Ian Johnston
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ianjohnston0.bsky.social
Ian Johnston
@ianjohnston0.bsky.social
Comment editor and leader writer @thescotsmanpaper.bsky.social. My interests include politics, science, the environment, history and chess. Ex-NBC and Independent.
Many previous Nobel Prizes have been given for reasons that are entirely at odds with Trump’s ‘values’, statements and actions www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
9 reasons why Donald Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize (unless committee abandons its values)
Donald Trump thinks he should win the Nobel Peace Prize, but he also knows that he won’t
www.scotsman.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by Ian Johnston
Good Day!
The Cornfield with Stooks by John Nash c. 1918
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)
August 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Ian Johnston
I do worry about what increased wildfires are doing to carbon sinks
NEW ANALYSIS: Wildfires have already scorched a UK-record land area in 2025, double the previous high – and 4x above average

By Orla Dwyer, Ho Woo Nam + Tom Prater

www.carbonbrief.org/...
August 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Why Jeremy Clarkson's discovery of 'genuinely alarming' effects of climate change is so important www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Why Jeremy Clarkson's discovery of 'genuinely alarming' effects of climate change is so important
TV star and farmer Jeremy Clarkson warns this year’s harvest is expected to be ‘catastrophic’ because of bad weather, adding ‘that should be a worry for anyone who eats food’
www.scotsman.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Demise of hybrid cars in Norway shows how UK is falling behind in technological race www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Demise of Norway's hybrid cars shows how UK is falling behind in technological race
While Norway is buying a tiny number of new hybrid cars, in the UK they make up about a quarter of the market
www.scotsman.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Why a bland BBC report about migrants should make us fear for our future www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Why a bland BBC report about migrants should make us fear for our future
On the question of immigration, the UK’s ‘Overton Window’ of acceptable views has been shifting in an alarming direction
www.scotsman.com
July 31, 2025 at 8:21 AM
A message from Scotland to Donald Trump: It's time to call Benjamin Netanyahu and end Gaza's nightmare www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
A message from Scotland to Donald Trump: It's time to call Netanyahu and end Gaza's nightmare
If Donald Trump can stop the carnage in Gaza, he would surely have a good chance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize that he covets
www.scotsman.com
July 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I found this very moving. Please share:
Why Palestinians in Gaza are protesting with photos of Israeli children killed by Hamas www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Why Palestinians in Gaza are protesting with photos of Israeli children killed by Hamas
Gaza Youth Committee founder Rami Aman says many people in Gaza do not support Hamas, only want peace and mourn for the Israeli children who have been killed, as well as their own
www.scotsman.com
July 14, 2025 at 10:22 AM
In its stances on climate change, vaccines and immigration, Reform UK demonstrates it should be taken about as seriously as the modern-day druids chanting prayers of protection against Covid www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Why Nigel Farage is the High Druid of our burgeoning Age of Unreason
In its stances on climate change, vaccines and immigration, Reform UK demonstrates it should be taken about as seriously as the modern-day druids chanting prayers of protection against Covid
www.scotsman.com
June 24, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Israeli Haaretz newspaper's editorial is a must-read: "For seven weeks now, the government has employed a policy of starvation by banning the entry into the Strip of all food or other humanitarian aid." www.haaretz.com/opinion/edit...
Gaza's malnourished children cannot wait. They need food now | Editorial
***
www.haaretz.com
April 24, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Special offer: subscribe to The Scotsman for just £1 a month for three months
www.scotsman.com/subscription...
Subscribe | The Scotsman
Scottish perspective on news, sport, business, lifestyle, food and drink and more, from Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman.
www.scotsman.com
April 16, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I'm imposing my own tariffs on Tesco, M&S and all the rest, taking inspiration from my new-found economic guru Donald Trump
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Here's how I'm bringing Donald Trump's 'proven economic formula' into my life
From today, I will be imposing my own tariffs on everyone I trade with, just like my newfound hero Donald J Trump
www.scotsman.com
April 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This is brilliant by Telegraph's Matt (riffing on story about George Washington's famous honesty) www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/matt-...
Matt cartoons – February 2025
www.telegraph.co.uk
February 20, 2025 at 11:56 AM
UK should heed Danish PM's words about the need to rearm as Russia threat grows. She has told her defence minister to “buy, buy, buy!", adding: “If we can't get the best equipment, buy the next best. There's only one thing that counts now, and that's speed.”
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
As Donald Trump's 'dictator' slur signals whose side he's on in Ukraine War, UK must urgently rearm
Donald Trump’s outrageous attack on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky must be condemned by all UK politicians, especially those who have aligned themselves with the US President
www.scotsman.com
February 20, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Democratic government needs to be as efficient as possible, so it can deliver good frontline services and stave off Trumpish populism
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Why Scotland's quango culture is undemocratic and has got to go
Scotland’s plethora of quangos is expensive, at a time when public services need all the money they can get, and poses a threat to democracy
www.scotsman.com
February 14, 2025 at 10:22 AM
One of the comments on this article is: "'liberal fightback', (oxymoron) not gonna happen, you lost, we won, you are done." She might be right...
www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Seven ways to launch a liberal fightback as Donald Trump reveals perils of populism
Liberals on the political right and left need to find a new way of doing politics to defeat populism
www.scotsman.com
February 6, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Last year, Liz Truss said: "We can’t be truly free without free speech.” Now her lawyers claim it's illegal to say she "crashed the economy". Lol.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Liz Truss legal threat to Starmer over claim she crashed economy
No 10 insists millions of people share Sir Keir's view of the Truss government's economic record.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 9, 2025 at 5:59 PM