Mike Small
@bellacaledonia.bsky.social
Imagining a Scottish Democracy since 2007. Bylines at the Guardian, Open Democracy, Herald, DeSmog, Bella Caledonia, Sunday National.
Scotland and Screamadelica: Co-option of culture at the Closing Ceremony bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/08/04/s...
Scotland and Screamadelica: Co-option of culture at the Closing Ceremony
Sunday night marked the end of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in the Hydro, with a sparkly, hyper-saturated display of national pride. Unicorns, traffic cones, bagpipes and a range of talent f…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Modern Climate Change Denial by Stephen Barlow bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/08/04/m...
Modern Climate Change Denial
The current heatwave in Europe, and Africa, as of early August 2026, has thrown modern climate change denial, into clear relief. It is a wide-ranging phenomenon from the old-fashioned, complete den…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Shortcuts, Pitfalls and Dead Ends on the Road to Independence bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/08/03/s...
Shortcuts, Pitfalls and Dead Ends on the Road to Independence
There’s no doubt the independence movement is in the doldrums, although there’s lots of energy and organisation below the surface that isn’t getting much profile. But it’s t…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Join 13.5k other subscribers getting every Bella direct to their inbox. The finest independent journalism in Scotland, free bellacaledonia.org.uk/subscribe
Chinook, Mull of Kintyre and ending Britain’s “cover-up culture” bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/08/02/c...
Chinook, Mull of Kintyre and ending Britain’s “cover-up culture”
Donna McLean continues her new column with a look at this week’s revelations about the Chinook helicopter crash in the Mull of Kintyre in 1994. Families of those killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Scotland has the worst drug and alcohol death rate in Europe, and we're closing Glasgow’s only Drug and Alcohol Crisis Centre. Maryam Tariq reports: bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/01/c...
Closing Glasgow’s only Drug and Alcohol Crisis Centre
In Europe’s Drug Death Capital We’re Closing the Only Crisis Centre And Calling It a ‘National Mission.’ Scotland has the worst drug and alcohol death rate in Europe. 1,172 people died from drug-re…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrols www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-f...
The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrols
Far right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.
theferret.scot
The Pygmy Elephants of Cyprus by George Gunn bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/29/t...
The Pygmy Elephants of Cyprus
THE PYGMY ELEPHANTS OF CYPRUS: From The Province Of The Cat by George Gunn. It was fitting that at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that the two people impersonating a King and a Qu…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
I wrote this about how, as the collapse and breakdown continues, one of the problems is just sections of the population living in complete ignorance about what’s happening and its consequences … open.substack.com/pub/fiftysix...
On the Cairngorms
I wrote this wee tweet - accompanied by a photo - about the fact that the smoke from the wildfire in the Cairngorms was now blowing across the city of Aberdeen as I was reading messages from politicia...
open.substack.com
Anti-Fascist Organisation Defeats the Far-Right in Glasgow bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/27/a...
Anti-Fascist Organisation Defeats the Far-Right in Glasgow
This was supposed to be the biggest gathering of the far-right in Scotland for years. It had been carefully orchestrated. Speakers from neo-nazi groups Patriotic Alternative and Homeland Party addr…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Falastin Film, the Book Fringe and the Allan Armstrong Memorial Book Sale bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/26/f...
Falastin Film, the Book Fringe and the Allan Armstrong Memorial Book Sale
lower case highlights events, new releases, & publishes short reviews. Our focus is on micro press, radical publishers, and events from independent bookshops. Plus other stuff. Readers & bo…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Power to the People: Why Scotland Needs Energy Expropriation, Not Social Democratic Band-Aids bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/26/p...
Power to the People: Why Scotland Needs Energy Expropriation, Not Social Democratic Band-Aids
By Simon Hale Picture this: wind turbines spinning on mist-shrouded hills generating enough clean electricity to power Scotland twice over, while a family in a cold, damp Govanhill tenement turns o…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
The Summer of Scotland after Sarwar, Sturgeon and Swinney bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/24/t...
The Summer of Scotland after Sarwar, Sturgeon and Swinney
The Andy Burnham administration has taken office. It faces huge challenges – economic, political, geopolitical – along with no direct popular mandate and the rising storm of radicalised…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Mamdani on Netanyahu, Rubio on Ben and Jerry’s. The US and the UK are descending further into absurd authoritarianism … open.substack.com/pub/fiftysix...
