Fraser MacDonald
@frasermacdonald.bsky.social
Geographer, historian.
Pinned
Fraser MacDonald · On Compost
I sometimes wonder whether my love of compost is a response to the dispiriting cleanness of modern life – the spray’...
www.lrb.co.uk
I got to write a short piece – On Compost – for the LRB.
(If you know me irl, you’ll understand that this is a happy thing)
(If you know me irl, you’ll understand that this is a happy thing)
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
Important amendments from @ariane-burgess.bsky.social and Mercedes Villalba being voted on in Parliament tonight. They would ensure public oversight over significant land transfers and set a presumed limit on landownership at 500ha unless owned for wider public benefit. Much needed interventions
🏛️ The Land Reform Bill is being debated in Parliament right now.
Scotland’s land is hoarded - 50% of it owned by less than 1% of people. One of the worst statistics in Europe.
My amendment sets a 500-hectare ceiling, giving ministers power to stop land sales to those who already own vast estates.
Scotland’s land is hoarded - 50% of it owned by less than 1% of people. One of the worst statistics in Europe.
My amendment sets a 500-hectare ceiling, giving ministers power to stop land sales to those who already own vast estates.
November 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Important amendments from @ariane-burgess.bsky.social and Mercedes Villalba being voted on in Parliament tonight. They would ensure public oversight over significant land transfers and set a presumed limit on landownership at 500ha unless owned for wider public benefit. Much needed interventions
It's been a few years since I've seen the remnants of the 1788 Portobello harbour exposed. As you'd expect, there's an interesting thread on this export infrastructure of pottery and bricks by @threadinburgh.scot: threadinburgh.scot/2022/09/30/t...
October 26, 2025 at 10:00 PM
It's been a few years since I've seen the remnants of the 1788 Portobello harbour exposed. As you'd expect, there's an interesting thread on this export infrastructure of pottery and bricks by @threadinburgh.scot: threadinburgh.scot/2022/09/30/t...
Working with students at 40 George Square today and och it’s not a bad view at all.
October 23, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Working with students at 40 George Square today and och it’s not a bad view at all.
It’s surely the other side of his gold fixation – for Freud, gold and shit are close correlates.
Even by the standards of this Presidency, it does seem historically remarkable and troubling.
Even by the standards of this Presidency, it does seem historically remarkable and troubling.
Q: What does it say that president released a video of him pooping on the American people?
MIKE JOHNSON: You can argue he's probably the most effective person who has ever used social media. He's using satire to make a point. He's not calling for the murder of his political opponents.
MIKE JOHNSON: You can argue he's probably the most effective person who has ever used social media. He's using satire to make a point. He's not calling for the murder of his political opponents.
October 20, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It’s surely the other side of his gold fixation – for Freud, gold and shit are close correlates.
Even by the standards of this Presidency, it does seem historically remarkable and troubling.
Even by the standards of this Presidency, it does seem historically remarkable and troubling.
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
This is a crucial point
And why the ‘stay on X/Twitter so you don’t cede the public square’ is such a nonsense argument
It isn’t Hyde Park, it’s a billionaire controlled algorithm *designed* to spread far right ideologies
And why the ‘stay on X/Twitter so you don’t cede the public square’ is such a nonsense argument
It isn’t Hyde Park, it’s a billionaire controlled algorithm *designed* to spread far right ideologies
A lot that could be said about this but if you look on Twitter it’s noticeable that the replies and quote tweets are *overwhelmingly* telling him he shouldn’t have apologised and even attacking him for doing so. That’s the feedback loop certain users are plugged into now, and it has consequences.
October 18, 2025 at 9:05 PM
This is a crucial point
And why the ‘stay on X/Twitter so you don’t cede the public square’ is such a nonsense argument
It isn’t Hyde Park, it’s a billionaire controlled algorithm *designed* to spread far right ideologies
And why the ‘stay on X/Twitter so you don’t cede the public square’ is such a nonsense argument
It isn’t Hyde Park, it’s a billionaire controlled algorithm *designed* to spread far right ideologies
Edinburgh needs this!
Cardiff will be the first UK city to introduce a surcharge for oversized SUVs and trucks, "while very large vehicles – those over 3,500kg – will be excluded from residential permits entirely."
Cardiff set to tackle SUV 'carspreading' in UK first
Cardiff Council is set to become the first local authority in the UK to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavy vehicles, in a move campaigners say will make city streets safer and f...
nation.cymru
October 16, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Edinburgh needs this!
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
Winter Well is on air BBC Radio 4 this week.
