James McEnaney
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jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
James McEnaney
@jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
3.8K followers 2.2K following 1.1K posts
Journalist and writer

Former English teacher & lecturer | Author of 'Class Rules: the Truth about Scottish Schools' & 'A Scottish Journey' | Fond of FOI, motorbikes, La Gomera, and all things education

www.jamesmcenaney.co.uk
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jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
James McEnaney @jamesmcenaney.bsky.social · Sep 15
I've seen far too many people either praising or at least sanitising Charlie Kirk following his murder, so I've written something about his actual impact for @heraldscotland.bsky.social

www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2546...
People like Charlie Kirk made women and girls less safe in schools
The murder of the far-right commentator has created a martyr for people seeking to radicalise boys and young men.
www.heraldscotland.com
Reposted by James McEnaney
thecontinent.org
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 219 of The Continent

Protests, an internet blackout, and deadly force marked Tanzania’s Election Day. Once online again, 37 readers shared what they witnessed.

Read their stories: bit.ly/219_TC
The cover of The Continent, dated 8 November 2025 (Issue 219), bears the headline “Tanzania’s darkest week” and features a striking political cartoon by Gado that echoes Honoré Daumier’s 1831 caricature Gargantua. At the top, the masthead appears in bold black letters on a beige background. Below it, the illustration dominates the page. It shows a woman seated on a throne-like chair, drawn to resemble Tanzania’s leader. Her mouth is open wide, and a long wooden ramp extends from her mouth, down which small, faceless figures carry large sacks labeled “Corruption,” “Incompetence,” “Fear,” and “Election Fraud.” They march upward to feed these vices into her mouth, while behind them, a long line of weary people stretches toward the horizon, waiting their turn. To the left stands a sign reading “Abductions”, beside a huge pile of skulls — a chilling symbol of death and repression. Below, masked soldiers with rifles shoot civilians on a blood-spattered ground, surrounded by the bodies of the fallen. The entire scene conveys chaos, violence, and fear. The image is a nod to Daumier’s Gargantua, which depicted France’s King Louis-Philippe as a grotesque giant devouring the people’s wealth while rewarding his cronies. Here, that 19th-century metaphor of gluttonous tyranny is adapted to Tanzania’s present moment — portraying a leader who consumes corruption, fear, and human lives themselves.
November 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
An incredibly and, based on everything I've heard, unjustifiably confident man is sitting next to me at a café and all I want to do is tell him to SHUT THE FUCK UP.
November 7, 2025 at 4:20 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
The scale of the education cuts being put on the table by one council in Scotland.

Brutal, brutal stuff.

www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2560...
November 6, 2025 at 10:37 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
I've been banging on about the state of the college sector for YEARS. Hell, I'm only a journalist (rather than a lecturer) because of the incredible scale of the decline.

Now the work needed to put things right is enormous, as is the bill!

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2559326...
Colleges warn £950m needed to fix funding crisis as sector hits ‘tipping point’
Colleges Scotland warns it will take £950m in next year’s budget to fix a funding crisis and stop campuses hitting a “tipping point” after…
www.heraldscotland.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:48 AM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
And it remains the case that anybody putting children in isolation because of their hair shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a school.
November 3, 2025 at 4:53 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
A Scottish Council is facing a bill of around £15m due to major defects in a school that cost around £10m to build.

The school won't reopen for nearly 2 years.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558502...
Council has to find millions to repair defective schools
Storm damage in January 2025 led to the discovery of major structural issues and failures in the original construction.
www.heraldscotland.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:22 AM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Nursery inspection rates have fallen sharply at the same time as the government has been pushing to expand childcare provision.

So how safe are children in Scotland's nurseries?

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2557021...
Are our children really safe in Scotland's nurseries?
Fewer nurseries are being inspected each year, and important data is not available. What's really going on with Scotland's early learning sector?
www.heraldscotland.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:32 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
This is one of those stories where it's a privilege to be trusted to tell it.
heraldscotland.bsky.social The Herald @heraldscotland.bsky.social · 10d
'The VTO is a charity that helps young people like Callum with educational support in order to maximise their potential'

www.heraldscotland.com/news...

@jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
November 1, 2025 at 9:59 AM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
If you want to know what's wrong with UK media, just look at the way Fraser Nelson is treated.
October 31, 2025 at 3:01 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Scottish education is underpinned by a system of presumed mainstream inclusion, and almost all children with additional needs are educated entirely in mainstream classes.

But does the reality for pupils and teachers match the lofty rhetoric?

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2555492...
October 30, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
heraldscotland.bsky.social
Education Specialist James McEnaney looks at the presumption of mainstream education

www.heraldscotland.com/news...

@jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
October 30, 2025 at 1:31 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Has the presumption of mainstream education really worked for Scotland's children, or is the reality too far from the aspirations and rhetoric?

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2555492...
Has the presumption of mainstream really worked for pupils?
For more than twenty years, Scotland has operated under a presumption of mainstream education - but does the lived reality match the political…
www.heraldscotland.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by James McEnaney
garrettbaylorstell.bsky.social
The question of school violence has been a regular headline in recent weeks. The complexity of the issue is leaving teachers, students, parents and politicians in a tight spot.

Are violent pupils trouble, troubled, or both?

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2557437...
'We’re being attacked at work': Why violence in Scottish schools is getting worse
The rising violence in Scottish schools has been an annual bugbear for schools, ministers, councils and teachers.
www.heraldscotland.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
sturdyalex.bsky.social
Quite an unfortunate place to drift off into an ellipsis.
October 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
zoegrunewald.bsky.social
Because white men in suits famously never harass anyone!
October 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
garrettbaylorstell.bsky.social
Glasgow's education director has resigned with immediate effect after discovering that text messages from a year ago may become public.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2556211...

@heraldscotland.bsky.social
City education director resigns following 'undermining' text exchange
The director of education for Glasgow City Council has resigned following the revelation of a compromising text exchange.
www.heraldscotland.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:24 AM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Glasgow is looking for a new Director of Education after Douglas Hutchison abruptly resigned today.

The reason? As yet unreleased text messages that could have "undermined" the counci's budget process.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2556211...
City education director resigns following 'undermining' text exchange
The director of education for Glasgow City Council has resigned following the revelation of a compromising text exchange.
www.heraldscotland.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:10 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
My review of the Mull school saga is today's Big Read in @heraldscotland.bsky.social .

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2554168...
October 18, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
davidwearing.bsky.social
We need to get past the idea of these people being "radicalised" on X. The British ruling class has been racist for centuries. For a while that was suppressed by hard won anti-racist social norms. But after years of chipping away with e.g. talk of "legitimate concerns" those norms are now collapsing
zarahsultana.bsky.social Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 25d
A mainstream “journalist” calling for a British MP to be deported. Is it because I’m Muslim? Next time, just say it with your chest.
October 18, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Reposted by James McEnaney
heraldscotland.bsky.social
'Generations of islanders will have to live with decisions made by people headquartered hours away on the mainland' || Education Specialist @jamesmcenaney.bsky.social

www.heraldscotland.com/opin...
October 18, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by James McEnaney
barryblackne.bsky.social
‘I had never supported Universal Free School Meals. Then I looked at the evidence.’

barryblack.substack.com/p/i-had-neve...
October 17, 2025 at 9:28 AM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Big, big, big fan of councils flagging their massive FOI fuck ups by going radio silent in the (entirely misguided) hope you'll forget all about it.
October 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by James McEnaney
ameresolicitor.bsky.social
This coming down is good.

It was transphobic nonsense which put trans people into a liminal third category which is a breach of international law…

…as the new statutory guidance almost certainly does too. So we fight that too.

This is a stepping stone towards a more equal future:
October 15, 2025 at 5:14 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Yesterday a council argued in court that islanders have no right to be consulted on the location of a new school, despite that decision having generational consequences.

No matter who loses this case, nobody wins.

A political solution is needed.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2554168...
It's time for a political solution to the Mull school saga
Plans to build a new school on Mull have become so controversial that just pressing ahead is no longer an option, no matter who wins the legal…
www.heraldscotland.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Increasingly convinced that the best tactic for dealing with ICE would be for everyone to point out, loudly and repeatedly, that its members are cowards.
yasharali.bsky.social Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 28d
Statement from AG Pam Bondi:
Statement from AG Pam Bondi: “Today following outreach from the DOJ, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target ICE agents in Chicago. The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.”
October 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM