Patrick Hadfield

Photography, jazz, art, politics, whisky, wine and more.

Edinburgh, Scotland.

Patrick Hadfield (npub1y83…ehwl)">https://justmytoots.com/Patrick Hadfield (npub1y83…ehwl)

Jazz and Culture: https://patrickhadfieldonthebeat.wordpress.com/
Photography: https://patrickhadfieldphotography.wordpress.com/about-2/
My Reviews on UKJazzNews: https://ukjazznews.com/writer/patrick-hadfield/
Pronouns: He/Him

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npub1y83zaeyhqvqrsyyjg7anrzs3cp8k6ttuusq7vayht8n2ugnnwmwqtjehwl

NIP-05 Address

patrickhadfield_at_mastodon.scot@momostr.pink

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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Last Notes

2026-03-30 07:53:18 UTC

It's about the oil. It's always about the oil.
"Donald Trump has told the Financial Times he could "take the oil in Iran" and possibly seize the country's major fuel hub of Kharg Island."
#Trump #Iran #war #oil
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c8jke9v9xv9t?post=asset%3Ab20ae531-b95b-4adc-9bea-408b25819fe8#post

2026-03-23 12:19:42 UTC

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the best deal was the one we had before Brexit!
Leaving the EU was the most stupid decision possible.

2026-03-19 06:11:18 UTC

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if their business model relies on cheating low paid employees to keep going, I can't help thinking maybe it isn't a viable business. (Similarly, relying on government to top up wages through tax credits.) Just a thought...!

2026-03-12 11:10:40 UTC

This is a travesty.
It would be a travesty even if architectural treasures weren't being destroyed, with huge damage and loss of lives for no real purpose, but this just makes it worse.
"Dismay as ancient heritage sites across Iran damaged in US-Israel bombing."
#war #US #Iran
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/12/dismay-as-ancient-heritage-sites-across-iran-damaged-in-us-israel-bombing?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-03-09 09:03:49 UTC

Good riddance.
"Alba party to wind up and not contest Scottish election."
#Scotland #UKpol
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/08/alba-party-to-wind-up-and-not-contest-scottish-election?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-03-06 09:37:45 UTC

"British governments have made choices that mean poorer children get old sooner and die earlier than richer children. The fact our healthy lives are now getting shorter is also a political choice. Much of the choosing was done by George Osborne and David Cameron, by Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander, who imposed year after year of spending cuts."
"This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet?"
#UKpol #health #inequality
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/06/uk-death-healthy-life-expectancy-decline-state?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-03-03 18:19:55 UTC

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A few weeks ago I was talking about the yellow cylinders in Leith docks which it turned out were parts of turbines destined for a wind farm.
I was down there again today. It is a huge operation in all meanings of the term. These things are huge, and other parts are even bigger. And the transports are necessarily big.
A remarkable sight!
#Leith #Edinburgh #WindPower
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/166/560/295/900/670/original/e6120fa695253fcb.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/166/563/234/592/465/original/f132caaa8ecc7bc6.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/166/563/281/980/510/original/7b22dfcdb43ca38f.jpg

2026-02-28 12:45:44 UTC

Prompted by a friend's post...
The latest revelations in the Epstein files must be really bad if Trump is going to war again.
#trump #iran #war #epstein

2026-02-26 22:40:54 UTC

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wot and miss the excitement of waking up to a result?!

