Scottish policy wonk. Director Reid Foundation, Sec. Keir Hardie Society and SHA Scotland. Historian, ever hopeful for Fulham FC! @davewatson1683 on Threads
Troon, Ayrshire
Joined January 2010
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While some folk are getting excited about directly elected mayors in Scotland, I explain here why mayors (or provosts) are not the solution to proper devolution. We need devolution to local communities, not more centralisation. unisondave.blogspot.com/2026…
Dave Watson retweeted
Here is a short presentation on our latest booklet, The Future of Pensions in the UK.
youtu.be/bb9oy0hCurg?feature…
Dave Watson retweeted
AI in the public sector. What it can and cannot do. Accountability “can’t be outsourced to a vendor or an algorithm”. “It starts with treating AI like any other system that touches sensitive information, not as something magical. holyrood.com/inside-politics…
Dave Watson retweeted
NEW: MAGA voters say they're going to the polls to fight “communism”—but when asked what communism actually means, things get awkward FAST.
In The Daily Show's upcoming special “Red Flags,” Jordan Klepper puts Republican voters on the spot with one simple question. Their answers are something else.
These two minutes are worth watching. See for yourself!
The world’s wealthiest people are not just profiting from the polluting causes of climate breakdown, they are also increasingly cashing in on the catastrophic consequences, according to a study by Oxfam.
theguardian.com/environment/…
Daylight saving was meant to save energy back in 1916. Do we still need it in the age of LEDs?
Energy-efficient light bulbs have killed the original case for changing the clocks. But the impact on energy use is more complex.
theconversation.com/daylight…
LIV golf greed bites back. “They made a decision to go after the money. And now all of a sudden, the money is gone and they want to come back and act like nothing happened.” heraldscotland.com/sport/266…
SNP says Labour can clear up one of 'worst mistakes' in Budget. And take a cut in the block grant the NI increase paid for?
heraldscotland.com/news/2667…
Even for an ex-Spurs player, well deserved. A decent guy off the pitch as well.
Harry Kane becomes first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or - football's top individual prize bbc.in/48j8ESI
One of Scotland's first black MSPs has revealed how masked men made Nazi salutes and shouted “Heil Hitler” at her during a protest in Glasgow, warning that racist rhetoric is becoming increasingly normalised in Scottish politics.
heraldscotland.com/news/2666…
Dave Watson retweeted
From aristocracy to ‘assetocracy’ – how wealth has transformed the House of Lords.
Hundreds of peers enjoy extraordinary wealth, new research has found. The wealthiest Lords also attend and speak less.
theconversation.com/from-ari…
Dave Watson retweeted
Cutting ‘red tape’ is nothing but a red herring – and arguably counterproductive. Blaming a moribund economy on too many rules is a hackneyed neoliberal trope – UK needs smarter regulation, not less regulation.
theguardian.com/business/202…
In WW2, Nazi forces utilized a tactic of "pacification" and total destruction against communities, referred to as "martyred villages". Entire towns were also razed to the ground. For the Israel govt to do similar in the occupied West Bank is shocking.
theguardian.com/world/2026/o…
Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president after historic upset over far-right Flávio Bolsonaro. And Vucic out in Serbia. Huge wins for democracy over autocracy. Thank you and well done Brazil and Serbia 👏👏👏.
theguardian.com/world/2026/o…
Former Reform UK MSP Amanda Bland has accused the party's leadership of intimidation, hostility, and treating women like they should be "in another room to eat cake and discuss womanly things" rather than making decisions. Why are we not surprised!
heraldscotland.com/news/2666…
Mail deliveries 'down to once a week' in parts of the Highlands. Vital letters not arriving in time.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c68j…
The Jackdaw gasfield passed the legal test for North Sea drilling – Rosebank will find it much harder.
A landmark 2024 Supreme Court ruling forced ministers to account for emissions from burning fossil fuels.
theconversation.com/the-jack…
Wes Streeting, “There is neither an economic nor a moral justification for our defence sector hiring thousands of workers from abroad when we have one million young people out of work here at home.” Indeed.
heraldscotland.com/politics/…
Dave Watson retweeted
Migration rates to the UK are falling. That might sound politically advantageous for a government that is trying to show it has immigration under control, but it could in fact spell £7 billion of economic trouble for the upcoming Budget. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp…
Dave Watson retweeted
£Billions in wind farm profits paid out to shareholders as public funding for Scotland’s buses and free travel has soared by 72% since before the pandemic — prompting demands to ministers for energy and transport to be brought into public ownership. heraldscotland.com/news/2666…
Parties may disagree about the soul of the nation. But the promises they make at home will be paid for, or broken, abroad and the Budget must target resilience and growth taking that into account.
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp…
