E MacDonald-Russell
@emacdonald-russell.bsky.social
Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, regulation nerd, DND obsessive, cockapoo devotee (He/Him)
Pinned
Just delighted to welcome this little ball of fluff to our home - Sorrel MacDonald-Russell; already sweetest and silliest of cockapoo puppies!
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Fun piece by @emmavj.bsky.social on office blunders:
The horror of the work blunder
Few mishaps compare to leaking a Budget, but many employees can relate to the OBR slip-up this week
www.ft.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Fun piece by @emmavj.bsky.social on office blunders:
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
“This was a big Budget, but not in the way people were necessarily expecting.” – @helenmiller.bsky.social
📗 Our immediate IFS response to #Budget2025 is out now: ifs.org.uk/articles/aut...
📗 Our immediate IFS response to #Budget2025 is out now: ifs.org.uk/articles/aut...
November 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
“This was a big Budget, but not in the way people were necessarily expecting.” – @helenmiller.bsky.social
📗 Our immediate IFS response to #Budget2025 is out now: ifs.org.uk/articles/aut...
📗 Our immediate IFS response to #Budget2025 is out now: ifs.org.uk/articles/aut...
The UK Budget puts the Scottish Government in a tough place on retail business rates - the SRC's preliminary response to #Budget2025 : brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Finance Secretary mustn’t flub chance to cut retailers’ business rates following Chancellor’s move
brc.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The UK Budget puts the Scottish Government in a tough place on retail business rates - the SRC's preliminary response to #Budget2025 : brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Theft has surged in the UK since the pandemic — and shoplifting is driving the lion’s share of it. But one English county is fighting back.
An #FTEdit 🧵on how Northamptonshire Police is tackling shoplifting 👇
An #FTEdit 🧵on how Northamptonshire Police is tackling shoplifting 👇
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Theft has surged in the UK since the pandemic — and shoplifting is driving the lion’s share of it. But one English county is fighting back.
An #FTEdit 🧵on how Northamptonshire Police is tackling shoplifting 👇
An #FTEdit 🧵on how Northamptonshire Police is tackling shoplifting 👇
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
BREAKING: The UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives.
November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
BREAKING: The UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives.
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Let’s have a look at a crazy Twitter to newspaper pipeline story and debunk as we go! 🔎👍🏼
16th Nov the “Britain is Broken” account shared the following post claiming “Tesco are no longer celebrating Christmas”
With a picture of their “Evergreen” Trees
2.2Million views to date🙄
🧵1/26
16th Nov the “Britain is Broken” account shared the following post claiming “Tesco are no longer celebrating Christmas”
With a picture of their “Evergreen” Trees
2.2Million views to date🙄
🧵1/26
November 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Let’s have a look at a crazy Twitter to newspaper pipeline story and debunk as we go! 🔎👍🏼
16th Nov the “Britain is Broken” account shared the following post claiming “Tesco are no longer celebrating Christmas”
With a picture of their “Evergreen” Trees
2.2Million views to date🙄
🧵1/26
16th Nov the “Britain is Broken” account shared the following post claiming “Tesco are no longer celebrating Christmas”
With a picture of their “Evergreen” Trees
2.2Million views to date🙄
🧵1/26
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
November 18, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Labour’s “we have to do it, or racism will get worse” argument is striking. Any other public policy failures British ethnic minorities should be on the hook for? Can we be blamed en bloc for Rachel Reeves’ budget next week too? www.ft.com/content/37b0...
Defence of Labour asylum policy reveals backsliding on racism
Home secretary’s framing of failures is partly low politics, but also a result of ministers’ poor approach to race relations
www.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Labour’s “we have to do it, or racism will get worse” argument is striking. Any other public policy failures British ethnic minorities should be on the hook for? Can we be blamed en bloc for Rachel Reeves’ budget next week too? www.ft.com/content/37b0...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
When you go to Auschwitz they have piles of jewellery and watches which were confiscated from those arriving.
The Sun has been told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will on Monday propose confiscating jewellery, watches, necklaces from asylum seekers to meet asylum costs
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
November 17, 2025 at 8:34 AM
When you go to Auschwitz they have piles of jewellery and watches which were confiscated from those arriving.
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Operation Save Big Dog By Giving His Main Rival A Chance To Show He’s Better At Politics is going well www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Wes Streeting denies plotting to oust Keir Starmer as prime minister
Health secretary dismisses claims as ‘unhelpful’ and ‘self-defeating’ after reports that PM’s job could be under threat
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Operation Save Big Dog By Giving His Main Rival A Chance To Show He’s Better At Politics is going well www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Me pretending to be shocked when the enemies become lovers in the book I specifically bought for the enemies to lovers plot:
November 7, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Me pretending to be shocked when the enemies become lovers in the book I specifically bought for the enemies to lovers plot:
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
How Sky News investigated X's algorithm for political bias
How Sky News investigated X's algorithm for political bias
A Sky News investigation sought to track the balance of political conversation on X, and assess whether the social media platform's algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content to users in the UK.
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:08 AM
How Sky News investigated X's algorithm for political bias
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
The @edbookfest.bsky.social has added videos of 60 additional events from the 2025 festival to watch online on a donate-what-you-can basis – joining hundreds of recordings of past events going back to 2015, from authors from Scotland & around the world
www.edbookfest.co.uk/look-and-lis...
www.edbookfest.co.uk/look-and-lis...