2026-02-26 09:25:17 UTC

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hi Prof, wonderful typo - "properties" for "priorities"? Though I'm sure Angela Rayner would like to reassess her properties! ;)

2026-02-17 13:41:57 UTC

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have a cat. Pretty chill.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/086/257/158/413/609/original/1434241e6c3c8c64.jpg

2026-02-17 10:32:10 UTC

"Ultimately, the film was an act of cynical co-option by someone who didn’t understand the molten core of this novel and its groundbreaking approach to class, race and gender, or chose not to. And that’s why it made me feel so bored, and sad."
"Wuthering Heights is at its heart a story of class and race. Emerald Fennell has got it all wrong."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/17/wuthering-heights-class-race-emerald-fennell-director?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-02-08 16:18:38 UTC

I'm surprised it took so long, frankly. And I'm not sure it changes anything at a fundamental level.
"Morgan McSweeney resigns as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff."
#UKpol #Starmer #McSweeney
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/08/morgan-mcsweeney-resigns-as-keir-starmer-chief-of-staff?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-02-05 17:27:49 UTC

"The prime minister has full confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street has said."
McSweeney will be gone by Monday, if Starmer doesn't go first.
"Starmer apologises to Epstein victims for appointing Mandelson and 'believing his lies' - follow live - BBC News."
#UKpol
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/czx3lq460n6t?post=asset%3A4a7cea09-475c-4562-b4e4-4793b889020a#post

2026-01-31 11:48:02 UTC

Excellent news.
"Kenmure Street documentary wins Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival."
#refuweegee #Glasgow
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/kenmure-street-documentary-wins-special-33337026

2026-01-27 12:42:44 UTC

"Neil Young gifts Greenland free access to his music and withdraws it from Amazon over Trump."
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/27/neil-young-gifts-music-greenland-removes-from-amazon-over-trump?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-01-15 13:42:30 UTC

This ship is moored at Newhaven.
It looks the most unstable design on a ship. Presumably the yellow towers are used to store something - unless the ship was transporting the yellow towers themselves! (But then why carry them upright?)
One of the towers was visible on the other side of the western harbour, on the eastern breakwater.
#Edinburgh #Leith
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/899/340/538/000/776/original/603757bea4750c69.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/899/341/637/483/046/original/bae3bbd35147a1a8.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/899/341/990/141/680/original/fdc0b4b62c40aed7.jpg

2026-01-14 22:40:28 UTC

Wtf?!
"Scotland's first minister said he was "deeply concerned" to learn from media reports that a Russian flagged oil tanker seized by the US is in the Moray Firth.
John Swinney said he would have expected to have been told in advance about steps to accommodate the ship in the firth. The UK government said on Tuesday the tanker had entered UK waters to take on fresh supplies."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgezq028458o

2026-01-14 14:57:59 UTC

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tbf I'd have been surprised if anything he does is legal!

2026-01-09 09:34:39 UTC

'Trump said the only constraint to his power as president of the US is “my own morality, my own mind”.
“It’s the only thing that can stop me,” Trump said, adding: “I’m not looking to hurt people.” He went on to concede “I do” in regards to whether his administration needed to adhere to international law, but said: “It depends on what your definition of international law is.”'
"‘I don’t need international law’: Trump says power constrained only by ‘my own morality’"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/08/trump-power-international-law?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2026-01-04 08:10:20 UTC

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I've just seen this post about Fiona Hill. Seems relevent!
https://mstdn.social/@junesim63/115835663985965802

2025-12-25 11:28:22 UTC

She's wrong on many different levels (lamb with redcurrant jelly! Apricots in a tagine or curry!). But wrong in a very entertaining fashion!
"The hill I will die on: Fruit with meat? What kind of pervert are you?"
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/25/the-hill-i-will-die-on-fruit-with-meat-cranberry-sauce-roast-turkey-christmas-dinner?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-24 20:30:20 UTC

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Sitting in the cinema, the guy on my right was laying on his phone through the ads and clips.
He switched his phone off the moment the film started.
AND IMMEDIATELY FELL ASLEEP.
Not only feel asleep. He IMMEDIATELY STARTED SNORING!!!
Oh and he smelled, too.
I couldn't help thinking "is that what I smell like to other people?!"

2025-12-24 19:15:22 UTC

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I saw Sunset Boulevard this afternoon.
After the disappointment of The Apartment, I was really impressed by Sunset Boulevard.
It was darkly noire, beautifully filmed and suitably tragic. Really well made. And I loved the script.
Brilliant! I can happily say that once again Billy Wilder really knew how to make films!

