Douglas Ireland ✊​🌱
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douglasireland.com
Douglas Ireland ✊​🌱
@douglasireland.com
Morning person based in Paisley, Scotland.

"It takes much longer to get up north, the slow way." - Ian Dury

(any/all)

​Writing: douglasireland.com
Pinned
Based in Paisley and focused on making the world a slightly better place.

I’m here to chat about Scottish politics, radical change, and the power of culture to shift the dial. 🌍✊

📍 Paisley
🗞️ ScotPol
🌱 Justice
🎵 Culture

Let’s build something better together.

#ScotPol #Paisley #Justice #Intro
The Supreme Court thinks we are all confused by "oat milk" but somehow cope with "baby oil" and "fish fingers". 🙄

My latest post on why the Oatly trademark ruling is a win for Big Dairy and a loss for common sense.

Read here: ⤵️

#Oatly #PlantBased #DairyFree #UKSupremeCourt
Stop the Presses: Supreme Court Rules Consumers Apparently Confused by Oats – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:45 PM
GGC executives are getting £20k extra to set up "Subnational Planning Committees".

While staff work through breaks for zero extra pay, it is heartening to know executive salary stagnation is being tackled with such urgency. Truly, the system is healing.

#NHSGGC #Scotland #PayRise #Frontline
The Beatles - Taxman (Remastered 2009)
Listen to Taxman (Remastered 2009) on TIDAL
tidal.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I spent three weeks blocking a bed. My consultant knew it was the only way to get my scans done in time.

My latest blog post is a thank you to the marvellous staff of Ward 27, and a critical look at an NHS forced to work around its own bureaucracy.⤵️

#SaveOurNHS #BedBlocking #NHS #Scotland #Health
Thank You, Ward 27: The Safety Net and the Spider Web – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Now that I am home, I find myself visiting my own websites just to stare at the pages.

I am not checking for bugs. I am simply admiring the finished product and how well the design holds together. It is vanity, but digital vanity.

#WebDesign #Home #DigitalLove #SmallVictories #CreativeDirector
Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place
Listen to Everything In Its Right Place on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Culture shock report: The room service here is terrible.

I have been sitting in the living room for an hour and nobody has offered me a biscuit or checked my observations. On the plus side, nobody has woken me up at 6am to ask for a blood sample. I suppose it is a fair exchange.

#Home #Recovery
The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (Remastered 2019)
Listen to You Can't Always Get What You Want (Remastered 2019) on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Douglas Ireland ✊​🌱
Vote Dr Emma Sheppard #1 for better buses 🚌

Scottish Greens have already been involved in saving our local no.15 route, let's keep up the pressure and vote in East Dunbartonshire's first Green councillor 💚

Bearsden South by-election 29th January 🗳️✅
#VoteScottishGreens
January 25, 2026 at 3:53 PM
They made it harder to opt out of data sharing in Scotland, so I made it easier.

My latest post explains why the "Tech Bros" are coming for NHS data and what you can do about it.

Includes a free template letter to exercise your "Right to Object" and lock the gate on your medical records. ⤵️

#NHS
The Vultures Circle: Defending the NHS from the Tech Bros – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Hospital data proves rudeness is dangerous.

80% of recipients lose time worrying. 38% reduce work quality. In the NHS, that means poorer care.

I wrote about why "being nice" is actually a critical safety mechanism. ⤵️

douglasireland.com/the-high-cos...

#CivilitySavesLives #NHS #Kindness #Scotland
January 22, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Relocated to the Beatson. I am starting plasma exchange today.

​It feels less like medical treatment and more like a hard reset. They are essentially clearing the cache, flushing the DNS, and hoping the system reboot clears the error logs.

#PlasmaExchange #TheBeatson #SystemReset #NHS
tidal.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Trump wants to tariff the UK because he can't buy Greenland.

I am formally offering to sell him "The Sovereign Territory of Bed 4, Ward 27, RAH".

Includes strategic access to the tea trolley & a view of a rainy car park. Price: immediate discharge papers.

#Greenland #Trump #NHS #ArtOfTheDeal
Pet Shop Boys - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) [2001 Remaster]
Listen to Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) [2001 Remaster] on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Reposted by Douglas Ireland ✊​🌱
Now more than ever, it is important to stand with our European neighbours and friends. A new poll reveals that a vast majority of Scots would back rejoining the EU.

Every vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote for independence in the EU.🇪🇺
January 19, 2026 at 12:49 PM
The £11.00 price tag isn't for non-members. It is a fine for refusing to hand over your identity.

