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Brendan Paddy

@bjpaddy

Looking to make the outdoors for everyone as director of Ramblers Scotland but these are personal views. Expect pics of walks, posts on politics/world news, risidual overseas aid and guest appearances by a small hairy murderer named Pixie.

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Latest posts by Brendan Paddy @bjpaddy

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NEW: The Russian military simply does not have the capacity to overrun Ukrainian defenses that Putin constantly claims. 🧡‡️ (1/5)

1/ Ukrainian forces are successfully counterattacking not only in the Oleksandrivka and Hulyaipole directions but also in western Zaporizhia Oblast. isw.pub/UkrWar030926

10.03.2026 03:06 πŸ‘ 503 πŸ” 147 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 14
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Green win shows progressive voters are now voting against Labour as well as Reform Gorton and Denton byelection shatters Labour strategy of neglecting its core base while focusing on Reform defectors

Following up some of my morning thoughts: "Labour’s basic electoral problem comes from the fact that left-leaning voters are indeed choosing to vote against rather than for parties. The problem is that progressives aren’t just voting against Reform. They are now actively voting against Labour."

27.02.2026 14:15 πŸ‘ 195 πŸ” 56 πŸ’¬ 11 πŸ“Œ 15
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Great reporting from @rafeuddin.ft.com on Amazon's misadventures with AI coding (which have coincided with big headcount reductions) www.ft.com/content/7cab...

10.03.2026 12:07 πŸ‘ 64 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 7

And so we write to brilliant postgraduate students from Sudan, withdrawing the offers and scholarships they won in open competition with the best in the world. A sad day for the University of Oxford.

10.03.2026 09:38 πŸ‘ 510 πŸ” 201 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 14
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Bluesky CEO Jay Graber Is Stepping Down Venture capitalist Toni Schneider will take over as interim CEO as Bluesky’s board of directors hunts for a permanent replacement.

EXCLUSIVE: Jay Graber stepping down as CEO of Bluesky www.wired.com/story/bluesk...

09.03.2026 19:02 πŸ‘ 721 πŸ” 327 πŸ’¬ 106 πŸ“Œ 462
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Just home from three very special Knoydart bothy nights with the Sheffield boys.

Memorable. Tired.

09.03.2026 20:24 πŸ‘ 37 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The thread about Edinburgh’s 1970s Interceptor Sewers – the great untold engineering feat that cleaned up the Firth of Forth In the late 1960s, Edinburgh had a big problem – sewage. Its Victorian waste disposal system discharged the raw effluent of the city directly into the Firth of Forth. New legislation meant th…

The amazing @threadinburgh.scot gave an absolutely fascinating talk to @wolct.bsky.social tonight on the history of polluting the Water of Leith over the last 2 centuries & the hidden sewers that helped turn the tide. Andy says he’ll update this piece from 2022 now threadinburgh.scot/2022/12/06/t...

09.03.2026 20:56 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
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Q: You said the war is 'very complete.' But your defense secretary says 'this is just the beginning.' So which is it?


TRUMP: You could say both

09.03.2026 22:17 πŸ‘ 4273 πŸ” 1303 πŸ’¬ 771 πŸ“Œ 873
Tree lined road by a loch.

Tree lined road by a loch.

The A896 by Loch Dughaill yesterday afternoon.

10.03.2026 04:40 πŸ‘ 76 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Poll Analysis: Survation 20th – 25th of FebruaryΒ 2026 Holyrood Seats Projection: SNP ~ 64 Labour ~ 18 Reform UK ~ 18 Conservative ~ 12 Lib Dem ~ 9 Green ~ 8

Poll Analysis: Survation 20th – 25th of FebruaryΒ 2026

Holyrood Seats Projection: SNP ~ 64 Labour ~ 18 Reform UK ~ 18 Conservative ~ 12 Lib Dem ~ 9 Green ~ 8

09.03.2026 17:30 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3
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Opposition to the United States' military action against Iran has risen by 10pts among Britons over the last week

Support: 25% (-3 from 2 March)
Oppose: 59% (+10)

yougov.com/en-gb/daily-...

09.03.2026 17:05 πŸ‘ 298 πŸ” 117 πŸ’¬ 19 πŸ“Œ 62
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Five Iran Women soccer players defect with help of police following Asian Cup in Australia Sources say the individuals are in a safe house managed by the Australian Federal Police.

BREAKING: Five players defect from Iran women's football team and are being cared for in an Australian Federal Police safe house.

Occurred early on Monday evening with police help. Their absence was discovered at team dinner. Players had been threatened by the regime and called "wartime traitors".

09.03.2026 13:19 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 4

A declaration of 'victory' after the belated realisation that his unconscionable & illegal war is also going to be catastrophic for his own political prospects?

09.03.2026 17:37 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Formal complaint over claims of irregularities in Labour Hollyrood selection It comes after Irshad Ahmad beat established party figures including economy spokesman Daniel Johnson and business manager Martin Whitfield to top the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list putting...

Ahmad topping the poll - given his political background & the competition - was an intriguing result....
www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/labour-...

09.03.2026 17:18 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

ANTHROPIC SUES US GOV'T AFTER BEING DESIGNATED 'SUPPLY CHAIN RISK' FOR REFUSING TO REMOVE GUARDRAILS – LAWSUIT

09.03.2026 15:02 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 7
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Inside the Home Office: 'Hostile culture and Kafkaesque chaos' Immigration is the most divisive issue in British politics. Our Writer at Large talks to the Home Office insider blowing the whistle on government…

The Home Office is hiring staff from McDonalds and supermarkets to decide on refugee deportation cases. Staff know so little that some consult Lonely Planet guides to decide if a country is safe. Some can’t even find countries they’re returning people to on the map

Inside the UK’s asylum system

08.03.2026 10:59 πŸ‘ 108 πŸ” 67 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 3
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The most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Sistani (who resides in Iraq) has issued a Fatwa on the Iran war, decreeing "collective religious obligation" for communal defense. The last time he issued such a fatwa was in June 2014 after ISIS capture Mosul.

