
Today in "headlines that make a modern reader blink a bit" - Leicester Evening Mail, August 1944
GERMANS SHORT OF F-BOMB ? DURING the night and at daybreak this morning the enemy sent flying bombs over the Southern counties. including  the London area.  Damage  and casualties were caused.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 16/10/2026
The Tesla roadster doth use compressid ayre so technicallye it ys not a "flyinge" car it ys a "fartinge" car.
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 16/10/2026
opticians hate this one weird trick
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Iain MacGilleBhràith @aeonmach.bsky.social · 16/10/2026
A good thread that dissects subtle misinformation based on net new jobs. Emma concludes: “This doesn’t point to foreigners “taking” jobs away from British people. It suggests an increase in available positions that cannot be fulfilled by British workers alone.”
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Lachlan Irvine @lachinthecrease.com · 16/10/2026
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The SNP @snp.org · 15/10/2026
“If you live in Scotland, if you choose to make your life here in Scotland, then you are one of us.” Scotland belongs to everyone who calls it home. No matter where you're from, your background or your beliefs, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. #SNP26
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Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
The framing of this issue has annoyed me for years. The SG is not using *general* planning powers to block new nuclear, but *specific* consenting powers in the Electricity Act 1989. This isn't an abuse of power or an unintended consequence, but a deliberate choice made in the Scotland Act 1999.
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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 15/10/2026
Yeah, this is not beating the allegations that 'Westminster doesn't respect the wishes of Scotland's people.'
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Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I really resent, just as an adult citizen and news consumer, the way the BBC now flattens the entire cultural and medical history of the trans experience into saying a trans woman is “a biological male who identifies as a woman”, just as a patronising aside in articles like these.
bbc.co.uk
Trans people should use hospital spaces according to biological sex, NHS England says
New guidance says trans patients should be cared for on single-sex hospital wards or bays that align with their biological sex.
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Steve Bullock @guitarmoog.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
In only five days no.1 below has gone from ’conceivably possible‘ to the obvious trajectory of US policy. Brace for number 2 following. What a fucking mess this cowardly Putin poodle has made.
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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Ukrainian presidential advisor Serhiy Beskrestnov confirms Elon Musk's Space X crippled Ukrainian capabilities last night. In other words, the US deliberately sabotaged European defence operations mid-mission. Every country in the world should move away from buying American hardware ASAP.
"I can confirm that tonight SpaceX has implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals while in motion.

The limit currently applies to the StarShield “military package” and is set at 100 mph.

Our defense forces were not given notice of this limit, and this has resulted in the disruption of a number of missions.

It is clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation."
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Was this entire country kicked in the head by a mule?
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Trisha Elliott @trishaelliott.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
A brutal Executive Summary in the 4th document here from @ageingbetter.bsky.social. The experience of people in their 60s just now varies widely. I’d recommend taking a look at all four papers. In an age of misinformation, it’s useful background knowledge. ageing-better.org.uk/resources/ta...
Executive summary
There is a crisis of under-preparation for later life. Far too many people are unable to plan and save, resulting in severe challenges by the time they reach their 60s. This is a problem for people in their 60s now and there is clear evidence that this will persist into the future,
Those living in precarity today - living on a low income without the financial protections (pensions, home ownership, work income to weather sudden life events (health decline, divorce, redundancy)- are unable to adequately save and plan earlier in their adult life. Financial need has prevented them from having the material means to pay into savings and resulted in them thinking in the short term. The result of this is vulnerability to later life shocks, like health crises, redundancy, rent rises, bereavement or divorce, and macroeconomic forces. When these problems present this group are not prepared to weather the storm and find themselves pushed into deeper hardship.
Behind all of this are outdated and inaccurate expectations for later life. People living in precarity did not expect to be limited by poor health, a single household income and financial insecurity. Instead, their expectations were rooted in the later life their parents enjoyed of retirement, good health and financial security. Later life is presenting a confusing picture to many, where they are forced to live a precarious Life, they did not expect and could not prepare for.
All of this points to an urgent need to act now to ensure people are prepared for the future and have the support to navigate insecurity today. Otherwise, many more will face the disappointment and hardship of a precarious later life, and those facing it now will slip further from safety.
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Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
agree with this post in general, but also, heat pump subsidies are not supposed to be redistributive, they are supposed to incentivise switching to heat pumps! it is a *good thing* if people take them up, regardless of whether they’re well off or not, and making them affordable to all requires scale
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 11/10/2026
Oh, that didn't take much digging. They asked people to solve stupid fraction problems. One group got to ask AI, the other group didn't. Then they took the AI away from the AI group. Those people started fucking off. The non-AI group didn't magically know it was time to start fucking off.
For the first experiment with 354 participants, one group was tasked with solving 15 basic fraction problems without help, while another had ChatGPT open on the side to use for assistance and to even ask for the answer. The group with AI access started off more accurate than the group without it. Then, after 12 problems, researchers took away the AI tool. Almost immediately, the people in that group stopped solving questions accurately. 

