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Coll McCail

@mccailcoll.bsky.social
507 followers 54 following 69 posts

Socialist | Writer and activist.

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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Throughly enjoyed this wide-ranging discussion with Pat and Laura. Lots in there, from questions of democracy and ownership right through to André Gorz. Watch now: www.youtube.com/embed/u59xBv...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's a good one!
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Since the Royal Marines first landed at Aden in 1839, modern-day Yemen has never been far from the British state’s concerns. Burnham has simply opened the latest chapter in our bloody involvement. My @scotnational.bsky.social column.
thenational.scot
Nothing changes as Andy Burnham backs Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen
ON Monday, Andy Burnham confirmed that his government will provide “air-to-air refuelling” support for Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen. In…
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opendemocracy.net @opendemocracy.net · 02/09/2026
As Anas Sarwar joins Burnham’s government, continuity candidates offer little hope for regaining lost working-class voters www.opendemocracy.net/scottish-labo…
opendemocracy.net
Scottish Labour’s leadership election exposes party’s demise
As Anas Sarwar joins Burnham’s government, continuity candidates offer little hope for regaining lost working-class voters
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“An archetypal neoliberal, Sarwar’s ‘born to rule’ attitude is both befitting of his new workplace, and characteristic of his political generation – many of whom continue to inhabit the upper echelons of the Scottish Labour Party.” My latest for @opendemocracy.net.
opendemocracy.net
Scottish Labour’s leadership election exposes party’s demise
As Anas Sarwar joins Burnham’s government, continuity candidates offer little hope for regaining lost working-class voters
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“In Burnham’s new Britain, the choice facing young people thus far is simple: work free for the supermarket monopoly or take up a place in the ever-expanding weapons sector.” My column for today’s edition of The National.
thenational.scot
Work for free or work for war in Andy Burnham's new Britain
JOHN Healey resigned as Keir Starmer’s defence secretary on June 11. Despite the now former prime minister’s
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The SNP have wholeheartedly embraced British rearmament. But why? My latest for today’s Morning Star.
morningstaronline.co.uk
SNP embraces militarism to pursue jobs mirage
IN SEPTEMBER 2025, the Scottish Parliament became the first in the world to endorse a comprehensive package of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The motion, which passed with the...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The twin crises of war and climate change have combined to push global food prices to their highest point since January 2023. We can’t afford to prop up fossil fuel capital’s violent exploits. This week’s The National column.
thenational.scot
We can't fight climate change while funding Donald Trump's oil wars
LAST week, as drought was declared across half of England, the wholesale price of tomatoes rose by more than 60. Lettuce is up by 90 and potatoes…
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Andy Burnham’s ascendance has nudged the SNP out of its comfort zone. I wrote about why for The Herald: bit.ly/4gn81wm
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Western wars remain a central driver of global displacement. From my column in today's National newspaper: www.thenational.scot/politics/262...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Scotland’s data centre boom is accelerating rapidly. That’s disastrous for our resources water and energy resources. But more than that, it will turn our country into an outpost for cloud capital. I’ve written about why for Bella Caledonia.
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Big Tech and the Myths of the Green Data Centre
Exploring the disinformation and greenwash around hyperscale data centres, Coll McCail contrasts the social investment of previous green tech like the Highland hydro schemes with the plans to &#821…
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
In the latest episode of News From Nowhere, Coll McCail and Samuel Rafanell-Williams ask whether Reform UK has reached its ceiling. 🎙️ Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts: bit.ly/4vs3I7c
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I've written about this year's World Cup — in sun and shadow — for Middle East Eye.
middleeasteye.net
World Cup 2026: How Fifa is publicly endorsing US imperialism
In return for transforming the tournament into a show of Trumpian theatre, football's governing body expects to extract record revenues
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Good @theskotia.bsky.social discussion on the systemic context for Starmer’s failure featuring @mccailcoll.bsky.social, Matt Kerr and @jonathonshafi.bsky.social The conversation on approaching Burnham’s premiership in an era without much economic space for an ‘everyone wins’ politics was good too.
open.spotify.com
Nest of Fearties #29: The End of The Starmer Project?
Skotia Media · Episode
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Good riddance, Sir Keir.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Yesterday, Reform’s entire MSP cohort opposed the introduction of a £25 ticket cap for away football fans. In the Hamilton by-election only a year ago, their candidate regular proposed lifting the alcohol ban at games. That mask of populist insurgency already beginning to slip.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
A victory for rootless nationalism. My post-election write up for @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social.
jacobin.com
Scottish Nationalists Hang On to Power, Without Authority
The Scottish National Party’s former chief executive Peter Murrell has pled guilty to embezzling £400,000. While the Scottish independence movement promised deeper democracy, the SNP leadership has op...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The Scottish Government’s Israel boycott is going well… From my column in today’s @scotnational.bsky.social on the Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit taking place in Glasgow: www.thenational.scot/politics/261...