Audio & Video | Edinburgh International Book Festival
Explore audio and video recordings of events and related material
www.edbookfest.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The @edbookfest.bsky.social has added videos of 60 additional events from the 2025 festival to watch online on a donate-what-you-can basis – joining hundreds of recordings of past events going back to 2015, from authors from Scotland & around the world
www.edbookfest.co.uk/look-and-lis...
www.edbookfest.co.uk/look-and-lis...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
So a weird thing happened to me in Aldi that I cdn't quite place until I was listening to Gabby Bertin talking about choking in porn on the radio this am. (NB: this is 100% not a sex thing). Having the usual polite chitchat with the cashier who is tired from working extra shifts to make £ for xmas..
November 4, 2025 at 9:22 AM
So a weird thing happened to me in Aldi that I cdn't quite place until I was listening to Gabby Bertin talking about choking in porn on the radio this am. (NB: this is 100% not a sex thing). Having the usual polite chitchat with the cashier who is tired from working extra shifts to make £ for xmas..
This morning the SRC has published our second mini-manifesto ahead of the election; laying out some of the policies retailers want to see from the next Scottish Government: brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...
SRC: Pro-Growth Measures Needed in Next Parliament
brc.org.uk
October 28, 2025 at 9:26 AM
This morning the SRC has published our second mini-manifesto ahead of the election; laying out some of the policies retailers want to see from the next Scottish Government: brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Note how, when the government’s condemnation is timely, the rest of the Westminster ecosystem does in fact, react differently!
October 26, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Note how, when the government’s condemnation is timely, the rest of the Westminster ecosystem does in fact, react differently!
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
That scene of the Welsh BBC correspondent being the only person interviewing Caerphilly's new Plaid AM while the rest of the media interviewed Reform's loser in the background was far too on the nose.
October 24, 2025 at 1:34 AM
That scene of the Welsh BBC correspondent being the only person interviewing Caerphilly's new Plaid AM while the rest of the media interviewed Reform's loser in the background was far too on the nose.
Great to hear from @britishretail.bsky.social ‘s Dr Kris Hamer about the latest picture for Scottish and UK retail
October 22, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Great to hear from @britishretail.bsky.social ‘s Dr Kris Hamer about the latest picture for Scottish and UK retail
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
The Courier looks at the fortunes of the centre after The Entertainer toy shop announced plans to close.
How many empty shops are in Dundee’s Wellgate Shopping Centre?
The Courier looks at the fortunes of the centre after The Entertainer toy shop announced plans to close.
dlvr.it
October 21, 2025 at 9:15 AM
The Courier looks at the fortunes of the centre after The Entertainer toy shop announced plans to close.
Sure they will ...
The Welsh government has insisted the rest of the UK will follow its plan to include glass in the rollout of its #DRS
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Deposit return scheme: Wales insists ‘rest will follow us’ on glass
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies told The Grocer the Welsh government was working with drinks companies 'large and small' on a new reuse model for glass
www.thegrocer.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Sure they will ...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
The Welsh government has insisted the rest of the UK will follow its plan to include glass in the rollout of its #DRS
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Deposit return scheme: Wales insists ‘rest will follow us’ on glass
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies told The Grocer the Welsh government was working with drinks companies 'large and small' on a new reuse model for glass
www.thegrocer.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The Welsh government has insisted the rest of the UK will follow its plan to include glass in the rollout of its #DRS
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Welsh deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was working with drinks companies “large and small” on a new reuse model for glass
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
🔴 Scottish businesses have warned of an even tighter squeeze on household finances
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Scottish businesses warn customers will pay as UK to have highest inflation in G7
The Federation of Small Businesses, Scottish Retail Consortium and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce all said customers would have to pay more
www.scotsman.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:24 AM
🔴 Scottish businesses have warned of an even tighter squeeze on household finances
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
NEW DATA: Notional results for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election on 2026 boundaries. Of interest to academics/pollsters/journos
Post: chrishanretty.co.uk/posts/sp2026...
Data: github.com/chrishanrett...
Source: github.com/chrishanrett...
Post: chrishanretty.co.uk/posts/sp2026...
Data: github.com/chrishanrett...
Source: github.com/chrishanrett...
Notional results for the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election – chris hanretty
chris hanretty’s site
chrishanretty.co.uk
October 10, 2025 at 8:58 AM
NEW DATA: Notional results for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election on 2026 boundaries. Of interest to academics/pollsters/journos
Post: chrishanretty.co.uk/posts/sp2026...
Data: github.com/chrishanrett...
Source: github.com/chrishanrett...
Post: chrishanretty.co.uk/posts/sp2026...
Data: github.com/chrishanrett...
Source: github.com/chrishanrett...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Identity findings in the SSA very much tally with what we saw in the census. Sharply declining British identity, growing Scottish identity.
The SSA also finds that these correlate with constitutional preference...
The SSA also finds that these correlate with constitutional preference...
Scottish Social Attitudes report a dramatic dip in British identity in Scotland in 2024
October 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Identity findings in the SSA very much tally with what we saw in the census. Sharply declining British identity, growing Scottish identity.
The SSA also finds that these correlate with constitutional preference...
The SSA also finds that these correlate with constitutional preference...
Reposted by E MacDonald-Russell
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado on.ft.com/4nTWp5l
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado
Win for Venezuela’s main opposition leader dashes the hopes of US President Donald Trump
on.ft.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado on.ft.com/4nTWp5l