A similar thing happened when they ran the experiment on a second, larger group of 667 participants. Whereas the AI users got answers wrong or gave up entirely when the AI assistance was withdrawn, the group without AI stuck with the task and were more successful at the end.
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Themperor Palpatine @mxthemfatale.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
For anyone out of the forced-birther christofascist loop, the "problem of coercion into abortion" isnt real. They tell lies aboout NHS abortion providers claiming they are not offered counselling, when they are. Its their justification for being present at clinics to harass staff and patients.
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the pickwicker man @pickwick.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
This is a usefully blatant example of a technique that's being used all the time now.
Our fringe event was on the subject of coerced abortion as we believe that no woman in Scotland should be coerced or pressured into having an abortion. The First Minister must now categorically state his views on this important issue: does he agree with SPUC that Scottish women should be legally protected from coerced abortion, if so why has he allowed a panel of expert women to be cancelled from his conference? Or is it the position of the SNP that women should not have specific coerced abortion legal protections?
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Açh, never a good sign
Helicopter doing a search pattern off the coast of Kirkcaldy
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Surprise!
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Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
"King Charles says that he too had been a victim, and was recently scammed into paying several million dollars to somebody claiming to be a British prince,l - who claimed he needed them for 'legal fees'"
BBC Headline - "King warns malicious online actors are evolving tactics". In fairness this is very different to Andrew, who had always been a cunt.
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Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
The classics! 🎓
Person one: the dramatic story of personal romantic histories of the members of Fleetwood Mac is the epic of Gilgamesh for suburban millennial women.
Person two : who Gilgamesh?
Person one: it's like Fleetwood Mac for Mesopotamians.
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 10/10/2026
For those playing along at home: To give the appearance of action on the impacts of his humiliating blunder on the world stage, the President of the United States is making a humiliating blunder on the world stage by bailing the Russian president out of a humiliating blunder on the world stage.
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 10/10/2026
I want answers, but there are only the wild geese Calling, high in the almost-dark, bearing south, And me, stopped short, clutching a bag of groceries On the doorstep of my not-quite home… —Susan Mansfield, “Bearing South” from THE ROOFTOP BUSKER (ASL, 2015) #poetry #poem #WorldMigratoryBirdDay
Susan Mansfield
BEARING SOUTH

