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Mark Stephenson

@markonline.bsky.social
536 followers 437 following 121 posts

An ex Marine, I Iove spending time on the water whenever possible. Politically, I have what is considered traditional left of centre views. I support Scottish self-determination and am a supporter of the Scotland Rugby team and the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Reposted by Mark Stephenson
Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 27/08/2026
Single UK Market latest... cc @davidgreen4csr.bsky.social @mareetodd.bsky.social @ariane-burgess.bsky.social wonkhe.com/blogs/the-tr...
wonkhe.com
The Treasury is bankrupting three nations' universities
With funding reviews underway in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Justine Pedussel and Jim Dickinson worry none will examine the hidden accounting rules driving the crisis
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
NEW: I can't get this story out of my head. And I know I'm not alone. The attempt to cover up the complicity of the UK media's role in Jason Arday's death may be its sickest move yet. broligarchy.substack.com/p/the-jason-...
broligarchy.substack.com
The Jason Arday Reckoning
The attempts to cover up the complicity of the UK media’s role in his death may be its sickest move yet
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
EXCLUSIVE: The UK Government has blocked the release of files on a shadowy Israeli firm caught meddling in the Scottish parliament elections 🚨 Downing Street cited an exemption that allows documents to be withheld if they would 'prejudice relations' with another state
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Ronnie Barbour @ronniebarbour.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
open.substack.com
Inside Britain's university crisis
As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
A complete lack of accountability. "­Politicians rejected by the electorate ­acquire titles, legislative power and, ­occasionally, executive office without ever having to trouble the public again for permission to rule over them." www.thenational.scot/politics/264...
thenational.scot
Let us remember Anas Sarwar, the narcissist who presided over an era of failure
AFTER the last Holyrood election, I found myself in an oddly lonely position
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Leona Scream @editor.scot · 25/07/2026
love that they’re going ‘we must be more like Zohran! how does he do it?!’ and they‘ve focused on his comms strategy but missed the part where you have actual socialist policies to underpin it
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Clare M @clamc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The article this image comes from (an xray showing a bullet lodged in a child’s brain) is available to read here. It documents witness reports of a chilling pattern of injuries inflicted on children in Gaza by the IDF: www.europeanpressprize.com/article/what...
europeanpressprize.com
What the wounds are telling us - European Press Prize
To view the full article in English in its original layout, including all images and graphics, please follow this link. Please note: the original publication contains explicit and disturbing images an...
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The Ferret @theferret.scot · 28/06/2026
“I was horrified to see that there could be a risk to tourists”  theferret.scot/spaceport-shetland-r…
A rocket engine test firing at SaxaVord Spaceport on Shetland during dusk. Bright flames and exhaust emerge from the base of a tall vertical test stand, with the sea and coastline visible behind. Overlaid text reads: “A spaceport plans to dump tonnes of rocket junk into the sea north of Shetland, posing a risk to tourism and fishing.”
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Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
It says much about these divided times that an organisation like the Citizens Advice service, a byword for old-fashioned kindness & decency, has decided it must now fight the far-right in our poorest communities to stop the demonisation tearing society apart My @heraldscotland.bsky.social long read
heraldscotland.com
Citizens Advice Scotland's fury at far-right 'demonisation' in our country's schemes
As extremists target Scotland’s poorest areas, the Citizens Advice service tells our Writer at Large of its plans to tackle demonisation and…
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
With Holyrood voting for an independent inquiry into the finances of all parties, the eagerness of Labour and the Tories to weaponise the Murrell scandal has bitten them on the arse. Anas Sarwar just got a lesson in the law of unintended consequences. weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/s...
weegingerdug.wordpress.com
Sarwar learns the law of unintended consequences
Anyone with two functioning braincells knows that the only reason the anti-independence parties and the SNP’s enemies are so keen on an inquiry into the Murrell scandal is because they seek t…
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 09/06/2026
Award-winning Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, has been removed from the World Cup roster after being denied entry to the US despite holding a valid visa.
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Patrick Harvie @patrickharvie.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
It should be shocking, but this is becoming normal. They make speeches in Holyrood riddled with racist dogwhistles, they go online to incite violence, and their followers take that violence onto the streets and abuse and threaten journalists. Anyone still refusing to call it fascism is in denial.
