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Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell

Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 12h

We have built a society in which people of different skin tones, religious backgrounds & cultures get along, share power, work alongside each other, procreate with each other, recognise the each other’s humanity and democratic rights. It is a STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT OF WORLD HISTORIC PROPORTIONS.

Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 1d

I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter

Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

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Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 6d

This weeks post: Misunderstandings on the left (and elsewhere) about the OBR, independence and the bond market mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/09/misu...
The government delegating some technical tasks to independent experts doesn't create a democratic deficit, but it does avoid wishful thinking.

Misunderstandings on the left (and elsewhere) about the OBR, independence and the bond market

I often see pieces from those on the left criticising the OBR. Here is Louise Haigh , for example, talking about the “rigid orthodoxy of t...

mainlymacro.blogspot.com

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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 8d

On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n

British Politics' Midlife Crisis

Why British Parties Can't Make Peace with Their Actual Voters

benansell.substack.com

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Harvir Dhillon @harvirdhillon.bsky.social · 8d

🛍️📈 Highest shop price inflation in 18 months

Today we published the latest @britishretail.bsky.social – NIQ Shop Price Monitor, covering September 2025.

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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 10d

🚨 BREAKING: The pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) is firmly in the lead of Moldova’s election, with around half of votes counted so far and PAS-sympathetic constituencies still to tally.

Full story: www.politico.eu/article/poll...

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · 12d

The lovely people at @enlightenscot.bsky.social gave Work-Me a little space to rant about why I hate the myth of dying high streets, and what the next Scottish Government can do to lead High Street recovery: www.enlighten.scot/scotlands-ne...

Scotland’s next Government has opportunity to end myth of dying High Streets - Enlighten

Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street has become emblematic with the discourse around Scotland’s High Streets. Over the last five years, as the retail industry

www.enlighten.scot

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British Retail Consortium @britishretail.bsky.social · 13d

The SRC were delighted to chair a roundtable in Glasgow with
@bankofengland.bsky.social MPC member Megan Greene. 🤝

They discussed trading conditions, retail’s evolving landscape & the economic outlook. 💬

#retail

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · 21d

Or, and this is controversial, we could stop putting massive tax rises (like eNICS) on businesses who will pass those costs onto consumers.
But sure, let's try state sponsored consumer prices - good luck with that. It's always gone well elsewhere after all

The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 21d

The UK Government has been told no one should be 'forced to go hungry' and has been urged to introduce cost controls on spiralling food prices

UK Government urged to introduce cost controls on 'skyrocketing' food prices

www.thenational.scot

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Leigh Sparks @sparksstirling.bsky.social · 21d

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Four arrested after images of Trump and Epstein projected on to Windsor Castle ahead of president’s visit

Trump arrived in Britain late on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit in which he will be hosted by King Charles

www.theguardian.com

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 23d

My column in tomorrow's paper:

Starmer and Badenoch are handling the far-right march all wrong

A look back to the days of Enoch Powell suggests a better model

www.ft.com

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · 23d

The original PR and the SRC's Mini-Manifesto can be read here: brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...

SRC calls for high streets to be protected in Holyrood manifestos

brc.org.uk

E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · 23d

(also on BBC broadcast, and in all the major papers!) www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politic...

Retail bosses demand tax cuts and elected police chief to save high streets

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has published a Holyrood election manifesto on city centre renewal.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · 23d

Something deeply gratifying when you put nine months work into a manifesto paper and it manages to get decent media coverage #votescottishretail2026
: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ministers urged to put retailers at heart of economic policy

The Scottish Retail Consortium wants a more competitive business rate and a system to make refitting shops simpler.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 27d

There is, if you search for it, a group of morally bankrupt and historically illiterate people on here celebrating. What’s weird about Webb’s claim is that this is also true of X, where you can also see rightwing extremists doing the same, and crucially *you don’t have to search for either*.

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 27d

Justin Webb just referred on Today to "platforms like Bluesky, where you can see the celebration of the killing" of Charlie Kirk.

What I'm seeing on here is overwhelming condemnation; despair at the violence of US politics; alarm at where this might go; & calls for equal horror at other shootings.

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Cat Neilan @catneilan.bsky.social · Sep 5

Suspect the precedent of having breached the ministerial code, despite having acted with integrity, might be problematic for more than just Angela Rayner

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Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · Sep 5

New Scottish Parliament poll tracker, incorporating yesterday's @moreincommonuk.bsky.social polling. Thanks to 12 marginal holds and 3 marginal gains, the SNP match their 2021 result.

Seats (+/- 2021):

SNP: 64 (-)
Lab: 18 (-4)
Ref: 16 (+16)
LD: 11 (+7)
Con: 10 (-21)
Grn: 10 (+2)
Alba: 0 (-)

1/4

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is a brilliant and very even-handed read

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The British Election Study @britishelectionstudy.com · Sep 3

🚨New Research 🚨

Ahead of the release of Wave 30 of the BES Internet Panel, the team has examined Labour's decline since the 2024 GE.

Labour's support has splintered into mostly indecision or left-liberal parties, but they've also lost their few right-wing voters.

🧵⬇️

tinyurl.com/3m62exph

Looking for Labour’s lost voters - The British Election Study

www.britishelectionstudy.com

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · Sep 1

I know we're meant to just accept the ever-shifting paradigm of debate. But it's utterly astonishing, and disgraceful, we're even discussing leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · Aug 31

Again - the reason that the Good Friday Agreement locks in the ECHR is that the UK had repeatedly been held accountable by the European Court of Human Rights for human rights breaches during the Troubles - while national courts had failed to do so, even upholding miscarriages of justice

Naomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · Aug 31

In 30 pages, the Good Friday Agreement cites the ECHR seven times as an essential safeguard

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Claims NI peace deal stops UK leaving ECHR ‘entirely groundless’ – think tank

The Policy Exchange claims public debate on human rights law reform had been ‘distorted’.

www.independent.co.uk

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David Bol @davidbol.bsky.social · Aug 29

BREAKING: Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay have been elected the new co-leaders of the Scottish Greens. Lorna Slater narrowly misses out at the second stage of voting.

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British Retail Consortium @britishretail.bsky.social · Aug 27

Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, spoke to BBC Radio Scotland yesterday to discuss the rise in food inflation as revealed by our latest BRC-Nielsen IQ Shop Price Monitor. 📻

#inflation #retail

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British Retail Consortium @britishretail.bsky.social · Aug 26

Shoplifting soars by 17% in Scotland. 👮

Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, David Lonsdale, has reacted to the latest shoplifting statistics in Scotland. 📈

More info here.👇

brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · Aug 26

Yes (albeit I'm not an expert on hospitality) - in essence they are competing against shops, leisure, etc which limits their headroom on pricing. Basically the so-called 'everyday economy' is still being impacted by the Budget

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E MacDonald-Russell @emacdonald-russell.bsky.social · Aug 26

All of that is true - but it's also the case that consumer demand in non-food is suppressed (partly by high food prices) so lots of categories (like fashion) are only making sales through discounting. Basically it's a bad time to be selling things people 'want' rather than 'need'

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