I want answers, but there are only the wild geese
Calling, high in the almost-dark, bearing south,
And me, stopped short, clutching a bag of groceries
On the doorstep of my not-quite home.
I feel the calm of their inner compass
And wonder if this is what we mean by certainty,
A deft arrowhead of wingbeats
In tune with the turning wind, the changing light,
A geography in their feathery breasts
Older than the names of continents.
A journey without thought of parting or arrival,
Only the press of forward motion,
The urgency and risk of it all,
A brief touch-down in stubble fields, then on,
The pulse of fellow flyers in the slipstream
And the clear voices calling in the dark:
I am here, I am alive,
I am here, I am alive.
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Sam Whyte @samwhyte.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
For any non-Brits, "with respect, that's completely wrong" translates as "that's completely wrong, you thick cunt"
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PuckPedia @puckpedia.com · 09/10/2026
What happens if Connor Hellebuyck wants to return to Winnipeg? A: Things get real complicated. @stevewerier explains👇 puckpedia.com/news/what-happens-if-…
puckpedia.com
What happens if Connor Hellebuyck wants to return to Winnipeg?
It's becoming more likely as time passes (and salary is lost) that Connor Hellebuyck may consider a new strategy.
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Kirsty Hall @kirstyhall.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Right up there with the Canadian maple syrup heist.
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Greg Pollock @gregpollock.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
@kleinman.bsky.social 's work inspired me to dramatize the future Republicans want as an Oregon Trail -like journey across a country ravaged by rightwing legislative extremism. It sucks! games.gregpollock.net/state-of-the...
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Kenny Stewart @kennystew.art · 09/10/2026
This reads like a targeted attack on The Open University, one of Labour’s greatest achievements.
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Always worth a rummage through the chucking out bit.
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
We rescued two plants from B&Q for half price. They were in a terrible state for lack of watering. After a good drink they've been flowering all summer.
Two Café au Lait dahlias with 5 large flower heads.
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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 08/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Kash Patel's Wide Eyes
ALT: Kash Patel's Wide Eyes
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cara giaimo @cjgiaimo.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
i was fortunate enough to profile Margaret Hamilton in 2019. A really kind and curious person. This was my favorite story she told me:
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Tim Featherstone-Griffin @timfg.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I just do NOT UNDERSTAND why no-one wants to talk about raising inheritance tax to fund social care etc. And I REALLY DO NOT understand why Kemi can propose exactly the opposite and no-one thinks it a bit dubious to hand £6bn to the wealthiest 5% in the country. Do people just not realise??
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Girl on the Net @girlonthenet.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I'm finally watching the Sex Purge film. It's one of those movies I feel like I SHOULD watch for my job, that secretly I WANTED to watch anyway. The work thing is nice because it gives me an excuse to pretend I'm somehow too good for it. I am not. I am trash. Sex Purge film: let's go.
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Cazu Martzu!
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 07/10/2026
...Federal marshals subsequently orchestrated the transfer of all 287 bars to local police. In a secret operation, officers guarded the 282 bars before returning them to the CIA. The agency promises that the 271 gold bars stolen by Mr Rush will be sold and the profits used to reimburse US taxpayers.
When F.B.I. agents first searched his house, they said they found 303 gold bars. In court on Tuesday, prosecutors said that the correct number was 298 gold bars, and that they had cost the government more than $46 million to obtain.
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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
this is my favorite genre of social media post and I am soliciting links or screenshots to your favorites
Jesse Raub @jesseraub.online
King Darius looking down at Daniel in the pit:
Norm Charlatan @normcharlatan....
Man, what are the Lions doing?
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Tristan Grayford @tristangrayford.scot · 04/10/2026
I hate the face that Scottish Green polling is impacted by whatever the shit GPEW is up to at any given moment because the average brit doesn't understand how separate the two parties are
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Lord Arse But Even More Scary 🕹️ @lordarse.com · 03/10/2026
Love this.
A grid layout showing a humorous phone accessory that makes a standard charging cable look like a vintage computer cable.
The large main image on the left shows a smartphone plugged into a white charging cord. The connector plugged into the phone is shaped exactly like a chunky, blue analog VGA display cable, complete with thumbscrews on either side.
On the right, a vertical column of four smaller images demonstrates how the accessory works:
• Top image: The product packaging from the brand Elecom, labeled "Cable Mania".
• Second image: The hollow, blue plastic VGA-styled shell before it is attached.
• Third image: A hand inserting a standard white Lightning or USB-C cable through a slot in the bottom of the shell.
• Bottom image: The final setup, showing the standard charging connector peeking out from the top of the blue VGA accessory shell.
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 03/10/2026
I am not very worried about about the Tory Tapestry’s misuse of “doth”. What worries me much more is this sequence of panels which seems to show a small boat full of brown-skinned people followed by a plague of rats running riot and then a lot of dead white people labelled tax payers.
Detail from Conservative Party mock Bayeux Tapestry showing 1. A boat full of brown skinned people. 2. Enormous rats chasing cats. 3. White-skinned “tax payers” dead in the streets.
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I wrote a thread earlier today (before even reading this story, actually) about how commonly the “inconsistencies” in a victim’s story are actually procedural distortions made by people in positions of power who are invested in disbelieving her:
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Norman McWhirter @critsect.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Port scan incoming
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