EXCLUSIVE Nicola Sturgeon has warned Scotland is lagging well behind other countries over the championing and promotion of its own culture 👇

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. However not that long ago (in historical terms) it wasn't called Bratislava, nor was it in Slovakia. Before WW1, 42% of its population were German and 41% Hungarian. Only 15% were Slovak. How did it become the Slovakian capital? 1/n

I am hugely grateful to @Sydney_Uni for awarding me an honorary doctorate yesterday. The strategic partnership between Sydney and @UofGlasgow has strengthened immeasurably in recent years and it’s wonderful to see it flourishing in so many different areas of research. sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/n…

France has short workweeks; public and social spending, as shares of GDP, above the European Union average; a fiscal policy that could hardly be further from austerity; heavily regulated labor markets; and extraordinarily generous paid vacation entitlements. In short, it has everything an opponent of neoliberalism could wish for their own country. France is also home to advocates of degrowth and even more burdensome redistributive policies. Economists like Thomas Piketty urge other countries to impose higher tax rates and introduce new taxes to combat inequality. Yesterday, France was engulfed in flames. Police forces were overwhelmed by violent, opportunistic mobs engaged in widespread destruction and looting, for whom the very notion of private property seemed either alien or laughable. And what do many blame for the chaos? Neoliberalism, of course. Let that sink in, fellas.

Apparently, two percentages tell us everything about overcrowded hospitals, unaffordable housing and neglected public investment. Economics has become remarkably convenient.

Reactionaries more concerned with old buildings on fire than the disintegration of the social order under their beloved neoliberalism.

Edinburgh Airport last night. Passengers from 3 flights bussed to, and then herded through a narrow entrance to climb a staircase, to then descend another in order to join a massive queue at passport control! It's a dreadful experience, which feels almost third world, and a terrible welcome to our capital City. And who owns Edinburgh Airport? The highly profitable Vinci Airports (French) and Blackrock! The great arguments for privatisation included modernising and responding better to customer demands, but what we've ended up with in Edinburgh is fat cat profit over national pride.

Today I learned about the All Souls examination, which is reputed to be the hardest exam in the world. To even be considered, you need to have a degree from, or be a current graduate student of Oxford. Hundreds of people sit and only two people pass every year. Attached is last year's general exam. Before I saw it, I wondered, how hard could it be. Well, it turns out…it's "Defend ghosting.", "Does a pope matter?", and "Is body language a language?" hard:

@heraldscotlandtoday has announced that Dame Professor Sally Mapstone, Principal of the @univofstandrews, is leading pillar 2of the Future Framework, which will look at sector-led transformation.

“Our enemies don’t sit in Moscow. Our enemies sit in (the regional capital) Magdeburg and Berlin.” Influential AfD politician and MP in Saxony-Anhalt makes clear where his loyalty lies. Don’t ask me, why these people are allowed to run, rule and destroy Germany.

People miss the two impacts on labour hours that result from the £100k income tax cliff 1) is, as is well understood, working fewer hours where possible e.g., part time work in professions like healthcare, some consulting/ accounting/ civil service

Students across France are protesting poor classroom conditions, staff shortages and a below-inflation education budget increase, with tens of thousands joining nationwide demonstrations reut.rs/47CtPyI