I wrote about the "Privacy Premium" and the extreme measures needed to avoid being tracked at the till. ⤵️

#Privacy #DataSovereignty #Tesco #SelfHosting #Scotland
Fugitives in the Pasta Aisle: The Extreme Measures Needed to Protect Your Privacy – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:11 AM
This is what happens when you leave me with a laptop and hospital Wi-Fi for two weeks.

I built a high-vis, zero-tracking weather station. It supports Kelvin. Because knowing it is 279.15K in Paisley is the exact data I need to decide on a coat. ⬇️

#Dev #WeatherStation #Kelvin #Privacy #Paisley
Outlook: Easy Weather
outlook.purecontrasttools.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:41 AM
The diagnostics are finally complete. It turns out this isn't a temporary bug; it is a permanent feature.

I am now running on a "Long Term Support" (LTS) version of Douglas. It requires constant management and daily patches, but the system stays online. Now, can I please go home?

#LTS #NHS #Vision
Air - La femme d'argent
Listen to La femme d'argent on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Stuck in hospital, but the digital infrastructure is thriving.

Upgraded the server to 8GB RAM. Nextcloud is finally churning through video thumbnails & faces without crashing.

If only my recovery was as simple as a reboot.

BTCPay Server next.

#SelfHosting #Nextcloud #HospitalLife #Tech #Upgrade
Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Listen to Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Day 9 on the ward. The doctors keep dangling the "discharge" carrot, only to snatch it away again. It is mentally exhausting.

I am prescribing myself some aggressive optimism to counter the low mood. I intend to be out of here before this song finishes (metaphorically speaking).

#NHS #KeepGoing
Primal Scream - Movin' on Up
Listen to Movin' on Up on TIDAL
tidal.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:32 AM
​Scheduled for a lumbar puncture today. It sounds like something that happens to a radiator, not a person.

​I am hoping they can just bleed the system, repressurise the boiler, and get things running efficiently again.

#NHS #Hospital #DomesticEngineer #Plumbing
January 13, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Sunday morning update. I am accepting auditions for the role of "Misunderstood Bond Villain" or "Pirate Captain in a Low-Budget Panto".

Applications should be sent via nurse carrier pigeon.

1/2

#HospitalLife #SundayMorning #NewLook #PirateLife #NHS
January 11, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Five nights in hospital, and it looks like three more at least. A spinal tap is on the menu. Last night was rough: snores, erratic noises, and a brain that refused to quit. Not a great combo.

1/3

#HospitalLife #SleeplessNights
January 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
​Still in hospital. I suspect that by now, Chipshop has assumed I am never returning and has legally claimed the entire sofa.

​I will have to apply for a visitor pass to my own lounge when I finally get out.

I do miss the Wee Chook though.

#Chipshop #DogLife #HospitalLife #NHS #Cutie
January 8, 2026 at 9:19 AM
​I asked the NHS for a quick software update. They took it literally and gave me a patch.

​I am now running on Douglas v2.1. The release notes are vague, but I believe it fixes a few bugs in the visual rendering engine.

#Patch #NHS #SoftwareUpdate #Cyborg #HospitalLife
January 7, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Good morning from the ward. I am still a guest of the NHS, but I refused to stare at the ceiling all night.
​Instead, I wrote a new blog post between nurse rounds.

It turns out that hospital insomnia is actually quite productive.

Link below👇

#NHS #HospitalLife #Blogging
Let Scotland Go: A Kindness to Both Nations – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Currently at the hospital with a wonky eye. NHS staff are absolute stars, as ever. Waiting rooms: not fun, but great for finishing blog posts.

Latest one’s up now. Give it a read if you’re also stuck killing time.

#NHS #WaitingRoomWisdom
Trump’s Donroe Doctrine is a threat to global stability. NATO’s silence on Greenland shows alliances crumbling under US imperialism.

Scotland must stand on its own.

Read why independence and green politics are key: 👇

#Scotland #Independence #GreenPolitics #NATO
Trump’s Donroe Doctrine: A Wake-Up Call for Scotland and the Left – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Trump’s Donroe Doctrine is a threat to global stability. NATO’s silence on Greenland shows alliances crumbling under US imperialism.

Scotland must stand on its own.

Read why independence and green politics are key: 👇

#Scotland #Independence #GreenPolitics #NATO
Trump’s Donroe Doctrine: A Wake-Up Call for Scotland and the Left – Douglas Ireland
douglasireland.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Douglas Ireland ✊​🌱
Logging on
January 6, 2026 at 10:10 AM