iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I see speculation that John Curtice may get chosen to lead Labour's electoral reform commission. And I see speculation that Labour want to end up with SV. I doubt both these things can be true. Because I would be very surprised if any commission led by Curtice ended up recommending SV.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

There are valid arguments against the SNP's Scottish nationalism, but too often opponents make lazy arguments that it's our homegrown version of British/English nationalism espoused by Reform or Restore. Civic and ethnic nationalism aren't the same, and it's intellectually lazy to act otherwise.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Well this doesn't pass the sniff test *at all*

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🎃Darin S Pumpkins🎃 @darinself.com · 01/10/2026

Alright class, lets gather around and discuss parties as coalitions as the ability of members of legislature (MLs) to credibly challenge or defect from party leadership.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is a serious problem, exacerbating the existing problem of there being too few jobs for the number of PhDs being churned out...

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Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

they should study him in a lab. I don’t think I could write this badly on purpose. still, glad this has higher billing than coverage of last night’s far right escalation

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I wasn't aware that @stephenboydippr.bsky.social was giving evidence to the Economy Committee before seeing this shared by the Parliament on LinkedIn. It occurs to me that "almost comical failure" is a pretty excellent characterisation of a lot of public policy discourse in Scotland...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

If you feel the need to do something like this, just slap a content note on it and move on with life, honestly...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

My main reason to distrust Kushner & Witkoff is that they'd rather waste their time flying to Moscow for meat pies than Fife for Baynes macaroni pies.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Since the death of Donald Dewar, Scottish Labour have had nine elected leaders, with Marra tenth. Just four have survived long enough to lead them into a Holyrood election, all of which have seen their worst results to that point. A fifth led them to catastrophic defeat in the 2015 GE.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This is, deservedly, vicious in its appraisal of Pinker. But so should all appraisals of "public intellectuals", a category that shouldn't really exist.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

"It", lads. "It". No wonder wider, English-speaking society is having such a breakdown over pronouns when we can't recognise how to characterise inanimate objects...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The utter lack of insightful 'way forward' pieces on ScotLab today says more about their position than anything a pollster could produce...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Scottish Labour have a new leader with Michael Marra winning 4,266 votes to Joe Fagan's 2,485 (63.19% v. 36.81%), on a <50% turnout among members. I daresay I doubt it'll make much difference to either their policy platform or their electoral fortunes.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Tom Watson joined those orbs Gandalf warned us about!? Time to vote Polanski.

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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I’m not saying the politically engaged overestimate the importance of things they are interested in to the public but

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I have a soft spot for @ippr.org as they gave me my first research job back in 2016, but they're also likely the single best example of an arms-length think tank that has effectively contributed to Labour policymaking. Their 1992-1994 Commission on Social Justice, initiated by John Smith...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I'm honestly more surprised that 4% of Scottish Daily Express readers *don't* support abolishing Holyrood than anything else.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Nice of Reform to donate their donation stories to struggling broadsheets.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

When you wrestle a pig, you both end up filthy. The difference is that the pig enjoys it.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 11/09/2026

How it started / How it's going

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Ballot Box Scotland @ballotbox.scot · 08/09/2026

Love to get home from a long day of doing policy work in the office to, err, do different policy work at home... aiming to write this whole thing up by the end of the weekend, for those interested - and if you are interested, raise it with your MSPs, in the context of Public Service Reform activity!

Summary
• Local government in Scotland is hugely oversized compared to the European average. Denmark, with a comparable population in half the area, has 98 local councils.
• Yet at the same time, existing local councils are too small for meaningful strategic service design and delivery. Returning to the Danish example, it also has 4 regional councils.
• Local government is an essential component of a healthy democracy. In designing local government structures, the core considerations should be how best to represent local communities and where governing powers best lie. Designing primarily to achieve administrative cost savings will inevitably lead to poor outcomes.
• There is an opportunity arising from the 2026 Programme for Government to undertake meaningful reform, but the signals from the Scottish Government are concerningly hostile to genuine local governance and democratic oversight.
• No reform to the structure of local government, including the proposals in this paper, can be successful without accompanying fundamental reform to an outdated, unfair, and thoroughly unfit for purpose system of local taxation.

