Gavin Greig
@ggreig.com
Software developer wha bides i the East Neuk. He/him. Likes 28/32mm models for role-playing games, especially pulp/steampunk/scientific romance. Thinks Scotland should be a normal country - independent. http://ggreig.com, https://mastodon.scot/@ggreig
Pinned
Gavin Greig
@ggreig.com
· Nov 16
Should probably do an "introductory" thread:
I work as a software developer, now for a company in London, but I live in a village in Fife, Scotland. Technically I've been on BlueSky for a bit over a year already but have only fully committed to the move since the US elected Trump for a second time.
I work as a software developer, now for a company in London, but I live in a village in Fife, Scotland. Technically I've been on BlueSky for a bit over a year already but have only fully committed to the move since the US elected Trump for a second time.
Not all of this transfers to the UK, but a lot of it does.
This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Part 1: My Life Is a Lie
How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America
www.yesigiveafig.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Not all of this transfers to the UK, but a lot of it does.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
This keeps popping up on my feed, and I have literally never thought that phrase implies that scientists are to blame. Like obviously the dark money thing is true, but it is in fact a good thing for scientists to take *responsibility* for improving trust.
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
November 26, 2025 at 10:49 PM
This keeps popping up on my feed, and I have literally never thought that phrase implies that scientists are to blame. Like obviously the dark money thing is true, but it is in fact a good thing for scientists to take *responsibility* for improving trust.
Unsurprising, but worth being aware of. Poor kids, with poor nutrition, don’t grow so well. The UK isn’t a poor country, so this is the result of the inequality nurtured by British politicians.
British children shorter than other five-year-olds in Europe (since austerity)
British children shorter than other five-year-olds in Europe | ITV News
Experts commenting on the study warned a lack of 'good nutrition' in the wake of austerity could be stunting the growth of Britain's boys and girls. | ITV National News
www.itv.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Unsurprising, but worth being aware of. Poor kids, with poor nutrition, don’t grow so well. The UK isn’t a poor country, so this is the result of the inequality nurtured by British politicians.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
FFS. This is how I got my electric wheelchair. Not a Mercedes.
But so what if people get a good car on it, anyway? There's an assumption that disabled people and others with benefits must suffer and not have any nice things in life.
But so what if people get a good car on it, anyway? There's an assumption that disabled people and others with benefits must suffer and not have any nice things in life.
“The Motability scheme was set up to protect the most vulnerable. Not to subsidise the lease on a Mercedes Benz,” Reeves says.
Misleading and nasty in equal measure.
Misleading and nasty in equal measure.
November 26, 2025 at 1:47 PM
FFS. This is how I got my electric wheelchair. Not a Mercedes.
But so what if people get a good car on it, anyway? There's an assumption that disabled people and others with benefits must suffer and not have any nice things in life.
But so what if people get a good car on it, anyway? There's an assumption that disabled people and others with benefits must suffer and not have any nice things in life.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Scottish Labour MPs who were recently readmitted to the Party for voting against the two-child cap last year will be pleased to see it lifted, and the Barnet consequentials for Scotland must be passed on in full.
kaukabstewart.scot/the-devils-i...
kaukabstewart.scot/the-devils-i...
The Devil's In The Detail: First Thoughts on the UK Budget - Kaukab Stewart
There we have it, folks. After what feels like months of kite flying, pleading with industry, and income tax hokey-cokey, the UK Labour Government has announced its budget (after the Office for Budget...
kaukabstewart.scot
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Scottish Labour MPs who were recently readmitted to the Party for voting against the two-child cap last year will be pleased to see it lifted, and the Barnet consequentials for Scotland must be passed on in full.
kaukabstewart.scot/the-devils-i...
kaukabstewart.scot/the-devils-i...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Stern warning on the side of a box of air purifier filter refills. So far we have resisted the urge to stampede.
November 26, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Stern warning on the side of a box of air purifier filter refills. So far we have resisted the urge to stampede.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
X is not above the law.
The plaything of the world’s richest man won’t take down illegal posts on X – but no-one’s above the law.
Join the fight: https://goodlaw.social/6pw6
The plaything of the world’s richest man won’t take down illegal posts on X – but no-one’s above the law.
Join the fight: https://goodlaw.social/6pw6
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
X is not above the law.