2025-12-22 07:49:32 UTC

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I saw The Police twice. First time, they were bottom of a triple bill. They were rubbish. Literally bottled off.
Six months later, I went to see Squeeze but they were indisposed - their joint label put The Police on instead. One of the best shows I saw! They were brilliant. Must have been before the release of Outlandos d'Amour. Stardom beckoned!

2025-12-19 14:42:45 UTC

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I love that building! :)

2025-12-18 07:00:21 UTC

Last night I dreamt I was playing drums in a punk band. The band was called "Unashamedly Political", after a review described the band thus. (Quite how there was a review without playing any gigs I don't know. Well it was a dream!)
I also dreamt I ordered Chinese food at a funeral. And I had a one-eyed robot.
I have no idea if this was one dream or three!

2025-12-18 06:51:34 UTC

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I got quite angry hearing the Tories ("Cleverly") say rejoining Erasmus wasn't good value for money - after it was their appalling Brexit deal that was responsible! And others of the right calling it a "betrayal of Brexit", as if their crappy deal was unchangeable. Fuming!

2025-12-17 10:38:04 UTC

"The US’s bet on AI is now so gigantic that every Maga voter’s pension is bound to the bubble’s precarious survival. AI investment now rivals consumer spending as the primary creator of American economic growth. It accounted for virtually all (92%) GDP growth in the first half of this year. Without it, US GDP grew only 0.1%. Despite Donald Trump’s posturing, he is on shaky economic ground."
"This is Europe’s secret weapon against Trump: it could burst his AI bubble."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/17/europe-donald-trump-ai-bubble-us-economy-eu?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-15 18:12:02 UTC

Edinburgh Community Bookshop - where I volunteer - is having another sale of crime books on Thursday: we have so many crime books that to free up space, we're selling books by weight!
(A kilo of crime is likely to be around four books, and we'll round down to the nearest 500g!)
Ian Rankin, Lee Child, Val McDiarmid, James Patterson, Peter May, and many, many more!
December 18th - 4 to 7pm
179-181 Great Junction Street, Edinburgh EH6 5LQ
#Edinburgh #bookshop #CrimeBookSale
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/724/896/638/068/495/original/d6fef666a06d13ac.jpg

2025-12-12 21:15:17 UTC

I saw The Apartment tonight at the cinema. I'd seen it before, maybe just on tv, though, and not for decades.
It was - interesting. I mean, great filmmaking. But there were definitely issues. The film wouldn't have got made today. The story is misogynistic, none of the male characters had any redeeming qualities (aside from Jack Lemmon's late reverse).
The only likeable characters were women, but aside from the wonderful Shirley MacLaine, they barely featured.
Very much of its time, I guess

2025-12-12 09:08:08 UTC

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the reports on BBC radio news were that GDP was expected to increase by 0.1% but instead fell by 0.1%.
I would expect 0.1% to be within the margin of error, either way. So nothing's gone up or down, and frankly that's not news.
Would that be about right?

2025-12-11 22:32:00 UTC

"Eurovision winner Nemo to return trophy in protest at Israel taking part in 2026."
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/11/nemo-eurovision-winner-2024-hand-back-trophy-protest-israel-taking-part-2025?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-09 17:59:54 UTC

"The tribunal confirmed both that it was lawful for NHS Fife to give Dr Upton permission to use the women’s changing room initially, and again once Ms Peggie’s and Dr Upton’s rotas were adjusted. This balanced both members of staff’s rights.
The Tribunal dismissed all of the other allegations against the NHS Fife Board. There was no discrimination against Ms Peggie, and no victimisation of her.
The tribunal also dismissed the claim against Dr Upton."
https://www.equality-network.org/a-short-summary-of-the-sandie-peggie-v-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-employment-tribunal-judgment/

2025-12-09 14:23:49 UTC

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@npub1ld5…63uk found it!

2025-12-09 14:18:22 UTC

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there was a thread I saw earlier today about films people had seen in the past and thought were brilliant, but were so painful to see see that one couldn't bring oneself to watch them again. It definitely sounds like this qualifies!!!
(I can't remember who'd posted it, otherwise I'd have tagged them!)

2025-12-09 10:37:35 UTC

Another reason to visit Glasgow! (I'm thinking maybe in January or February, to tie into Celtic Connections.)
"‘The Red Road flats were spectacular – and terrifying’: striking photographs of Glasgow in flux."
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/dec/08/red-road-flats-photographs-still-glasgow-franz-ferdinand?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-06 11:38:00 UTC

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omg! A genuine Brexit benefit! ;)
(The only benefit I've seen was the increased availability of seafood - langoustine and scallops - in my fishmonger: because the suppliers couldn't get their produce to the EU quick enough to before it went off!)
@npub12pw…zvxn

2025-12-06 11:29:34 UTC

This is very much the view for England. I guess I'll have to search out the implications for Scotland!
But the whole event sounds farcical. Infantino handing the "peace prize" to the infantine Trump? Jeez.
I know you can't keep politics out of sport, but FIFA is at risk of making this world cup ridiculous!
"Thomas Tuchel keeps his cool amid cringe, confusion and drama of World Cup draw."
#WorldCup
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/05/thomas-tuchel-keeps-his-cool-amid-cringe-confusion-and-drama-of-world-cup-draw?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-06 11:14:36 UTC

I've never seen Derry Girls, nor Brigderton. I've no idea why I read this profile of Nicola Coughlan. But I'm very glad I did!
"‘True activism has to cost you something’: Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan on politics, paparazzi and parasocial fandom."
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/06/nicola-coughlan-interview-bridgerton-derry-girls-activism-politics-parasocial-fandom?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-12-06 09:28:04 UTC

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"...terms that are (politically) acceptable to the UK"... It was clear before the 2016 referendum that we had the best deal possible, with multiple opt-outs and special treatment, and those advocating renegotiation could never deliver. We will never achieve the terms we had. Such a waste! (I'm still angry!)

2025-12-06 09:18:37 UTC

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they missed out my favourite - LUMA in Arles. Amazing!
#FrankGehry #architecture
https://patrickhadfieldphotography.wordpress.com/2024/02/28/luma-arles-midday-july-2023/

2025-12-04 10:41:50 UTC

People are sharing their "Spotify unwrapped" analyses of what they listened to on the streamer this year.
So here's mine.
Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
Give your money to the artists, not the megalomaniac billionaire techbros.

2025-12-03 09:06:39 UTC

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what gets me is that 38% of people recieving universal credit are in work - some (many?) of whom will be in jobs that don't pay enough to support them and their families. Effectively government is subsidising those employers, whose profits (and dividends) depend on a business model which includes this subsidy.
(Figures for 2023, from this BBC article. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-63129705)

2025-11-30 14:01:37 UTC

I forgot caturday yesterday, so here's a picture of Talisker just now.
#cat #CatsOfMastodon #caturday #EveryDayIsCaturday
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/638/983/339/129/715/original/c342834367b8b3d0.jpg

2025-11-22 22:58:33 UTC

I was talking to a bloke at one of the gigs I went to last week. We chatted mostly about jazz, but got into gigs generally.
He said that the first gig he went to was the Beatles, with the Yardbirds as support (and Hughie Green as the MC) at the Hammersmith Odeon.
His father took him; he was nine.
A quick search pulls up a Christmas show in 1964.
What a start to a gig-going career! Sixty one years of music.
#music #theBeatles #theSixties

2025-11-18 08:31:49 UTC

"Google boss warns 'no company is going to be immune' if AI bubble bursts."
"If"? IF?!
*WHEN*.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7vrd8k4eo