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Andrew Sharpe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿|🇪🇺 @andrew.sharpe.scot · 26/05/2026
One immediate thought on the independence debate in Parliament: how small minded the London parties are. They oppose everything, but present no aspiration for Scotland in return. Be happy with what the UK gives you, they say, whilst ignoring the majority that just voted for better.
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Scottish Greens @scottishgreens.org · 21/05/2026
Scotland's best future is as an independent nation back in the European Union. #bbcqt
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
If Labour really expects the Greens to do them a big favour by not contesting the Makerfield by election maybe it should promote some policies the Greens are in favour of and attack Reform more than it attacks Zack Polanski.
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
In 2014 during the indyref, Labour's Golden boy Andy Burnham said he opposed Scottish independence as he "didn't want to drive up the M6 and get my passport out or have to drive on the right when I want to drive on the left". If this is the guy who's going to save Labour, it's game over already.
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Bylines Scotland @bylines.scot · 15/05/2026
The SNP got the largest number of votes in the Holyrood election, so why is that not seen as a mandate to change the constitution? | Alec Ross
bylines.scot
Democracy, the constitution, and the meaning of victory - Bylines Scotland
The SNP got the largest number of votes in the Holyrood election, so why is that not seen as a mandate to change the constitution?
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Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
A cause for national shame. This is the Rainbow Map for LGBTI+ rights across Europe. Until 2015, the UK was top. We've now collapsed down the rankings - and are the worst in Western Europe. We're now near Albania.
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Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Please retweet.
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Ballot Box Scotland @ballotbox.scot · 12/05/2026
There absolutely should be sackings at the Electoral Commission over this. A fake party that does no campaigning, will have spent £0, and whose own holocaust denying leader acknowledged is only there to confuse voters, came 7th, only explainable if it did indeed confuse voters.
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Now that the dust has settled on the Scottish Parliament elections, here are my thoughts.
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
BREAKING: Pro‑independence parties have secured a majority at Holyrood. A majority was reached after the Greens won two list seats in Glasgow.
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Yay!
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Casket Based @cineblah.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Labour could and should have - Repealed voting ID law. - Cut ties with Israel. - Cut ties with Nazi tech bros. - Ended SLAPP - Pushed through Leveson 2. - Rolled out healthcare/protections for LGBTQ+ people. - Opened up safe routes. - Rent caps. - Proper living wage. But they didn't.
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Scottish Greens @scottishgreens.org · 07/05/2026
🚨 The polls are open! 🗳️ Everyone in Scotland can vote Scottish Greens on the peach ballot paper ✉️ If you have a postal vote you can hand it in 🪪 You DON'T need photo ID This is our chance to vote for hope over hate. To demand better. To vote Scottish Greens.
Polls open! 7am-10pm. Let's demand better. A graphic of a ballot paper for the Scottish Green party with the logo highlighted.
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Gerry Hassan @gerryhassan.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
As people get ready to vote in the Scottish Parliament election please be careful of the spoiler operation which is 'Independent Green Voice'. They are listed second on the regional ballot paper in South of Scotland with the Green Party further down. IGV is a right-wing spoiler operation.
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
5 polls out today, the SNP on anything from 59 to 66 seats, the Scottish Greens around 15 to 18. A pro independence majority is looking highly likely, but all independence supporters need to get out and vote. The ghouls of Reform UK are waiting around the corner.
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The Ferret @theferret.scot · 06/05/2026
You probably haven't heard of him, but £1 in every £5 banked by Scottish parties came from the fortune of one businessman made in the obscure industry of gas generators for science labs. He’s this election's biggest money man www.theferret.scot/meet-the-donors-…
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
🧵We are just a few days away from the Holyrood election in Scotland, and several people have asked me to clarify the voting mechanism. Here’s an overview. I tried to keep it as short as possible, but failed. 1/12
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Zack Polanski is forcing the media to take a hard look at itself and their panic over him shows they know it, writes political reporter Steph Brawn ✍️ 🔗 www.thenational.scot/news/2...
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The Ferret @theferret.scot · 03/05/2026
The prime minister’s plans to reform the regulation of nuclear power and weapons to make new developments easier have provoked “serious concerns” within the Scottish Government, according to emails obtained by The Ferret. Our latest: www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-…
Scottish Government opposes Starmer plan to relax nuclear regulation, rejecting UK moves to weaken oversight.