The plaything of the world’s richest man won’t take down illegal posts on X – but no-one’s above the law.
Join the fight: https://goodlaw.social/6pw6
The plaything of the world’s richest man won’t take down illegal posts on X – but no-one’s above the law.
Join the fight: https://goodlaw.social/6pw6
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. Why do a third of children live in poverty?
It is a political choice - years of austerity, real wage cuts, regressive taxation, unchecked profiteering, disappearance of social housing, hijacking of govts by corporations/rich.
It is a political choice - years of austerity, real wage cuts, regressive taxation, unchecked profiteering, disappearance of social housing, hijacking of govts by corporations/rich.
Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. So why do a third of its children live in poverty? | CNN
Child poverty has reached a record high in the United Kingdom as the country’s cost of living soars and its social security safety net falters following years of government austerity.
edition.cnn.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. Why do a third of children live in poverty?
It is a political choice - years of austerity, real wage cuts, regressive taxation, unchecked profiteering, disappearance of social housing, hijacking of govts by corporations/rich.
It is a political choice - years of austerity, real wage cuts, regressive taxation, unchecked profiteering, disappearance of social housing, hijacking of govts by corporations/rich.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Surprise, surprise. UKIP #Scottish MEP - David Coburn, also implicated in Russian spy ring.
"WhatsApp messages recovered by police and cited by the CPS show Gill discussing “Arnott and Coburn” with Voloshyn, who praised the performances of Gill’s “friends”.
www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/...
"WhatsApp messages recovered by police and cited by the CPS show Gill discussing “Arnott and Coburn” with Voloshyn, who praised the performances of Gill’s “friends”.
www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/...
Newsletters On The Heraldscotland
Newsletters On The Heraldscotland
www.heraldscotland.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Surprise, surprise. UKIP #Scottish MEP - David Coburn, also implicated in Russian spy ring.
"WhatsApp messages recovered by police and cited by the CPS show Gill discussing “Arnott and Coburn” with Voloshyn, who praised the performances of Gill’s “friends”.
www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/...
"WhatsApp messages recovered by police and cited by the CPS show Gill discussing “Arnott and Coburn” with Voloshyn, who praised the performances of Gill’s “friends”.
www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
🔥 Highly recommended that you all sign and share.
Link to the petition—> petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Link to the petition—> petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
November 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
🔥 Highly recommended that you all sign and share.
Link to the petition—> petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Link to the petition—> petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Nature is beautiful: here you can see the adult buses circling together to protect the baby buses from busivores that would otherwise prey on them
So this happened in Oslo yesterday. Four articulated buses got stuck in a roundabout.
November 26, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Nature is beautiful: here you can see the adult buses circling together to protect the baby buses from busivores that would otherwise prey on them
Reposted by Gavin Greig
BBC accused of censoring Trump line from historian's lecture
BBC accused of censoring Trump line from historian's lecture
Rutger Bregman says his speech was about 'universities, corporations and media networks, bending the knee to authoritarianism'
inews.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
BBC accused of censoring Trump line from historian's lecture
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Where are the headlines about this?
The US has turned the life of this French judge into a nightmare - because he applied justice to Israel.
This is gangsterism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The US has turned the life of this French judge into a nightmare - because he applied justice to Israel.
This is gangsterism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This French judge approved Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. Now Trump is targeting him | Owen Jones
Three ICC judges have been put on a sanctions list with terrorists after approving an arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister. This is the charade of the ‘rules-based order’, says Guardian columnis...
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Where are the headlines about this?
The US has turned the life of this French judge into a nightmare - because he applied justice to Israel.
This is gangsterism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The US has turned the life of this French judge into a nightmare - because he applied justice to Israel.
This is gangsterism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Previously on Bylines Scotland...
Wanted: a prime minister who can stand up to the far right
Whatever his other attributes, Keir Starmer is not the right man to take the fight to Nigel Farage's far right
bylines.scot
November 26, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Previously on Bylines Scotland...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Partly the problem is "party people already suspect might be racist is led by someone suspected of racism" is less of a story than "party which tells everyone else not to be racist doesn't deal with racism in its own ranks". Left wing parties are inevitably going to be held to a higher standard.
