Fiona Craig

Likes cats, science, sci-fi. 3 degrees, 3 ABRSM grade 5s, cycling proficiency certificate, black belt, yoga teacher, has ME.

General chaos, ooh shiny thing, cats and Scottishness.

Jan 2026 - I'm using a lot of filters to reduce cognitive load, if I don't respond, could be why.

Profile pic: my face in front of the Falls of Dochart
Banner pic: the Falkirk Wheel

Human: She/Her
Chaotic: Good

Public Key

npub1u3gpu2hdz0xsnkg32nxyev77pel94ty6tlayg7tntdx82d7gjg2qsuqqts

NIP-05 Address

fionacraig_at_mastodon.scot@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswg5q79tk38ngfmyg4fnzvk00qulj64jd9l7jy09e4knr4xlyfy9qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds5dzsjk

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1u3gpu2hdz0xsnkg32nxyev77pel94ty6tlayg7tntdx82d7gjg2qsuqqts

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-05-19 09:27:58 UTC

- reply

The overriding feeling I have over this by-election is disgust.
The people of Makerfield are being used by their departing MP to try to get a job for his mate.
I hope they walk away from Labour for that.
So yes, the Greens should stand.
Give the people of Makerfield a real choice, and I hope they get a record turnout.

2026-05-09 08:48:12 UTC

- reply

And much of their 'success' is due to the farce of how the list votes work.
For example, in my region, where the SNP hold all the constituency seats, every SNP list vote was disregarded, disenfranchising 30.7% of the voters.
Reform won 3 seats on 20.6% - 6.87% per MSP.
Labour won 2 on 20.2% - 11.1% per MSP.
The Greens won 1 on 12.2%
The Conservatives won 1 on 6.9%.
So the right wing are getting MSPs for smaller numbers of votes than the left.

2026-04-21 09:04:08 UTC

- reply

I don't think 'job-hoarding' is an appropriate term at all and approaches victim blaming.
These young people are each doing at least one job which used to be a career choice where a full time position would pay enough to sustain a person's costs of living.
They have been forced into multiple part-time roles by the relative change of living costs vs wages, by the casualisation of the work force into precarious part-time or zero-hours working, by the commoditisation of labour.

2026-02-27 15:58:43 UTC

- reply

May be possible to pull one off the YouTube of her speech?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf7wVpDEvho

2026-02-23 14:03:43 UTC

- reply

Ropemaker

2026-01-23 10:12:11 UTC

- reply

Yup, husband's geology lecturer in the 90s told the class WW3 would be fought over water, which comes in four types, "Too salty, too dirty, too much and not enough."

2025-12-03 10:29:31 UTC

- reply

If someone who can walk in and out attends A&E it is frequently because they have been told to attend by NHS triage (GP, pharmacy or 111).
Exactly this happened to a friend recently. GP ran out of emergency appointments, told them they couldn't even promise to see them that week and sent them to A&E. They needed urgent tests and antibiotics, but had to wait all day and miss work.
How much sicker would they have become if they'd had a less sympathetic employer and had to leave?

2025-10-21 12:54:00 UTC

- reply

The current #SarlaccPit puzzle has been solved by @npub1uyv…yspw
“That wizard’s just a crazy old man” from film Star Wars A New Hope, when Luke sits down to dinner with Owen and Beru and discusses ‘Old Ben’ Kenobi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_xqSet1GWo
@npub1uyv…yspw, you may run the next round of #SarlaccPit, nominate someone else to do so, or pass.
#SarlaccPitSolved #StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-21 11:19:08 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
THAT / _ _ _ A _ _ ’ _ / _ _ _ T / A / C _ A _ Y/ _ _ _ / MA _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 8th poll & will run for 24 hours.
#StarWars #Games #Puzzles
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess.
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
#StarWars #Games #Puzzles
Solved!

2025-10-20 11:19:06 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
THAT / _ _ _ A _ _ ’ _ / _ _ _ T / A / _ _ A _ Y/ _ _ _ / MA _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 7th poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess.
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
#StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-19 11:18:57 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
T _ AT / _ _ _ A _ _ ’ _ / _ _ _ T / A / _ _ A _ Y/ _ _ _ / MA _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 6th poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess.
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
#StarWars #games #puzzles

2025-10-18 11:32:02 UTC

- reply

#SarlaccPit I am so sorry, there was an issue with formatting on the poll when I posted it this morning, as if markup was being triggered and the first word was reduced to “T _ T” so I edited it to fix it back to “T _ _ T” completely forgetting that this would re-set the poll.
Anyone who voted prior to the timestamp on this post, please feel free to vote again!
I’m travelling, and have road brain 😵‍💫

