KBA Tory giving a lesson to Tories. Who woulda thunk it?
Top KC brands Tories 'shameful' over Lord Advocate 'corruption' claim
#JohnSwinney #LordAdvocate #SNP #PeterMurrell #Scotland #Politics #Tories #Holyrood
Claire McNabFormer #SNP chief exec #PeterMurrell has been formally charged with thefts amounting to £460,000. https://archive.is/bcajY
The case is #subjudice, and I have no info or view on Murrell's guilt or innocence.
These alleged thefts are huge. As a young lobbyist in the 1980s, I watched in Westminster how some MPs peer-pressured each other into a lavish lifestyle. Some fell into debt; others lived modestly. What will the trial reveal about the lifestyle of #Holyrood's political class?
Edinburgh GreensScotland’s 2026 Elections: Ensuring Palestine is a key campaign priority
Webinar by Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and EuroPal Forum, with panel comprising:
• Ross Greer MSP: Co-leader, Scottish Green Party
• Lesley Riddoch: Scottish Journalist & Broadcaster
• Sarah McCaffer: Co-convenor, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
• Neil Cowan,: Programme Director (Scotland), Amnesty
International UK
Thursday 12th Feb, 7pm-8:30pm GMT
#Palestine #Holyrood
Bob DownieScottish Labour leader to demand PM resign
Anas: "Hi Keir, remember we have the critical #Holyrood elections coming up and your popularity has now dived even further in Scotland. I'm going to have to pretend to dump you for the time being. It's just for the look of the thing."
Starmer: "Good plan! Labour is toast in #Scotland anyway so feel free to pretend to be upset with me. Once the electrons are over we can cozy up again. X"
scottishgamesWATCH: Momentum Builds at Holyrood for Scotland’s Games Future
Level Up: If you missed the live stream of the Scottish Parliament yesterday, you missed a significant turning point in the ongoing evolution of our industry – with a ministerial commitment to review the action plan “line-by-line” at a future meeting of the cross-party group for Scotland’s games ecosystem.
Building on the foundations laid by Clare Adamson’s 2023 motion, last night’s debate represented a massive step forward in strategic coherence. We saw MSPs from across the chamber champion the Level Up Scotland Action Plan, citing our £151,382 GVA per head and calling for a dedicated Games Supercluster.
A Chamber in Consensus
The debate was led by a powerful opening from Michael Marra MSP, who laid out the undeniable economic and cultural case for the plan. We also heard vital contributions from Clare Adamson MSP, Daniel Johnston MSP, Liam Kerr MSP, Foysol Choudhury MSP and a response from Business Minister Richard Lochhead MSP.
From the “Golden Thread” of games technology to the need for a Chief Games Officer, the Parliament spoke with a level of detail and passion that proves the games sector is now a national priority.
Watch the Highlights
The full video of the debate is now available. We encourage everyone – from studio founders to students – to watch. Hear the consensus for yourself:
WATCH: Members’ Business Debate on the Scottish Games Action Plan
Your Voice is Needed.
While the Parliament has spoken with a unified voice, and the mainstream press has put us on the front pages, we need to continue showing the sector is united behind this plan.
We cannot allow this momentum to be met with silence.
The Minister, Richard Lochhead, has committed to a “line-by-line” review of the Action Plan at the next Cross-Party Group meeting. This is our window of opportunity. We need to show the Scottish Government that it isn’t just a few of us asking for change – it is the entire community.
Level Up: Join the Wall of Support
If you believe in the vision of a £1 Billion games ecosystem, we need you to go on the record today. It takes 30 seconds, but its impact in the halls of power is massive.
Visit the Scottish Games Network website and deave a comment underneath the Games Action Plan documents here.
- Studio Heads: Tell the government why you need better scale-up support.
- Developers: Tell them why you want to build your career in a Scottish Supercluster.
- Students: Tell them why you need a support to help you develop and publish new IP.
- Everyone else: Help the government understand games are far more than the huge consumer market. Games can and will impact your sector, from education to healthcare, from film to fintech.
The Scottish Parliament has opened the door. Now, we as a community must ensure the Government walks through it.
Let’s make our presence undeniable. Let’s make our sector famous.
~Brian
#actionPlan #debate #games #GamesActionPlan #holyrood #LevelUp #parliament #scotland
Live Debate: Scotland’s Games Action Plan @ Holyrood: 18:30, Feb 3rd 2026.
UPDATE: Time of debate moved back to 18:30.
The parliamentary debate on Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan will take place around 18:30 tomorrow afternoon – Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026.
Tickets are already sold out to attend the session in-person, but you can watch live and online using the Scottish Parliament TV streaming service.
I’ll be present in Parliament for the debate and hope to live blog the whole thing as questions are asked, complete with printed copies for any Members who wish to take a physical copy home.
I’ll also be answering questions on the Scottish Games Network social media channels (LinkedIn, BlueSky and Facebook) for anyone who’d like to have more information or background on the Action Plan as a whole, specific recomendations within the plan, or around the future of the games ecosystem.
Hope to see you there.
~Brian
From Paper to Parliament: National Games Debate Confirmed for Tuesday, Feb 3rd
I am incredibly proud to announce that following our launch events in Edinburgh and Dundee – and a week of unprecedented national media coverage – the Scottish Parliament has officially scheduled a debate on the Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 3rd, MSPs from across the political spectrum will take to the floor of the Holyrood chamber to discuss the future of the Scottish games ecosystem (exact time TBC).