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Thoughtful @theskotia.bsky.social discussion on class, culture, politics and place in contemporary Scotland. open.spotify.com/episode/2owQ...
open.spotify.com
Nest of Fearties #26: Class and the Scottish Election
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
The final episode of Election '26 is out now! 🗳️ Rory Hamilton, Coll McCail and Samuel Rafanell-Williams break down yesterday's results and ask what they mean for Scotland. 🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts: buff.ly/5d1nZi5
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Good analysis from @mccailcoll.bsky.social on what the rise of Reform reveals about the failings of Scotland’s complacent political class.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
On Thursday, Reform UK are set to win upwards of a dozen seats across Scotland. I've written for @redpeppermag.bsky.social about what that means for a country which swore it would never join the 'race to the right'.
redpepper.org.uk
Elections 2026: Soul searching for Scottish political identity - Red Pepper
The convenient myth of civic nationalism has allowed Holyrood to ignore the rising threat of Reform for too long, argues Coll McCail
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
"One can’t escape the sense that this May’s poll is passing voters by." My latest for Conter on a forgettable Scottish election campaign.
conter.scot
The Forgettable Election
On 25 March, the UK Government blocked Ming Yang’s bid to build Britain's largest wind turbine manufacturing plant on the Moray coast. The Chinese renewable energy company had proposed to invest £1.5b...
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
In the latest episode of Nest of Fearties, Robin McAlpine of Common Weal and Ross Gibson of Strathclyde UCU discuss the profound crisis facing the further education sector. 🎙️ Listen to 'Scotland's Collapsing Universities' now: buff.ly/IH9BU6G
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
"Workers across Britain are bearing the burden of a war in which they have played no part and been afforded no say." My @scotnational.bsky.social column on the implications of the ‘special relationship’ for the cost of living.
thenational.scot
How the UK-US 'special relationship' made Westminster look impotent on world stage
SINCE the beginning of Donald Trump’s war on Iran late last month, Keir Starmer and his Cabinet have been at pains to insist that Britain is not…
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
🗳️ The fifth episode of Election '26 — Skotia's new weekly podcast dedicated to covering this May’s Scottish Parliament election — is out now. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: buff.ly/wWBsms4
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Scottish Independence Podcasts @scottishindypod.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Good to see activist @mccailcoll.bsky.social at the #Faslane demo yesterday, both of us filming in the rain, with Coll getting extra points for also being one of the speakers! Thanks to Scottish CND for organising the rally at the North gate of the hellsite that is the Faslane nuclear sub base.
Activist Coll McKail and Indypodcaster Fiona at the Faslane demo yesterday, standing either side of Scottish CND banner hanging from the barbed wire topped fences at the North Gate of the naval base
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Labour has become the cartel party par excellence. Divorced from the people they claim to serve, the narrow clique atop the Starmer project looks ever more like what Abbe Sieyes would call a "separate people". My column in the Morning Star: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/keir...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
This week, the jury box threw a spanner in the works of the war machine. That’s exactly why Keir Starmer and David Lammy want to do away with it. My column in today’s @scotnational.bsky.social: www.pressreader.com/uk/the-natio...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
"Scotland, as the seizure of the Marinera and its aftermath illustrate, is the vassal of a declining American empire – and our politicians can’t bring themselves to admit it." My latest for Conter: buff.ly/nsBDGAv
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Keir Starmer just admitted what campaigners have argued for years: Britain's nuclear 'independence' is a myth, says Samuel Rafanell-Williams of Scottish CND.
youtu.be
Britain's Nuclear "Independence" is a Myth | Samuel Rafanell-Williams
YouTube video by Skotia
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
This is our 20th episode of Nest of Fearties. With less than 100 days until May's Holyrood election, it's an important milestone for us as we look to expand our coverage. If you're enjoying the podcast, do chip in to keep us publishing: patreon.com/skotia
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
The Scottish Labour Party’s Holyrood representation has shrunk at every Scottish Parliament election since 1999. I’ve written for today’s Herald about why that isn’t about to change. Read online: bit.ly/3Ly57IK
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Gavin Brewis @gavinbrewis.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Spoke with @tajali1.bsky.social and @mccailcoll.bsky.social this morning for @theskotia.bsky.social podcast. Politics pub chat on a Friday morning – can't whack it. If you wanna hear us trying to make sense of – and creating solutions for – the country’s problems, then it will be available soon.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I've written about Trump, Venezuela and the 'Donroe Doctrine' for @novaramedia.com. Link in the post below.