08.03.2026 20:05 πŸ‘ 28 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 5
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Balglass, Fintry #Scotland #Campsiefells #Fintry #Stirlingshire www.damianshields.com

08.03.2026 11:51 πŸ‘ 162 πŸ” 22 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 0

It's beginning to look like Reform is past its high tide mark...with 3 years to the next GE.

08.03.2026 12:05 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Alex Salmond's Alba to deregister as party after cash crisis and falling membership Alba Party is set to wind up and deregister after its leadership concluded the pro-independence group is no longer financially viable. Falling…

Alex Salmond's Alba Party is to wind up after its leadership concluded it is no longer financially viable.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2591797...

08.03.2026 14:24 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3
Six women cyclists in front of the beautiful statue of Mary Seacole

Six women cyclists in front of the beautiful statue of Mary Seacole

The beautiful statue of Mary Seacole

The beautiful statue of Mary Seacole

Millicent Garrett Fawcett statue

Millicent Garrett Fawcett statue

Four women cyclists in front of the beautiful Women at War statue in Whitehall

Four women cyclists in front of the beautiful Women at War statue in Whitehall

Happy International Women’s Day to all the fabulous women out there πŸ€—

We spent the morning out on our bikes delivering flowers to some of our favourite statues of women 🌼 #MarySeacole #IWD #iwd2026

08.03.2026 14:39 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Donald Trump’s Presidency Is in Free Fall Republicans typically lead on the economy, national security, and immigration. Trump is squandering the GOP’s traditional strength on all three.

Remarkable: With support for the Iran war tanking, Trump is now throwing away the GOP's advantage on three core issues: Economy, immigration, national security.

A year ago it looked like he might be popular on all three. He lit it all on fire. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2074...

07.03.2026 12:30 πŸ‘ 2708 πŸ” 865 πŸ’¬ 164 πŸ“Œ 133
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Celebrating women in rewilding - Trees for Life Liv Glatt, Rewilding Week Guide and Rewild and Recover lead Liv Glatt grew up as a city kid in Bristol. Following her early passions for animals and the natural world she started volunteering at her l...

Celebrating women in rewilding 🌳 This #IWD2026, we celebrate three members of our team who embody this year’s theme: #GiveToGain.

We asked Liv, Maddie and Roz to share their stories - how they give, grow, and support others every day. Read hereπŸ‘‰ treesforlife.org.uk/celebrating-...

08.03.2026 07:33 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
A chart titled Which man in space are you? Choices: hostile, indifferent, well-meaning, informed and active.

A chart titled Which man in space are you? Choices: hostile, indifferent, well-meaning, informed and active.

Which man in space are you? A chart I made for men in the space community, but it works well for every field!
πŸ§ͺ #IWD2026 #WomenInSTEM

08.03.2026 08:57 πŸ‘ 26 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026
Women in leadership inspire!
Mannon Lewis leads nature boosting and carbon capturing projects @naturambyth.bsky.social & @peatlandcymru.bsky.social. She also brings her insight as a farmer to the delivery of these nature-based solutions.
#Nature #Peatland

08.03.2026 09:00 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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18 mile run for #IWD2026. Thanks to the formidable @susietsegay.bsky.social for the miles πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ #RunningPunks

08.03.2026 10:27 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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In Manila, Keisha Mayuga met a mother on the bus commuting over two hours in traffic each way. Determined to act, she helped launch a bike-lending movement and pop-up lanes in the city.

Read more: buff.ly/Pcs8Ium

Who are the women in mobility that inspire you?

#IWD2026

08.03.2026 08:13 πŸ‘ 40 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A life size bronze statue of a Lumberjill looks out into the Forestry Commission’s plantations at Aberfoyle. I am standing beside her, giving her left fist a fist bump with my right hand, paying her my respect. If you would like to visit her she is at Forestry and Land Scotland’s Lodge Forest Visitor Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park just above Aberfoyle village - more info at this link https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/queen-elizabeth-forest-park/the-lodge-forest-visitor-centre. Photo copyright Gordon Turnbull 2019. #InternationalWomensDay2025

A life size bronze statue of a Lumberjill looks out into the Forestry Commission’s plantations at Aberfoyle. I am standing beside her, giving her left fist a fist bump with my right hand, paying her my respect. If you would like to visit her she is at Forestry and Land Scotland’s Lodge Forest Visitor Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park just above Aberfoyle village - more info at this link https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/queen-elizabeth-forest-park/the-lodge-forest-visitor-centre. Photo copyright Gordon Turnbull 2019. #InternationalWomensDay2025

The Lumberjill statue at Aberfoyle #Scotland put up about 20 years ago as a tribute to the many women who became foresters in WWI and WWII, harvesting timber for the war effort.

#IWD #IWD2025 #IWD25

Read more about the Scottish #Lumberjills in my blog/poster dendrochronicle.co.uk/the-scottish...

08.03.2025 07:59 πŸ‘ 84 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Birmingham Crowned The Least Walkable City In The UK – And It’s One Of The Worst In Europe For Getting Around On Foot In Birmingham, the β€˜car is king’, and anyone planning on a walking tour of the city is better off using a taxi, bus or even a boat.

Birmingham is one of the least walkable cities in the UK.

Scrapping the next phase of the Kings Heath/Moseley LTN is a blow to safer streets and active travel - we need more ambition, not less:

secretbirmingham.com/birmingham-c...

08.03.2026 09:42 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1
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First newt of the year for me πŸ™‚

01.03.2026 20:19 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0