Neil Drysdale

A mug decorated as the cover of The Cromarty Library Circle by Shona MacLean, alongside the Sunday Times Books section's historical fiction pick of the month, The Cromarty Library Circle.

For a more cheerful post than the one about scammers, this was me yesterday, matching my coffee mug to The Sunday Times books section.

🎯🎯

Death toll from Iran school bombing reportedly rises to almost 150 Strike on girls’ elementary school in south of Iran has killed 148 people and injured 95 others, according to Iran state media

A horrific war crime for which Trump will take no responsibility. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

BREAKING: The Pentagon says three U.S. service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in hostilities with Iran

Opinion | War With Iran Is a Mistake We don’t know how likely it is that the attacks will be successful, nor what costs or risks they bring.

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“We Americans have begun another Middle Eastern war based on dubious intelligence claims, and as in 2003, I fear we haven’t thought through the substantial risks and uncertain gains,” our columnist @nickkristof.bsky.social writes.

“Mr President, the bombings have begun in Tehran and also customers are complaining we have run out of shrimp at the pool buffet.”

Everything seems awful and chaotic and powerless, so I am left to do what I can only do: share some beauty with the world. I have no wise words or platitudes, but I do have a camera and empathy. A shot from my first global geomagnetic storm (2024) 💛

#iceland #northernlights #aurora
#peace

What an absolutely gorgeous day in Aberdeen. After a couple of months of winter’s worst, it really feels as if spring is round the corner. The Hutton’s a nice place for a wander - and a coffee!

School librarians do a very important job. They offer a world of wonder to youngsters and, given that fewer of the latter are reading books now than in the last 50 years, they are invaluable. We should all keep an eye on where councils decide to make budget cuts!

THIS.

I didn’t think I could hate Trump any more than I did. Then he starts a war against Iran which is already killing civilians - and he did this without bothering to seek approval from Congress. I was against the war in Iraq in 2003. This, in many ways, is worse. Another distraction from Epstein!

Best news of the day so far. 😎

Tell Congress: Demand AG Bondi release ALL of the Epstein files now Contact Congress today!

In Europe, they’re making arrests over the Epstein scandal. In America, the regime’s making redactions and hiding evidence.

Now that the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unlawful, how are you planning to spend your government refund?

Personally, I'm running kinda low on Corn Nuts & sugarless peanut butter cups. 😋

Every senator who voted to confirm RFK Jr owns this tragedy. Every single one.

Trump plans to stop the election one way or another. You can count on it. Martial law or his Gestapo.

This is pretty bold stuff from somebody who got 552 more votes than Sir Oink A-Lot.

Silhouette of pony in distance with sea and hills behind

At 60 degrees north Spring can take it's time reaching #Shetland. We will have to wait for the hills to fill with flowers and the evening light to return. For now I will enjoy the stark beauty of our winter landscapes and welcome the new warmth in the sun.

Aberdeen's first female Lord Provost Margaret Farquhar dies at 95 The Aberdeen woman worked tirelessly for various charities and was involved in Alex Ferguson getting the Freedom of the City in 1999.

Sad news about the death of Margaret Farquhar, who became the first woman to serve as Lord Provost of Aberdeen in 1996. She was an absolute stalwart, whether fundraising for the RNLI or helping her local community or meeting Nelson Mandela!

www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6966...

The Green victory in Denton is the result which will have the biggest effect on Labour, far more so than a Reform win.

The blithe assumption progressives have nowhere else to go has been proved catastrophically wrong.

Can’t help thinking of this quote from a Labour minister, a year ago…

Hope Beats Hate: Green Party Defeats Reform and Labour in Huge Gorton and Denton By-Election Victory A concerted political and media campaign to scare voters about a “Green Menace” winning this by-election failed, reports Adam Bienkov

Gorton and Denton was 127th on the list of Green Party target seats.

To win by such a margin there suggests there is much bigger potential for Green gains in May's local elections than most people expect

bylinetimes.com/2026/02/27/h...

No, but I preferred the Greens when Caroline Lucas was in charge. And getting leaflets printed in Urdu - as the Greens did - might have helped them in this campaign, but will boost Reform more in the long run. Labour, though, got exactly what it deserved.

I’m pretty good on body language. So the Greens have won the bye-election in Gorton and Denton. I suppose it’s better than Reform, but the tactics employed by Polanski will only make things worse this summer and beyond. As for Starmer, he’s toast next week or after the elections in May. How sad!

👀

All those people who rubbished Project 2025 should be eating vast amounts of humble pie. But they won’t be. Most seem to shrug and blame Kamala Harris, who told us exactly what Trump would do if he was re-elected. But they didn’t care. They still don’t!

In honour of the Sunday Telegraph's editor and offical maddest columnist, we have created the Allister Heath headline generator...
stirring-fox-7e1fab.netlify.app

'Our reaction to Nadiya Hussain proves we’ve forgotten what matters' The chef has lost her BBC gig and is now working as a classroom assistant. Why are people laughing at her choice instead of praising her, asks Neil…

Nadiya Hussain and why our values are completely back to front

The TV chef lost her BBC gig and is now working as a classroom assistant. Why are people laughing at her choice instead of praising her? Isn’t teaching children one of the most valuable roles in society?

In @heraldscotland.bsky.social

‘We’re losing accessibility’: America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback The so-called ‘pocket book’ sold in supermarkets is being phased out across the US, the latest sign of an ongoing shift in how people are choosing to read

‘We’re losing accessibility’: America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback

They don’t like goal tender either. Goal appalling or goal narcissist is more in Trump’s world view!