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
The launch of @theskotia.bsky.social podcast has created a good platform for left-wing analysis of Scottish politics. It was one of the few bright spots of 2025. Well done to @mccailcoll.bsky.social and Rory Hamilton for all their work. Listen and subscribe for more in 2026!
open.spotify.com
Nest of Fearties #18: The Year in Review
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
"In Venezuela, we see the reality of imperial violence in a world where might is right: Murder advertised on our timelines, starvation as strategy and old-fashioned colonial theft in service of regional domination." For Conter on 'Operation Southern Spear’.
conter.scot
Venezuela: When Might Makes Right
Since the beginning of September, the United States has conducted 23 aerial attacks on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. At least 90 people have been killed in what the Trump adm...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
“Innocent young people have been allowed to reach the point of death by grey men in grey suits who, when not ignoring their suffering entirely, flatly deny their agency to mitigate it.” My latest for The Herald.
heraldscotland.com
'Ignored by their government, we can't let the hunger strikers die this Christmas'
As Christmas approaches the government is hoping you'll forget about the eight Palestine activists on hunger strike in British jails, writes Coll…
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Hours after the Palestinian Ambassador urged the SNP to "isolate" companies that profit from the occupation, John Swinney met with Airbnb, which lists hundreds of properties in illegal Israeli settlements. My piece in @theferret.scot.
theferret.scot
Scotland's first minister backed Israeli sanctions, but met with Airbnb while it promoted West Bank 'occupation tourism'
Airbnb’s business practices in the West Bank have long been in the spotlight, prompting criticism from human rights campaigners. We can now reveal that the firm has lobbied the Scottish Government 52 ...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
"Just over a mile from the Grangemouth Oil refinery, a London stockbroker and an Edinburgh investment banker told a story of decline and deindustrialisation that spoke to the despair of Scots across the country." My latest in today's Morning Star.
morningstaronline.co.uk
Scotland’s left is outmanoeuvred and outpaced
“MAN the barricades as we take on the political Establishment.”Readers of this newspaper have heard these words before. They inspired the Paris Communards to storm the heavens in 1848, galvanised the ...
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Laurie Macfarlane @lmacfarlane.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
It was great to join the Skotia podcast to talk all things ScotWind with Dave Moxham from the STUC. Listen here:
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Skotia @theskotia.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Is Scotland squandering its offshore potential? Almost four years on from the ScotWind leasing round, Dave Moxham (STUC) and Laurie Macfarlane (Future Economy Scotland) offer their perspectives. Listen to the latest episode of Nest of Fearties now: buff.ly/4bAhXVT
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
“Multinational corporate actors have no stake in the future of Scotland’s energy transition but all the power to determine its direction.” My latest in today’s @scotnational.bsky.social.
thenational.scot
Mossmorran workers are the latest to be betrayed by government
On November 18, ExxonMobil announced that it plans to close its ethylene plant at Mossmorran in Fife
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Scottish Trades Union Congress @scottishtuc.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Chair of the STUC Youth Committee, Coll McCail, gave his solidarity greetings from the STUC Youth Committee highlighting the shared struggle among equalities groups. Thanks Coll! @mccailcoll.bsky.social #stucdisabledworkers25
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
No political party with a record as poor as the SNP’s should be assured a fifth successive victory at next year’s Holyrood election. And yet, here we are. But why? Me on ‘Caledonian paralysis’ for Tribune Magazine.
tribunemag.co.uk
Caledonian Paralysis
Despite the party’s failure and scandals, the SNP is set to lead a historic fifth term in government in Holyrood next May. The Scottish Left needs to reestablish itself and rejuvenate the politics of ...
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
In August, almost two million Vietnamese people donated to a major crowdfunding campaign for Cuba. It's the latest act in a long history of solidarity between the two peoples. I've written about that bond for the latest issue of Cuba Sí.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
In this month's Conter column, I've written about Nicola Sturgeon's memoir and the reaction 'Frankly' received in a country still grappling with its author's departure from frontline politics. Link below.
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Coll McCail @mccailcoll.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
"Today, MSPs can be brought to blows by seagulls, but never spurred to act against a system that strips power and control from their constituents." My column in today's @scotnational.bsky.social.
thenational.scot
Scotland is not for sale. Can someone tell the SNP Government?
"NATURE is not only something to save, it is something to invest in ..."
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Dr Craig Dalȝell @thecommongreen.scot · 13/09/2025
This week, I was on the @theskotia.bsky.social podcast discussing the privatisation of Scotland's assets including offshore wind and our civil service infrastructure. Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/episode/6pzD... Or most other places where you'd prefer to get your podcasts.
open.spotify.com
Nest of Fearties #11: Scotland's Not For Sale w/ James Foley & Craig Dalzell
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Argyll Loon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @argyll-loon.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Excellent-well worth a listen
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