Mamdani on Netanyahu, Rubio on Ben and Jerry's
It’s easy to get bitterly disillusioned about politics and politicians.
open.substack.com
Mamdani on Netanyahu, Rubio on Ben and Jerry’s. The US and the UK are descending further into absurd authoritarianism …https://open.substack.com/pub/fiftysixdegreesnorth/p/mamdani-on-netanyahu-rubio-on-ben?r=5teob&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Dear everyone, please take time to read this and more importantly support Rebuild The Mack rebuildthemack.com#Supporters
REBUILD THE MACK!
REBUILD THE MACK!
rebuildthemack.com
Mike Small@bellacaledonia.bsky.social · 2w agoScotland’s approach to its built heritage is one characterised by a woeful lack of aspiration and a complete failure of transparency and accountability bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/23/k...
Scotland’s approach to its built heritage is one characterised by a woeful lack of aspiration and a complete failure of transparency and accountability bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/23/k...
Knife the Mack
Glasgow School of Art has finally settled its two-year insurance dispute over the 2018 fire that gutted the Mackintosh Building. But the school’s Board of Governors has now admitted the payou…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Interesting opinion piece from @mikedanson.bsky.social on @bellacaledonia.bsky.social challenging myths about Manchesterism (growth? devo?) from a Scottish perspective… …but not just a *nationalist* perspective bc it also concludes with demands for more Scottish devo 👌 (See buildlocal.scot )
On No 10 North and the Limits of Manchesterism
There have been no fundamental changes in the powers of neighbourhoods, communities or boroughs within the city-region: Manchesterism isn’t based on principles of community empowerment, subsidiarit…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Who should pay for the Scottish music you listen to, if you are not? By Stephen McAll bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/22/w...
Who should pay for the Scottish music you listen to, if you are not?
By Stephen McCall Most people who pay for music do not pay the musicians they listen to. They believe they do. The system is built so we cannot easily tell. Start with the figure a new artist sees.…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Comrades in Ermine | Sarwar's exit is a sign that Labour have abandoned Scotland and abandoned Devolution ... open.substack.com/pub/fiftysix... open.substack.com/pub/fiftysix...
Comrades in Ermine
on falling upwards and Britain's broken politics
open.substack.com
The House of Lords is now, and has been for a long time, a repository for failed Labour politicians, a complete affront to democracy bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/21/a...
Arise Lord Sarwar
Anas Sarwar, 2022: “The House of Lords, in its current form, as an institution has no place in 21st century politics. It is unacceptable…to have unelected representatives wielding such power.…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Great article “Scotland is in the midst of an onshore renewable energy revolution. It’s a revolution that could produce clean energy, thousands of good jobs, a reliable source of income for rural communities, and conquer fuel poverty. But it does none of these things.”
Mike Small@bellacaledonia.bsky.social · 2w agoThe heatwave is intense. The Cairngorms are on fire. Ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown are here now. It’s time to change how we think about our energy and economic systems and values. bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/19/d...
This is great. #natural #gas is like saying natural C02 or Natural Uranium. Yes, it occurs naturally, it is also terrible for making climate change worse and bad for our health - don't breathe it in. call out the greenwashing, it is a fossil fuel it is #fossilgas #auspol
Rebecca John@rebeccajohn.bsky.social · 2w agoOur major new investigation is out today packed full of revelations about the oil and gas industry’s decades-long deception over natural gas. We show how big oil and gas created the myth of “clean” natural gas before deceptively marketing it as a climate solution. @climateintegrity.org
Proof that @ofcom.bsky.social is simply not functioning and needs the most massive shakeup. This is a factual matter. Clear error. Yet it cannot bring itself to act because ….GB News. What is the point of an @Ofcom like this?
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 2w agoNEW: After the unrest in Belfast last month, a GB News presenter said there was “no riot” and no burnt homes, despite reports and pictures. Despite 400+ complaints, Ofcom has opted not to investigate. Critics say its bar for accuracy now set far too low www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...
Douglas Alexander is back! Again. bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/21/d...
Douglas Alexander is back!
Douglas Alexander is back as Secretary of State for Scotland. The last time he was back was in 2023 when The Times and the Scotsman went to town on the Labour revival New Labour New Scotland New Br…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
The heatwave is intense. The Cairngorms are on fire. Ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown are here now. It’s time to change how we think about our energy and economic systems and values. bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/07/19/d...
Democratising Energy, Energising Democracy
The heatwave is intense. The Cairngorms are on fire. Ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown are here now. It’s time to change how we think about our energy and economic systems and values. …
bellacaledonia.org.uk
