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Duncan Hothersall

@dhothersall.bsky.social

2.9K followers 2.9K following 5.5K posts

Gay husband. Small businessman. Scottish Labour. #LGBWithTheT and women's rights. Pro-EU & pro-UK. Labourhame.com editor. Our Scottish Future board member. "A detestable combination of deeply disingenuous and incredibly shirty" - Stephen Bush

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · Nov 20

Supporting trans rights does not mean opposing women's rights.

Supporting women's rights does not mean opposing trans rights.

Please think about whose interests it serves to turn those who should be allies against misogyny and transphobia into each others' enemies instead.

#LGBWithTheT #always

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 10h

Have I understood this correctly? Having clarified via the courts three years ago that when the Scotland Act reserved powers over the constitution it really did mean it, the SNP has decided to frame next year's devolved election as a means to deliver a second independence referendum? Curious.

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 11h

There's just no functional process available to you to take in new information that contradicts your world view, is there. Instead you respond to rationally argued points with this sort of random list of mostly made up grievances. You are incapable of rational debate.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 11h

bsky.app/profile/dhot...

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

I fully expect you to ignore what I have written here and continue to make your baseless claims, but at least now you can't say you weren't told.

Reposted by Duncan Hothersall

Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 1d

I like how the news will be like “while the President claiming Portland was ruled by a giant skeleton named Mr Nibbles is not strictly true, it does speak to the anxiety of many Americans”

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Reposted by Duncan Hothersall

𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔢𝔱𝔰 🧲 @magnets.bsky.social · 12h

hell yeah www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Barnsley man in hospital after three-day cola bottles binge

Nathan Rimmington ate his way through 3kg of sweets - and doctors were shocked he survived.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 12h

Meh, they weren't even fizzy ones.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 13h

Wonderful.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 14h

The pre-amendment process I presume?

The thing that always sticks in my mind is that Labour fought the 1997 election with George Robertson as Shadow Scottish Secretary, with Donald only brought in after the election.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 15h

Reminded by @kennyfarq.bsky.social that today marks 25 years since the death of Donald Dewar, a painful, tragic loss from which it could be argued Scottish Labour has never fully recovered.

He has republished his 2020 tribute and it's a lovely read.

thejaggythistle.substack.com/p/the-death-...

The death of Donald Dewar

Twenty five years ago today, Scotland lost the father of the nation

thejaggythistle.substack.com

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 16h

My first suggestion is that people like you stop saying things like "Scotland has the Criteria, we were part of it not so long ago. Still have same laws and regulations. Process would be done quickly if we want. ... As for currency it can be whatever we want."

Because it's utterly wrong.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

I fully expect you to ignore what I have written here and continue to make your baseless claims, but at least now you can't say you weren't told.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

> at least 5 years. So it's entirely wrong to claim that Scotland today or on day1 of independence would meet the criteria for EU entry. It is logically impossible for that to be the case.

You may find this resource useful in terms of further information:

populistsplaybook.com/blog/the-cop...

The Copenhagen Concealment

Could an independent Scotland Join the EU? How long would it take Scotland to join the EU? A look at the past, process and pitfalls – referenced with primary evidence.

populistsplaybook.com

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

> Scotland's current fiscal framework is based on transfers within the UK so current performance is also unusable as evidence. To warrant consideration for meeting the economic element of the Copenhagen criteria, Scotland would need to have existed as an independent state with its own currency for >

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

> possibly meet them today nor on day 1 of independence. That's because a key plank of the economic criteria is a *track record* of fiscal and monetary policy judged over a 3-5 year period. Without its own currency and central bank Scotland cannot demonstrate a track record of monetary policy, and >

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

There are broadly three strands of the Copenhagen criteria: political, legal and economic. As a former constituent part of a member state Scotland is likely to meet, or be close to meeting, the political and legal requirements. But the economic requirements are set in terms which mean we could not >

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 17h

Are you remotely interested in what the criteria actually are and the logic of why Scotland does not, and could not, currently meet the ones related to monetary policy? Or are you just one of those people who clings to simple ideas and won't listen to reality?

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

I keep forgetting about that one. My god.

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Reposted by Duncan Hothersall

Glen Darroch @glendarroch.bsky.social · 1d

One day Ash Regan will pass a bill about basements being used as brothels, to prevent sex workers being forced underground. But not today.

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

One day Ash Regan will find a party that's prepared to commit to an independence readiness thermometer in every town square. But today is not that day.

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

Hey @zackpolanski.bsky.social, could you explain to your more excitable supporters that the use of Parliamentary green by MPs in their official communications is not, in fact, anything to do with the Green Party of England and Wales? Much obliged!

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

Oh god we're not doing this again are we? Tiring.

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

Argh, 2001 should be 2021 in the first post.

Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

In summary, then, fuck right off.

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

But then you must ask, is this saving being passed on to customers? My annual charge went up this year. Are profits down? Well apparently Centrica's profits "slumped" to £2.3bn last year, but that still seems pretty liveable. And spare a thought for CEO Chris O'Shea, who was only paid £4.3m in 2024.

British Gas pledges to focus on customers after being overtaken by Octopus

CEO of owner Centrica says service will be ‘my obsession’ as profits slump by a third to £2.3bn

www.theguardian.com

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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 1d

On the one hand you might view this as smart: they are dealing with their reduced engineering capacity by, presumably, corralling customers in the same location to a specific set of dates so that one engineer can easily cover them without excessive travel times. Not exactly customer-first, but okay.

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