2025-10-18 06:37:28 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
T_ _T /_ _ _ _ _ _’_ /_ _ _T/ _ / _ _ _ _ Y/ _ _ _ /M _ _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 5th poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess.
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
#StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-17 06:37:24 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _’_ /_ _ _ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ Y/ _ _ _ /M _ _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 4th poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess. 
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
 #StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-16 06:37:13 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _’_ /_ _ _ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ /M _ _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 3rd poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess. 
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567 
#StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-15 06:35:13 UTC

- reply

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _’_ /_ _ _ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ /_ _ _
Wrong Guesses: E
This is the 2nd poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess. 
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
 #StarWars #Games #Puzzles

2025-10-14 06:35:00 UTC

Let's play #SarlaccPit, the Star Wars-themed word game!
We’re looking for a quote with 7 words of 4, 7, 4, 1, 5 3 & 3 letters, respectively.
_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _’_ /_ _ _ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ /_ _ _
This is the 1st poll & will run for 24 hours.
All are welcome to vote and guess at any time. Others may appreciate a CW when you guess. 
Rules & previous Sarlacc Pits may be found here:
https://c.im/@darth_hideout/113631196868456567
 #starwars #games #puzzles

2025-08-20 12:02:12 UTC

- reply

I am not suggesting that these changes be implemented instantaneously in a policy vacuum absent any other changes; that would be absurd.
The creation and provision of enough social housing, for example, would also be required.

2025-08-20 10:28:52 UTC

- reply

Yes. Yes it would.
One of my other policy suggestions is a ban on buy to let mortgages for 'investment'. Only allowed if your one and only home would otherwise be left empty whilst you are working/residing elsewhere.
Stopping landlords hoarding property doesn't make the homes evaporate, it'd just provide a much needed correction to house prices.

2025-08-20 09:00:32 UTC

- reply

There's always going to be a % of homes that are between viable occupiers. The bigger issue is 'hoarding'.
What I'd like to see put on the books is a law that I sum up as follows:
Only human beings with the right to live in the UK may own residential property and each such adult may only own one.
Companies & other entities may not own residential property except for specific exempt purposes, eg staff accommodation, manses etc.

2025-08-14 07:42:43 UTC

- reply

The very largest stores by us are the ones which carry a full range of goods and are the bases for the Click & Collect and Delivery services.
They also have the centralised bakeries for the smaller satellite stores, which had their ageing bakeries removed and were re-branded as 'Local' or 'Express'; which meant higher prices and smaller ranges - which is why they are profitable. Selling people things they buy grudgingly, for more than they wanted to spend!
It's capitalism again 🙄

2025-08-01 09:32:23 UTC

- reply

The government playing whack-a-mole with social mobility is bad policy. From a safe position at the top of the cliff they are smacking down the next generation because their parents had the audacity to climb one rung up the ladder.
It is brutal and it is bad for aspiration in the long term.

2025-08-01 09:29:19 UTC

- reply

A lot of people my age, encouraged by the '50% of school leavers should go to university' policies of previous governments are the first in their families to go to university, get degrees and graduate jobs.
Of course they are going to be unhappy about it and to dismiss that as 'middle class' anger is trite.
After all, these parents are the very people who, when they were 20, would have qualified as 'working class' under this scheme. They have a right to feel betrayed.

2025-08-01 09:28:30 UTC

- reply

The only place I've met people who talked about the fast-track was when I lived in Edinburgh, after securing a job outside of it! In the four or five other places I've lived nobody ever spoke of it, and I doubt most know what it is.
Such a facile rule ignores actual circumstances of candidates. The difference the few years between 14 and 20 can make to family circumstances; redundancy, ill health, death, divorce.

2025-08-01 09:28:09 UTC

- reply

Another stupid policy with foreseeable adverse outcomes.
The 'working class' interns will face negative assumptions the rest of their careers based on the assumption they are only there to fill a quota.
Better to have civil service recruitment days at schools and in all types of FE to raise awareness and encouraging young people to apply.

2025-07-28 08:23:21 UTC

- reply

One of the most convincing arguments I've seen was that the government are hell bent on making the Drs accept 'pay restoration' based on CPI (about 5%) whilst these Drs student loans are increased by RPI (closer to 20% over the period).
Which raises the question: why is RPI still being used for student loans years after the ONS said it was inaccurate?
Numbers here: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/resident-doctor-pay-how-do-different-methods-affect-how-pay-changes-appear
ONS on RPI: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/shortcomingsoftheretailpricesindexasameasureofinflation/2018-03-08#conclusions
Student Loan Interest Rates: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/student-loans-and-interest-rates-faqs/

2025-07-13 14:38:55 UTC

- reply

Or a whole series called, "Space Dock," where the poor Star Fleet engineering corps toil to fix the gaffer tape and string solutions those maniacs in the officer class have done.