• Scotland should return to the general model of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, but balanced towards slightly more local district councils, and taking into account demographic and technological changes in the decades since.
• In designing such a system, insofar as is possible and practical, consideration should be given to how to strengthen existing and historic local identities and connections.
• The example proposals set out in this paper consist of:
o 85 District Councils, which would deal with the most local issues such as leisure, parks, refuse collection, and some aspects of housing.
o 8 Regional Councils covering those 85 Districts, which would deal with more strategic issues such as health, social care, education and transport.
o 3 Single Authority Councils, covering Scotland’s highly distinctive Islands communities, which would exercise the functions of both District and Regional councils.
• Regardless of legal administrative boundaries, all local government bodies should be allowed and enabled to jointly develop and deliver services where they wish, allowing cost savings to arise from back-office functions without removing democratic oversight.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Devolved Election Projections @devolvedelections.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I for one am shocked to hear that JL Partners are involved in this. I just wish there had been warning signs and that someone had contacted the Telegraph about at the time. Or written about it in the Election Report. www.electionanalysis.uk/scottish-ele...

static.klipy.com

Futurama Fry: I Am Shocked, Not That Shocked

ALT: Futurama Fry: I Am Shocked, Not That Shocked

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Allan Faulds @afaulds.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Quick quick @devolvedelections.bsky.social we have more reason to be scathing about JL Partners and the Telegraph apart from "publishing not simply odd but quite literally incorrectly calculated MRP figures for Holyrood and the Senedd"

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Nadine Batchelor-Hunt @nadinebh.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Erm JL Partners and the Telegraph not being covered in glory here either 😬

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Ballot Box Scotland @ballotbox.scot · 01/09/2026

Some rumours that the Programme for Government may include allowance for local authorities to merge. Before usual ill-informed "does a country Scotland's size need 32 councils" narrative fires up again, a reminder: Denmark has 98, for same population, in half the area, and those are largest in EU!

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Mags is literally the second image result if you search this statement. That said, it looks like there's been a wee cottage industry recycling it without attribution.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔢𝔱𝔰 🧲 @magnets.eurosky.social · 28/08/2026

it's me i'm "unknown"

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

It's not at all clear that "a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland." Indeed, polling suggests the opposite. But that doesn't make this an any less irresponsible position for a UK PM.

bbc.co.uk

Andy Burnham says a united Ireland poll is 'off the table' during first NI visit

Andy Burnham said "we need to fix the things right in front of us in the here and now".

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This is the second Scottish Westminster poll since Andy Burnham became PM, and despite him enjoying a +9 net favourability rating in the same poll, still no bounce for Labour north of the border.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Z. BoogeyMann Zilla, Semi-Pro Ghoulball @pandangit.com · 26/08/2026

If we really want to honor Tim Curry's memory, then we have to publish like 8 different obituaries, each with a different and entirely plausible cause of death.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Good Chaps Theory of Government 2: New World Boogaloo

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Centre on Constitutional Change @ccc-research.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Beyond the Centre: A New Research Agenda for Constitutional Change Read the latest blog from CCC Co-Directors @davidevampa.bsky.social and @haylesben.bsky.social edin.ac/3S6KQ0b

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Committed the cardinal since of the bearded man this morning, and began trimming my beard with a nearly-dead trimmer. So rather than join work calls looking like the beard version of Harvey Dent, I had to bite the bullet and shave. Now my 6-month-old daughter regards me with caution...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Jokes on Glasman, I use a retractable badge reel.

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Nick Gray @path-dependent.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

As far as I can gather, 'lanyard class' lumps together e.g a corporate solicitor, a Russell Group professor, a Whitehall SPAD, a council economic development officer in Durham, and an NHS manager. Not sure it has all that much explanatory power.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Nice of 6% of respondents to out themselves as belonging to money-laundering organisations.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 23/08/2026

New, from me. Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise. dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...

dmitryopines.substack.com

You’re Not Censored, But Get Off My Stage

It’s not "deplatforming" when security won’t let me rap with Kendrick.

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Ballot Box Scotland @ballotbox.scot · 18/08/2026

I know it bothers some that after years of scrupulous impartiality I have started pointing out how despicable some of Scottish Labour's behaviour is but, one, human rights and dignity matter more and two, there remain (precious few) folk in the party saying so too. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Lennon criticises 'nasty' Scottish Labour as leadership bid fails

Michael Marra and Joe Fagan secured enough to support to run to replace Anas Sarwar.

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

This is a fun wee tool, but also a really good educational tool for helping folks to understand how demographics affect secessionism in Scotland. Kudos @eoghanly.bsky.social

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Reposted by Mark McGeoghegan

Devolved Election Projections @devolvedelections.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Our new Scottish Indy Calculator is out today in the @scotnational.bsky.social, move the sliders to shift party supporters and demographics one way or the other. devolvedelections.co.uk/scottish-ind... www.thenational.scot/news/2646638...

thenational.scot

New interactive polling tool maps how Scottish independence can be won or lost

A NEW polling tool which maps out how Scottish independence could be won or lost has been launched ...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Vis Jason Arday... a) I can't claim to have had the headspace to keep up with every detail of the media coverage; b) I don't know what allegations against him were true or false, and c) I've learned that certitude under uncertainty is dangerous. However...

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Think this is obvious enough at this point, but is also why Unis do things like establish Centres for X, so they can bring such personalities in without necessarily giving them teaching positions?

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Whenever a mainland European club signs a Scot...

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