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 27/04/2026
Absolutely incredible
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The Ferret @theferret.scot · 26/04/2026
Women supporting asylum seekers in Scotland say they have been threatened, followed and abused at protests and online. The Ferret spoke to 14 women about their experiences. Our latest: www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far…
Crowd protesting the far right, speaker with megaphone and signs saying 'Stop the far right' and 'Refugees are not to blame'
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
48 hours later and the only outlet to follow up this story has been the National in Scotland Call me old fashioned but think destroying information with a legal hold on it and a disclosure to Serious Fraud is pretty important stuff open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com
Labour Together PR firm tried to destroy crucial evidence
Controversial firm reported to Serious Fraud Office after senior executive ordered deletion of evidence of Labour Together’s smear campaign against journalists
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
His nicknames were "the Prince of Darkness" and "the Dark Lord". He was repeatedly sacked from government for lying. His connections to Epstein and Russia were widely reported for years. Yet Starmer still trying to claim he was somehow kept in the dark about Mandelson being a wrongun. Come on
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The basic problem with this topline messaging from Scottish Labour is it presupposes that Scottish voters think the SNP administration is a mess - when compared to the UK's other administrations, they don't. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Anas Sarwar asks voters in Scotland to give Labour five years to ‘fix SNP’s mess’
Scottish Labour leader pledges more homes and tax cuts as party tries to reverse slump in support before May elections
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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Anyone who received their postal ballot today in the South of Scotland region, please be aware that "Independent Green Voice", which appears second on the list on the peach regional ballot paper, is NOT the Scottish Green Party. This is in fact a deliberate vote spoiling attempt by right-wingers.
Photo of the South of Scotland regional ballot paper for the Scottish election on 7th May 2026. Added text identifies the "INDEPENDENT GREEN VOICE" as "NOT the Green Party" and "SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY" as "The actual Green Party".
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
This is a war crime.
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Keir Starmer in 2020: "I had 8,000 staff as Director of Public Prosecutions and when they had victories I celebrated on their behalf and when they made mistakes I carried the can. "I never turn on my staff. You should never turn on your staff"
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Bluesky @bsky.app · 16/04/2026
We are experiencing some service interruptions and our team is working on the issue. You can find the latest updates at status.bsky.app or follow @status.bsky.app.
status.bsky.app
Bluesky
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Malcolm Offord has claimed Anas Sarwar “bounced up to him” in Paisley Town Hall at the start of the election campaign and said “we need to work together, Reform and Labour, to remove the SNP”. Sarwar hasn't denied the claim. Labour is so right wing it's willing to cooperate with the far right.
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Scottish Labour Against Bigotry @slabcampaign.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
At Scottish Labour Conference in Feb 2025, a leadership-backed motion to adopt a transphobic policy on single-sex spaces in schools was defeated. Party members and affiliates voted it down. Today Scottish Labour's leadership put that transphobic policy into its manifesto for May's election anyway.
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Mark Stephenson @markonline.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
From 2020 - "Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has stood by his previous comments that the SNP would have a mandate for a second Scottish independence referendum if they win a majority at next year's Holyrood elections." news.sky.com/share/12079731
news.sky.com
Starmer: 'It's not the time for another divisive referendum in Scotland'
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News that "it's not the time for another divisive referendum" in Scotland, adding that "there are other priorities".
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Catriona @catrio.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Lovely people in England don’t forget you can opt out of your NHS records being shared, link below In Scotland no need to worry because the SNP have not and never will share our data with fascists #VoteSNP digital.nhs.uk/services/nat...
digital.nhs.uk
National Data Opt-Out - NHS England Digital
The National Data Opt-Out (NDOO) allows individuals to choose in specified circumstances if data from their personal health records is shared for healthcare research and planning.
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Nick Varga @karaoke-god.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
This is utterly jaw-dropping. A school that bans Atwood, Zadie Smith, Terry effing Pratchett and *literal George Orwell* is actively harming its pupils. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...
indexoncensorship.org
School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship
A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women
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Laurie Macfarlane @lmacfarlane.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
NEW: We often hear that Scotland’s more progressive income tax is “driving people out the country.” New HMRC data shows the opposite. Far more taxpayers are moving to Scotland than leaving it. Let’s look at the data 🧵
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Kind of incredible. I was just sitting down to write about how Starmer should be given credit for keeping us out of this mess when he does this. Unutterably foolish and obsequious. Why in God's name should we have anything to do with this shortsighted madness.
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