2025-11-17 09:18:50 UTC

This just seems nasty. It brings to mind that the Nazis confiscated the property of Jews and others fleeing their regime.
Where's the compassion gone?
"Asylum seekers’ jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/17/refugees-jewellery-asylum-home-office?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-11-10 07:25:07 UTC

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have you come across Scottish charity Social Bite? They started off running cafes employing homeless people, and subsequently moved into housing projects comprised of small dwellings as a first step. There are a couple of "villages" on former industrial land in Edinburgh.
Which reminds me, I must support their Christmas campaign!
https://www.social-bite.co.uk/what-we-do/the-social-bite-village-model/

2025-11-09 18:32:22 UTC

Both BBC DG Tim Davie and the Head of News have resigned.
#BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vn25d5dq7o

2025-11-08 11:34:27 UTC

This is a bit rich coming from Labour who have already let *every body* down. (Ok, maybe not their wealthy and corporate backers.)
"Greens’ ‘undeliverable’ promises will let voters down, says Labour minister."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/07/greens-undeliverable-promises-will-let-voters-down-says-labour-minister?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-11-01 11:41:55 UTC

"HMRC likely to have breached privacy laws in stopping child benefit – experts."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/01/hmrc-likely-to-have-breached-privacy-laws-in-stopping-child-benefit-experts?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-10-31 11:53:02 UTC

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had anyone used "running aground" yet?
Also "the party/the economy/the electorate/the nation [delete as appropriate] is a supertanker and hard to change direction..."
And the Greens/Plaid/SNP are just pirates...! ;)

2025-10-31 11:03:13 UTC

Roger Allam is a bit of a national treasure! The Thick Of It *and* the wonderful Cabin Pressure?!
"‘I’ve played a lot of sneery bastards’: Roger Allam on bad singing, big paydays and Elgar’s level of ‘gitacity’."
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/31/ive-played-a-lot-of-sneery-bastards-roger-allam-on-bad-singing-big-paydays-and-elgars-level-of-gitacity?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-10-28 12:44:05 UTC

AI invents imaginary friend ...?!
"An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’."
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/28/patrick-gelsinger-christian-ai-gloo-silicon-valley?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-10-24 06:14:05 UTC

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I'm guessing the collapse in the Green vote is down to tactical voting. The Greens voting for Plaid (but not Labour) would keep Reform out!
Another example of the failure of FPTP.

2025-10-21 14:25:34 UTC

I think Talisker objected that I had stopped stroking him to take a photograph.
#cat #CatsOfMastodon #caturday #EveryDayIsCaturday
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/412/595/872/356/177/original/8aa791dce01cd508.jpg

2025-10-13 06:16:38 UTC

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... And as a teenager when it came out, it had the added benefit of teaching us some French, too!

2025-10-05 07:25:40 UTC

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at the Defence Our Juries protest I attended in Edinburgh last month, there were no arrests at the event itself but there have been reports of arrests of protesters at their homes later - away from the gaze of the press. There was lots of police surveillance.

2025-10-05 06:22:12 UTC

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thank you!

2025-10-04 18:47:59 UTC

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More pictures of my walk home this evening...
2/2
#Edinburgh #sunset #clouds #photography
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/348/621/647/298/original/e26a33011f1622aa.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/350/195/677/227/original/59c9dd4e865fc3bc.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/350/175/074/067/original/00d1711144f7318f.jpg

2025-10-04 18:36:47 UTC

Walking back through Edinburgh this evening, the sky was amazing.
1/2
#Edinburgh #StormAmy #photography #CameraPhone #sky #sunset #clouds
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/269/654/869/032/original/d75b4b1593994361.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/270/726/943/061/original/d8daaf07750a4e48.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/270/708/921/675/original/937a8bf76043ea75.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/317/270/785/253/616/original/c225ea3ed4f23e04.jpg