The right wing press will not cover allegations about Farage's anti-Semitism in the way they covered Corbyn's because they were never interested in the actual racism. It was all about politics. But broadcasters have obligations under impartiality rules. They have no excuses.
November 26, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Partly the problem is "party people already suspect might be racist is led by someone suspected of racism" is less of a story than "party which tells everyone else not to be racist doesn't deal with racism in its own ranks". Left wing parties are inevitably going to be held to a higher standard.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
It's actually pretty shocking how, until recently, no one with a platform made the point of how ridiculous it is to think that v wealthy ppl would completely upend their lives just cause they'd be made to pay 2% of their vast wealth,which they can't use anyway (as they have more than they can spend)
The Labour Government: there to serve the
November 25, 2025 at 10:41 PM
It's actually pretty shocking how, until recently, no one with a platform made the point of how ridiculous it is to think that v wealthy ppl would completely upend their lives just cause they'd be made to pay 2% of their vast wealth,which they can't use anyway (as they have more than they can spend)
Reposted by Gavin Greig
Scrapping luxury cars from motability just drives more anger towards those claiming motability. They're fixing a problem that only exists because they made it one. These cars make up 5% of motorbility cars. The government pays no extra for them.
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of...
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of...
All the PIP perks being scrapped by DWP 'immediately' - full list
Motability is a scheme for people on Personal Independence Payment, or PIP, to get cars at cheaper prices.
www.birminghammail.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Scrapping luxury cars from motability just drives more anger towards those claiming motability. They're fixing a problem that only exists because they made it one. These cars make up 5% of motorbility cars. The government pays no extra for them.
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of...
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of...
Reposted by Gavin Greig
The beautiful thing about TWENTY of his classmates saying Farage was a huge racist at school, means that he'll lose any libel case he tries.
Civil cases are won on "balance of probability".
i.e. You just have to prove that it's more likely than not.
And it's already 20 to 1!
Civil cases are won on "balance of probability".
i.e. You just have to prove that it's more likely than not.
And it's already 20 to 1!
November 26, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The beautiful thing about TWENTY of his classmates saying Farage was a huge racist at school, means that he'll lose any libel case he tries.
Civil cases are won on "balance of probability".
i.e. You just have to prove that it's more likely than not.
And it's already 20 to 1!
Civil cases are won on "balance of probability".
i.e. You just have to prove that it's more likely than not.
And it's already 20 to 1!
Reposted by Gavin Greig
"It is against the TOS to be talked into suicide by our LLM" is possibly the most evil tech bro thing I've ever read
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service
November 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
"It is against the TOS to be talked into suicide by our LLM" is possibly the most evil tech bro thing I've ever read
Reposted by Gavin Greig
"Coronation": the latest thinking on how to overcome the fact the Labour membership would never choose Wesley.
November 26, 2025 at 6:53 AM
"Coronation": the latest thinking on how to overcome the fact the Labour membership would never choose Wesley.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
I guess, in true Tory style, we lacked friends in high places. Britain is such a shitshow - and the liar Michael Gove is the very worst of it.
In 2021 Good Law Project went for an Orwell Prize for uncovering the Covid PPE VIP lane - an issue which helped bring down the last Government. We didn't even get shortlisted - one of the judges was a Director General under the last Government working on... the Covid response. 😂
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
November 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
I guess, in true Tory style, we lacked friends in high places. Britain is such a shitshow - and the liar Michael Gove is the very worst of it.
Reposted by Gavin Greig
In 2021 Good Law Project went for an Orwell Prize for uncovering the Covid PPE VIP lane - an issue which helped bring down the last Government. We didn't even get shortlisted - one of the judges was a Director General under the last Government working on... the Covid response. 😂
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
In 2021 Good Law Project went for an Orwell Prize for uncovering the Covid PPE VIP lane - an issue which helped bring down the last Government. We didn't even get shortlisted - one of the judges was a Director General under the last Government working on... the Covid response. 😂
Reposted by Gavin Greig
I really wish we'd stop calling them climate "skeptics" or "vaccine skeptics", if you jump off a cliff we don't call you a "gravity skeptic"
November 25, 2025 at 8:18 PM
I really wish we'd stop calling them climate "skeptics" or "vaccine skeptics", if you jump off a cliff we don't call you a "gravity skeptic"