An audio guide to thriving in winter, with advice from medics, artists, poets and future-gazers on simple but effective ways to bring light into your life during the darkest part of the year.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
@hesterparr.bsky.social
An audio guide to thriving in winter, with advice from medics, artists, poets and future-gazers on simple but effective ways to bring light into your life during the darkest part of the year.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
@hesterparr.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Winter Well is on air BBC Radio 4 this week.
An audio guide to thriving in winter, with advice from medics, artists, poets and future-gazers on simple but effective ways to bring light into your life during the darkest part of the year.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
@hesterparr.bsky.social
An audio guide to thriving in winter, with advice from medics, artists, poets and future-gazers on simple but effective ways to bring light into your life during the darkest part of the year.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
@hesterparr.bsky.social
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
Why people don't trust mainstream politics is a mystery...
October 11, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Why people don't trust mainstream politics is a mystery...
If university marketing had any guts they’d use this as a recruitment tool and watch their applications soar.
Studying the language and literature that has helped to define our nation at home and around the world for centuries is a "rip-off" apparently
October 8, 2025 at 9:56 AM
If university marketing had any guts they’d use this as a recruitment tool and watch their applications soar.
I’ve started a new method of composting, and it’s … quite hot. Consistently over 70° and today over 80°C (176F). I have to fork it over daily + adding ~15kg of coffee grounds every week.
October 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
I’ve started a new method of composting, and it’s … quite hot. Consistently over 70° and today over 80°C (176F). I have to fork it over daily + adding ~15kg of coffee grounds every week.
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
What should happen: National revulsion, hounded out of public life
What will happen: New set design for Sky News as three very, very right wing parties fight out The Deportation Election
What will happen: New set design for Sky News as three very, very right wing parties fight out The Deportation Election
October 7, 2025 at 8:32 AM
What should happen: National revulsion, hounded out of public life
What will happen: New set design for Sky News as three very, very right wing parties fight out The Deportation Election
What will happen: New set design for Sky News as three very, very right wing parties fight out The Deportation Election
The improvised response at 2:08 is remarkable.
No one in the political life of the UK is anywhere near as impressive as this … or as threatening.
No one in the political life of the UK is anywhere near as impressive as this … or as threatening.
She called out world leaders for sitting by and watching a live-streamed genocide without taking action.
October 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The improvised response at 2:08 is remarkable.
No one in the political life of the UK is anywhere near as impressive as this … or as threatening.
No one in the political life of the UK is anywhere near as impressive as this … or as threatening.
Hard not to sound like a Prevent referral but … it seems important that Labour are not allowed to go down this road.
NEW: Home Office announces planned new anti-protest powers, mainly aimed at pro-Gaza protests like those for Palestine Action. Police will be able to consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated protests and potentially order that they be relocated.
October 5, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Hard not to sound like a Prevent referral but … it seems important that Labour are not allowed to go down this road.
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
Israeli forces have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla so now would be a good time to pressure your government to hold Israel to account and ensure everybody's safe return. Kieran Andrieu is one of my oldest friends and I'm worried about him. youtube.com/shorts/HiiJn...
If You're Watching This Video, Israel Has Kidnapped Me in International Waters
YouTube video by Novara Media
youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Israeli forces have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla so now would be a good time to pressure your government to hold Israel to account and ensure everybody's safe return. Kieran Andrieu is one of my oldest friends and I'm worried about him. youtube.com/shorts/HiiJn...
Sad to discover a new writer through their passing.
It’s only a 3 minute read but Kaleb Horton’s last blog says a lot.
kalebhorton.ghost.io/2025-so-far/
It’s only a 3 minute read but Kaleb Horton’s last blog says a lot.
kalebhorton.ghost.io/2025-so-far/
2025, So Far
I wish I had a time machine so I could go back in time and talk to my dad in 1988, just before I was born, and tell him what it’s like to live in the future. I’d tell him all the amazing things that a...
kalebhorton.ghost.io
September 28, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Sad to discover a new writer through their passing.
It’s only a 3 minute read but Kaleb Horton’s last blog says a lot.
kalebhorton.ghost.io/2025-so-far/
It’s only a 3 minute read but Kaleb Horton’s last blog says a lot.
kalebhorton.ghost.io/2025-so-far/
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
joining the war on autism on the side of autism
September 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM
joining the war on autism on the side of autism
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
Just to illustrate how much worse it's got, I have received more abuse over the past year and a bit - including death threats and a large volume of antisemitism - for what I write than in the previous 15 years of covering migration and the far right put together.
More than 150 lawyers and refugee NGOs report being ‘pressured into silence’ by far-right protesters.