2025-10-02 09:25:20 UTC

A remarkable life.
"Jane Goodall: A life in pictures."
https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2025/oct/01/jane-goodall-a-life-in-pictures?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-09-30 08:11:54 UTC

One of my favourite photographers. She had an amazing eye!
"‘Out on a damn limb’: the daredevil photography of Lee Miller."
#LeeMiller #photography
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/sep/30/out-on-a-damn-limb-the-daredevil-photography-of-lee-miller-in-pictures?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-09-26 16:19:52 UTC

"A PLAN to make Tony Blair the interim leader of Gaza has been described as “nothing short of insane” by the SNP. "
They're not wrong!
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25497558.plan-make-tony-blair-interim-leader-gaza-branded-insane/

2025-09-25 10:19:53 UTC

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"CAKE first appeared in Prague last year..."
#ChrisMorris #BrassEye
https://youtu.be/Xbq3kc29Tmg?feature=shared

2025-09-25 06:02:21 UTC

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I couldn't help wondering whilst reading that interview "why would he give up a job he seems to love in a place he clearly feels close to for a job that's evidently rubbish?!"

2025-09-24 21:21:24 UTC

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LibDems make policy at conference. But they seem to be quite adept at amending it as their leadership see fit...!

2025-09-24 14:50:14 UTC

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I'd agree for the Tories and Labour!
The screw-up over "Your Party" shows they didn't really get it, either - though the large numbers registering their interest demonstrates a keen appetite for something that worked differently.
As I understand it, for both the Scottish Greens and LibDems in both Scotland and UK-wide, party policy is determined by members. (But I might be wrong!)

2025-09-24 13:59:23 UTC

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even if they'd debated and passed one of the motions, the Labour leadership would just ignore it, like they did when the conference supported proportional representation!
#UKpol #Labour
https://electoral-reform.org.uk/labour-party-conference-backs-proportional-representation/

2025-09-23 10:38:09 UTC

I have so many questions.
Such as "if paracetamol, one of the most used medicines available, is responsible for autism, why are there not more autistic people?"
And "will anyone get done for shorting Kenvue [owner of Tylenol brand] shares?"
"Experts alarmed as Trump pushes unproven link between paracetamol and autism."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/22/trump-tylenol-experts-autism?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-09-20 12:33:10 UTC

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damn! I already do!!!

2025-09-15 06:21:40 UTC

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I imagine deindustrialization had an effect too - no factory accidents without any factories! :(

2025-09-15 06:07:57 UTC

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it's a bit quiet at the moment since the glass houses are being redeveloped - they're scheduled to reopen next summer!
For the outside plants, the Rhododendron collection is famous and flowers early spring; and the Magnolia are beautiful, flowering a little later.
And Inverleith House is a lovely building, used for art exhibitions.
If you enjoy historical fiction, I loved Sara Sheridan's "The Fair Botanists" set in Georgian Edinburgh, in and around the Botanics!

2025-09-14 19:08:46 UTC

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I've not been for years! With the [Edinburgh] Botanics just down the road, it seems like a long way to go. But I've been thinking I should spend a day or two over in Glasgow, so I must add it to the list!

2025-09-07 15:40:25 UTC

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but the Terrorism Act is UK-wide, unlike most criminal law which is devolved.
I would guess the different legal structures may determine how the law is applied in practice, just as it might in different parts of England and Wales, too?