2025-07-08 10:10:29 UTC

- reply

In Scotland we call it juice. Sometimes the prefix fizzy will be added.
A typical exchange might go like this:
"Do you want a can o juice?"
"Aye, get us an Irn-Bru."

2025-06-21 17:10:54 UTC

- reply

We have a term for this sort of thing in our household, "Fractally wrong."

2025-06-01 08:49:01 UTC

- reply

There's a great post on this from @npub1f2t…y7ng from two weeks ago, similar opening reference, but actually plunges into some thoughts on what's going wrong.
https://theneuroscienceofeverydaylife.substack.com/p/is-mental-health-awareness-backfiring

2025-05-27 11:19:56 UTC

- reply

I hadn't, thanks for sharing!
It's an interesting and thoughtful take. As you discuss the duration (roughly speaking, time to maturity) on a social housing bond would make it less attractive to a small investor, so the REIT idea (no pun intended) is a good one.
In fact, it reminded me of the existence of co-operative housing. Perhaps bonds to develop more of that could be included in such an idea. Giving the community a stake in it's own housing and a say in how it's run.

2025-05-27 10:04:43 UTC

- reply

Idea for increasing demand for Gilts*.
The primary concerns of people who hold cash are risk and liquidity, which are low and high respectively for Gilts.
The primary concern of Ms Reeves seems to be she hates cash ISAs and wants more invested in OEICs and the like.
The combined solution for this would be to educate the public about collective investment vehicles like OEICs specialising in Gilts.
[* Gilt is a shorter term used for UK Government Bonds]

2025-05-24 13:45:16 UTC

- reply

interesting that you observe that they keep themselves to themselves. In traditional Christian churches as well as the other faiths mentioned upthread, placing themselves at the heart of the community and reaching out is part of their 'DNA'.
Perhaps the dominant canon of politicians proselytising individualism is interfering even at the level of church integration into community.

2025-05-14 08:13:18 UTC

- reply

But far more telling is that the biggest 'pro' argument the BBC got out of that GP survey, and two of the smaller scoring ones, come down to dignity, pain and palliative care in death.
This points to unmet need and inadequate funding of the Palliative Care branch of medicine.
Only once all those needs are met should the country be talking about assisted dying for patients who don't want palliation.

2025-05-14 08:10:31 UTC

- reply

That's an excellent point, and one worth raising with the BMA and Royal Colleges.
How can a patient be confident of receiving the best care or develop a trusting relationship if treating doctors' day jobs include putting people to death?
This service must be made separate from the NHS' regular services, precisely to avoid such conflicts of interest and patient concerns. This could also be set up as an anti-coercion tool, if thought is put into it.

2025-05-13 08:53:53 UTC

- reply

This has been happening all over the country for years. Nice of the FT to finally notice.
About 10 years ago, I remarked to my husband that the local council's graduate recruitment scheme was advertising at minimum wage.
For about 5 years, a friend in architecture working their way through the professional exams, had to ask their boss for a raise in April to match MW.
It's a great way to keep your entire economy low wage, low productivity.

2025-05-07 08:07:51 UTC

- reply

Next campaign should be for the time restriction on young persons' & student railcards* to be removed. Currently there is a minimum spend of £12 on any travel between 04:30 and 09:59 Monday to Friday (except July and August).
This disincentivises people with early shifts or classes from using public transport - a habit we should instead encourage!
*disabled ones not restricted, senior only restricted in London & SE morning rush hour

2024-12-16 20:28:31 UTC

Just checked the seasonal recycling calendar, and it seems that with Christmas and New Year being mid-week we're missing out on food waste recycling two weeks running, so there will be three weeks between food waste pick ups, but we're otherwise unaffected by seasonal issues.
Never been so glad we're not doing a turkey! 🦃
RIP the local Facedancer book page when they all start complaining 😂

2024-12-05 10:29:32 UTC

- reply

Husband was on a training call the other day and a really graphic example was used.
What happens if a road is at 100% capacity? Gridlock.
About 90%? Traffic jams.
Turns out for optimum traffic flow, you need about 15% capacity. Roads work best at low capacity.
Imagine if we accepted this for hospitals!

2024-12-05 10:23:46 UTC

- reply

It's not just consumers turning their backs, but businesses.
Example: we've a new green grocer in our town and they are cash only. They go to the market every day for fresh supplies, and the market is cash only, so by getting customers to pay them in cash they keep bank fees down.
As with a lot of social issues, banks are the ultimate problem, charging businesses through the nose for every penny in and out of their accounts, regardless of source.

2024-11-27 17:48:26 UTC

- reply

Or, radical thought, they should be charged £100/litre for the first million and exponentially more for every litre not initially requested.