At least two groups supporting UK asylum seekers have closed their offices after credible threats to their safety
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
At least two groups supporting UK asylum seekers have closed their offices after credible threats to their safety
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 150 lawyers and refugee NGOs report being ‘pressured into silence’ by far-right protesters
At least two groups supporting UK asylum seekers have closed their offices after credible threats to their safety
www.theguardian.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Just to illustrate how much worse it's got, I have received more abuse over the past year and a bit - including death threats and a large volume of antisemitism - for what I write than in the previous 15 years of covering migration and the far right put together.
Solidarity to these colleagues.
Will professional bodies like AAG or RGS speak up, even if universities bend the knee?
Will professional bodies like AAG or RGS speak up, even if universities bend the knee?
Dreadful to see this - Farhana Sultana is a stellar academic, with a commitment to social justice. She repeatedly said she was being targeted on this platform & on others. I note her account is deleted. Shame on Syracuse for not standing up for colleagues ⬇️ solidarity to her & Jenn Jackson
Hey, people who work on climate especially, you should know this is happening.
September 20, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Solidarity to these colleagues.
Will professional bodies like AAG or RGS speak up, even if universities bend the knee?
Will professional bodies like AAG or RGS speak up, even if universities bend the knee?
There should be a name for days when you can hear both house martins and pink-footed geese.
September 19, 2025 at 7:48 AM
There should be a name for days when you can hear both house martins and pink-footed geese.
Wow, that Ta-Nehisi Coates essay:
“If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?”
“If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?”
Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause
By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.
www.vanityfair.com
September 17, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Wow, that Ta-Nehisi Coates essay:
“If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?”
“If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?”
Absolutely agree with this.
I know many folk have already been doing anti-fascist organising but this needs to be *everyone out*: workers, trade unions, students, religious & community groups...
The crisis is now. 🚨
I know many folk have already been doing anti-fascist organising but this needs to be *everyone out*: workers, trade unions, students, religious & community groups...
The crisis is now. 🚨
yesterday was a pivotal moment and punctured any notion that we'd escape the fascist turn.
Things are very serious now and there has to be some end of tribal party politics to form an anti-fascist front in Scotland.
Things are very serious now and there has to be some end of tribal party politics to form an anti-fascist front in Scotland.
September 14, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Absolutely agree with this.
I know many folk have already been doing anti-fascist organising but this needs to be *everyone out*: workers, trade unions, students, religious & community groups...
The crisis is now. 🚨
I know many folk have already been doing anti-fascist organising but this needs to be *everyone out*: workers, trade unions, students, religious & community groups...
The crisis is now. 🚨
It was troubling to see miles of saltires on lampposts in Glasgow yesterday. This wasn’t a 2014 indyref vibe, it felt truly sinister.
As Peter says: very dark, very quick.
As Peter says: very dark, very quick.
Today people went around my neighborhood in north east London spray painting St George’s crosses onto people’s homes. Many of these houses have non British people living in them.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
September 14, 2025 at 9:42 AM
It was troubling to see miles of saltires on lampposts in Glasgow yesterday. This wasn’t a 2014 indyref vibe, it felt truly sinister.
As Peter says: very dark, very quick.
As Peter says: very dark, very quick.
A perceptive thread, especially about the need to address the offline lives of people now being radicalised by the right.
Look, I know it means well but I really don’t think it’s a good idea to mock the appearance of some of the fash out today, nor their incoherence - not least because their process of online radicalisation is driven by both a sense of material helplessness and information overload
September 13, 2025 at 8:37 PM
A perceptive thread, especially about the need to address the offline lives of people now being radicalised by the right.
Very troubling news.
Berkeley has historic form when it comes to putting fash before faculty; awful to see a return to Loyalty Oath days.
Berkeley has historic form when it comes to putting fash before faculty; awful to see a return to Loyalty Oath days.
UC Berkeley has given the Trump administration the names of 160 students, faculty, and staff as part of an investigation into antisemitism on campus. One of them is Judith Butler. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
UC Berkeley gives Trump administration 160 names in antisemitism probe
UC Berkeley gave the Trump administration the names of 160 students, faculty and staff and info about their “potential connection to reports of alleged antisemitism” — sparking due-process...
www.sfchronicle.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Very troubling news.
Berkeley has historic form when it comes to putting fash before faculty; awful to see a return to Loyalty Oath days.
Berkeley has historic form when it comes to putting fash before faculty; awful to see a return to Loyalty Oath days.
Reposted by Fraser MacDonald
HUUUGE turnout this morning to demand protection for our jobs and our students' learning conditions. There is no deficit!!!
September 12, 2025 at 11:50 AM
HUUUGE turnout this morning to demand protection for our jobs and our students' learning conditions. There is no deficit!!!