2025-09-07 13:30:42 UTC

'The three men arrested following protests in Edinburgh yesterday, Saturday, 6 September, 2025, have now been charged.
'Chief Superintendent David Robertson said: “While these protests were conducted peacefully and largely without incident, there were a number of offences identified relating to the Terrorism Act. Substantial evidence of these offences was gathered, which will form the basis of a post incident investigation.'
#Edinburgh #Palestine #protests
https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2025/09/three-men-arrested-at-demonstration-have-been-charged-and-released-from-custody/

2025-09-07 07:15:15 UTC

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the National reckoned "more than 70", I guessed 80, so that's about right. The square in front of the contentious "UK Government" building was packed with supporters, a couple of thousand I'd guess.
Also, I appear in one of the crowd shots in this article. Which is nice.
There were no arrests at the Edinburgh protest, though there was a lot of surveillance and one can imagine arrests being made away from the crowd and the press.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25446506.7-pictures-edinburgh-activists-defying-palestine-action-ban/

2025-09-06 16:55:23 UTC

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I wonder whether the procurator fiscal can be arsed - I'm sure they've got better things to do!
I certainly hope so.
But the police surveillance also felt rather disturbing.

2025-09-06 15:43:11 UTC

Where I spent a couple of hours this afternoon - supporting those protesting the right to protest!
There were perhaps 80 people showing their support for Palestine Action. They sat in silence for an hour.
There were a couple of thousand people showing their support.
There was a lot of police. There were no arrests, though they videoed everyone, and I wouldn't be surprised if people were arrested later at their homes, away from the large press presence.
#RightToProtest #Edinburgh #Palestine
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/158/073/103/705/621/original/69af8b8e09d386a8.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/158/073/093/879/470/original/928b8f83127befd7.jpg

2025-09-06 09:06:25 UTC

I can't help thinking the police are focusing on these protests in an effort to get politicians to back down. They have discretion to act. The people they're arresting are not a threat to people or property.
"‘Police would like this to go away’: disabled man arrested at Palestine Action event defends protest."
#protest #PalestineAction
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/06/disabled-man-arrested-palestine-action-protest-police?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-09-05 22:07:36 UTC

Walking back from a gig tonight, I noticed lots of people in Castle Street taking pictures. So I turned around to see what they were photographing.
And this is what I saw.
#Edinburgh #castle #moon #photography #clouds
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/153/922/045/181/930/original/729de4e6eb2f1839.jpg

2025-09-05 06:57:51 UTC

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I don't know! I thought it reflects decades of political failure, given Thatcher accepted evidence of human effects on climate change when presented with evidence back in the 1980s (perhaps because of her science education).
That around 30% don't believe in equal rights and think immigration harm society and the economy (when the opposite is demonstrably true for the latter!) suggests to me that there's a lot of wishful thinking.
But a media failure too!
@npub12pw…zvxn

2025-09-05 06:33:07 UTC

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frankly, it's the figures in that article about non-Reform voters that are disturbing. Only 54% believe climate change is a result of human factors? One third think equal opportunities for lesbians and gay people have "gone too far"? 30% think immigrants have undermined society and harmed the economy?
I'm actually shocked at these figures.

2025-09-03 13:18:09 UTC

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If anyone in Edinburgh is feeling torn about which protest in Edinburgh to join on Saturday...
* counter demo to far right group "A Force For Good" - outside Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), 11am
* All Under One Banner pro-independence march, gathering at Johnstone Terrace 12.30pm followed by a march down to Holyrood
* Lift The Ban in support of Palestine Action, 2pm Queen Elizabeth House (by Waverley) [participation may lead to arrest!]
#Edinburgh #protest #demo #intersectional
@npub12pw…zvxn

2025-09-03 06:24:47 UTC

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that's the third demo I know of planned for Saturday in Edinburgh! There's an indy one, and anti racism one, and now Palestine/protest.
I'll have to check if they're still going on to decide which to support!
#Edinburgh #protest

2025-09-01 06:29:08 UTC

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throughout this whole "debate", I've felt like shouting "immigration is not the problem"!
IMMIGRATION IS NOT THE PROBLEM!