2024-10-30 11:36:49 UTC

How a misinterpretation of a BMJ publication from 1996 caused (and yes, I do mean caused) the explosion in rates of peanut allergy.
In a nutshell: for decades the guidance issued in the USA and UK was the opposite of what it should have been and left a generation with preventable, life-threatening allergies.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/10/excerpt-from-blind-spots-by-marty-makary/

2024-10-23 22:03:29 UTC

- reply

The stick will only reduce car use if the carrot of frequent, accessible, affordable public transport is there to take up the journeys.
If it is all stick then it will immiserate people who lack viable options.
Outside of large cities, UK public transport infrastructure is simply dire.

2024-10-09 09:11:12 UTC

- reply

I have a horrible suspicion.
Most disability benefits are paid based on the person's disability, not means tested.
Out of work benefits can be NI contribution based (not means tested) or 'income based' (means tested).
We may be headed for a situation where a bank is asked to provide data for an analysis which says, "A % of disability benefit recipients and NI contribution based recipients don't need the money, therefore we're going to means test everything from now on."

2024-10-09 08:50:56 UTC

- reply

Mostly, I just want to know if whoever came up with the title is a Richard Morgan fan and:
(a) is sniggering up their sleeve at getting away with it;
(b) knows something we don't.

2024-09-18 13:31:58 UTC

- reply

This. If we'd been aware of the plan to cave to Farage's mob and give the UK a Brexit referendum, more of us might have voted, "Hell yes, get us out of here before they lock us in with them."

2024-09-13 12:12:08 UTC

- reply

Thank you. I am all for attacking the diminishment of humanity at the heart of capitalism!
I've undoubtedly made mistakes in the past, and I'll probably make mistakes in the future. But I try to live by Wheaton's Law.

2024-09-13 10:33:18 UTC

- reply

This sign has hung in our house for over 14 years. The only time it wasn't hanging was during our major refurb earlier this year, and it was one of the first things to get propped back up.
So here's the ask.
Stop with the hatred of people having live laugh love and similar in their homes.
You don't know what they've been through.
You don't know what it might mean to them.
There is enough genuinely wrong in this world to comment on, do that instead.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/129/788/991/045/491/original/c417aec861bebddc.jpeg

2024-09-13 10:32:22 UTC

- reply

Whilst pottering around Portree near the end of the trip, we came on a shop selling all kinds of local products, souvenirs, and yes, a live laugh love sign was in the back.
We looked at each other and discussed it.
This was 14 years ago, LLL merch hadn't yet taken over every house in the Western Hemisphere. It might be a little twee, but we'd been through a lot, together, and it would be a great momento of getting engaged on Skye. So we bought it.

2024-09-13 10:32:01 UTC

- reply

We took months off from work to spend time together, making up for lost years apart, rebuilding me as a person and us as a couple.
In 2010 we moved in together, both got jobs, I began applying for a Masters' degree and we took our first holiday together, to Skye.
Each day we'd drive around a different peninsula in his old MX-5, as often as possible with the roof down.
On one of those days, he proposed, on a headland overlooking the sea.

2024-09-13 10:31:41 UTC

- reply

Husband came back into my life, saw me as a whole person, and began to help me along the road to recovery.
He was the only person in my life who didn't say words to the effect of, "Why don't you just..." and unload a barrel of unhelpful, unsolicited, blindingly obvious advice I was in no fit state to put into practice because I'd have already done it if I was capable.
I helped him settle in Edinburgh and he helped me get my body, mind and flat together.

2024-09-13 10:31:16 UTC

In 2009 I was in a very bad place. In the spring of 2010, my now husband took me on our first holiday together, to the Isle of Skye.
When he came back into my life in late 2009 I was not living well, I was exhausted from being bullied out of my career.
I was so depressed that instead of laughing, I would say, "That's hilarious," with completely flat affect.
I had a broken heart from repeated bereavements nobody let me grieve.

2024-09-06 09:25:20 UTC

- reply

Thanks Chris, I know you're very thoughtful.
[Edit: Took out the word usually, because I'm now paranoid about being misconstrued! 😂 ]

2024-09-06 08:30:59 UTC

- reply

Oh but it does.
First, if she had a current partner, this article is wrongly accusing them of murder. That's not ok.
Second, rejection is one of the primary triggers for VAWG.
Women live in constant fear that the next time they tell a man, "No," will be the trigger for violence.
Thirdly, and really important, where in my suggestion that CBC made an error did I claim any mitigation?

2024-09-06 08:25:08 UTC

- reply

I think there are errors in this CBC article.
The BBC yesterday was crystal clear that the alleged perpetrator was an ex-partner, not a current one, and believed to be in a property dispute with her.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vx0kq2xr2o