2025-08-29 15:39:24 UTC

I have no idea what this will mean for politics in Scotland. Probably not much!
I heard Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie speak many times over the last few years, and agreed with much of their views.
Greer has been in the media a lot over the years - I get the impression he might be to the left of the previous leaders - but haven't come across Mackay before.
We'll see!
"Greer and Mackay elected as Scottish Greens co-leaders."
#Scotland #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dezj76p86o

2025-08-25 17:24:11 UTC

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I just feel helpless and angry. :(

2025-08-22 09:28:12 UTC

The judge "determined the facility was causing severe and irreparable damage to the fragile Florida Everglades."
I can't be the only one thinking the environment has greater protections than human rights... Not that it shouldn't! We need both.
"Federal judge orders closure of Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration jail."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/21/trump-alligator-alcatraz-judge-ruling?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

2025-08-20 19:55:32 UTC

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what still surprises me is that even when Sturgeon was just repeating the messages coming out of London during the lock downs, when she said it I could accept, but when Johnson did, I couldn't. She engendered a level of trust completely absent from the Tory politicians.
(I must add that I'm not an SNP supporter, although I do believe in independence!)

2025-08-20 18:14:07 UTC

Inverie to Doune (and back). Knoydart, back in June.
#Knoydart #Scotland #photography
https://patrickhadfieldphotography.wordpress.com/2025/08/20/inverie-to-doune-knoydart-scotland-june-2025/
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/062/249/627/767/658/original/4e20e326271e6d31.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/062/249/647/594/641/original/a87ac10e38d247f4.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/062/249/665/524/413/original/fdb3699392410bb7.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/062/249/689/829/325/original/3fa341126d8b2e5c.jpg

2025-08-20 09:14:07 UTC

A typical morning...
#Cat #CatsOfMastodon
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/060/308/285/270/422/original/f31681a7fad2281e.jpg

2025-08-15 16:34:01 UTC

The first of my photos from Knoydart back in June: Gleann Dubh-Lochain and Gleann Meadail. A wonderful, magical place.
#Scotland #Knoydart #photography
https://patrickhadfieldphotography.wordpress.com/2025/08/15/gleann-dubh-lochain-and-gleann-meadail-knoydart-scotland-june-2025/
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/033/270/665/496/554/original/1d3199e424da09a4.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/033/270/707/865/592/original/d0afdac781a24080.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/033/270/791/284/208/original/be756df24d06eb4d.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/033/271/247/006/054/original/7edbdec63267ff74.jpg

2025-08-12 14:30:25 UTC

David Renton on Palestine Action, protest and freedom of speech - and the creeping authoritarianism in Britain. (More likely *England* - but the terrorism laws coming out of Westminster also affect Scotland.)
#LRB #protest #Gaza
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n14/david-renton/short-cuts

2025-07-26 14:33:34 UTC

There was an anti-transphobia demonstration outside the Scottish parliament at Holyrood, with a small crowd made up of people from other protests: anti-Trump, pro-Palestine, and anti-Fascist demonstrators, some of them probably from the anti-Trump demo outside the US consulate nearby earlier.
It makes sense: it's the same encroaching far-right ideology threatening us all.
#Edinburgh #demonstration #protest #TransRightsAreHumanRights #CabaretAgainstHateSpeech #JaneyGodleysGhost
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/919/972/511/542/162/original/ac6e9f3b2c2ccc99.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/919/972/891/152/537/original/49a59d771ddd50ab.jpg

2025-07-22 19:49:58 UTC

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and I think it is possible to love someone and disagree deeply with them! Family is family.

2025-07-22 18:11:02 UTC

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they've posted a video of it.
https://mastodon.scot/@patrickhadfield/114898227872380541

2025-07-22 17:31:12 UTC

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PA broke lots of laws. Strangely the govt decided those laws weren't sufficient and that the only way to control them was to proscribe them as terrorists!
(I'm surprised that the inability of the MoD to prevent intruders spraying their planes with red paint isn't being discussed more!)

2025-07-21 18:13:11 UTC

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hearing Farage on R4 this evening promising more police and to "take back control" of the streets was actually sickening.
It's just nonsense - he can say what he likes at this point with no pushback at all!