The Result of a Unified Voice
Last week, over 80 of you joined us at CodeBase Edinburgh and the Abertay CyberQuarter. You showed the politicians and the press that this isn’t just a document – it’s a movement. That energy translated directly into parliamentary action. Michael Marra MSP’s motion (S6M-20521) secured the necessary cross-party support in under a week, and now we have our moment.
The world is watching how Scotland responds to its “secret weapon.” Over the last few days, we’ve seen the Action Plan featured on the front page of the Sunday Herald, on STV News, and in deep-dives by GamesIndustry.biz, The Courier, Scotland on Sunday, The National, and Holyrood Magazine. The games, tech and business sectors also picked it up, with news stories running across DIGIT, FutureScot, PocketGamer.biz and the Videogames Industry Memo.
(Oh and as of writing, this Sunday morning I’ll be on BBC1 Scotland’s The Sunday Show…)
Why Tuesday Matters
This national games debate is the moment where the “Golden Thread” of games technology – from AI and real-time 3D togames engines, simulation and sandboxing – is formally recognised as a national economic priority. This is not just a debate about videogames – we are debating how to build the UK’s first Games Supercluster and how to scale our sector to £1 Billion GVA by 2030.
I will be present in the public gallery of the chamber to represent the Scottish Games Network and the hundreds of you who contributed to this blueprint. It will be a moment of reflection on the two years of work that got us here, but more importantly, it is the start of what I hope will be the implementation phase.
How to Watch and Support
We need the Wall of Support to be visible during this debate. Even if you can’t be in Edinburgh in person, you can join us online.
This plan was forged by you – the games community. On Tuesday, we see it reach the highest level of government.
Let’s make it count.
#edinburgh #games #GamesActionPlan #holyrood #LevelUpScotland #parliament
The World is Watching: Let’s Level Up Scotland
If I’m honest, I’m still trying to process the last week…
After two years of trying to deliver Scotland’s Games Action Plan – running workshops, pulling together over a thousand data points, separating the practical and achievable from the aspirational, and finding ways to work with the country’s existing infrastructure – we finally handed Level Up Scotland over to the country last Wednesday.
The impact was immediate, and frankly, a little overwhelming.
80 People, Two Cities, One Voice
We held two events in one day. In the morning, we filled a room at CodeBase Edinburgh with MSPs, media, and industry leaders like Mark Logan. By the afternoon, we were in the Abertay CyberQuarter in Dundee, surrounded by the developers and educators who are the heart and soul of this sector.
In total, over 80 of you showed up. Seeing those rooms full didn’t just mean a lot to me personally; it sent a real message to the people in parliament: This isn’t just a report. This is a unified community demanding a different future.
The World is Watching
The media response has been equally powerful. We didn’t just get a mention; we started a national conversation. From the front page of the Sunday Herald to deep-dives in the global industry press, the message that Scotland’s games sector is a ‘secret weapon’ with a £151k GVA per head is now impossible to ignore.
Scotland’s Games Action Plan: Press Coverage
- Sunday Herald (front page and 4 x pages inside)
- Scotland On Sunday
- PocketGamer.biz
- GamesIndustry.biz (REALLY in-depth. They read the whole thing!)
- DIGIT.FYI
- STV News (scroll in to 10m 15s)
- The National
- White Nights Hub
- Holyrood Magazine
- Videogames Industry Memo
- Gamespress
- The Courier
Help Needed: Scotland’s Games Action Plan Debate In Holyrood
When we started this two years ago, the goal was to end the fragmentation of our sector. Looking at the “Wall of Support” and the names supporting that Parliamentary motion, I think we can say we’ve made a strong case. However, we’re not quite there yet. I need your help one more time.
We need the debate in parliament. We need the government to understand how important games could be to Scotland’s creative and economic future. If you want something more tangible and a reason to get in touch with your MSP, consider that the Action Plan has direct funding for game developers (for new IP and Co-development), dedicated and expert business support for games companies and representation within the government.
Share The Love – Tell The World
Let’s keep the pressure on. Please share any and all of the above stories from the media on your social media channels. Get in touch with your local MSPs and ask them directly to support Motion S6M-20521.
You can find your MSPs using your postcode here. I’ve created a draft template to send to your MSP here (Google Docs link). Most of the MSPs have social media links (usually Twitter/X) on their individual pages. There’s even a directory of 72 x MSPs on Bluesky). So do please tag them on there as well and share one or two of the above media stories, or link directly to the Action Plan itself.
With one last push, we can make sure games are not just part of the national agenda, but an integrated and important part of our shared digital future.
Thank you,
B
CBC Newfoundland & LabradorHolyrood family calls for accountability after pet killed by off-leash dogs in own backyard
Kimberly Ghaney says she's traumatized after seeing her pet dog, Mickey, get mauled and killed by her neighbour's dogs. She and other residents of Holyrood are calling for stricter enforcement of animal control regulations.
#animalcontrol #pet #neighbor #Holyrood
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/holyrood-dog-attack-9.7055061?cmp=rss
Kimberly Ghaney says she's traumatized after seeing her pet dog, Mickey, get mauled and killed by her neighbour's dogs. She and other residents of Holyrood are calling for stricter enforcement of animal control regulations.
#animalcontrol #pet #neighbor #Holyrood
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/holyrood-dog-attack-9.7055061?cmp=rss
Scotland’s Games Action Plan Heads to Holyrood: Michael Marra MSP Lodges Motion for Parliamentary Debate
The momentum behind Level Up Scotland has reached the floor of the Scottish Parliament.
Following our dual-city launch earlier this week, Michael Marra MSP has officially lodged a motion (S6M-20521) calling for a dedicated Members’ Business debate on the National Action Plan for Scotland’s Games Sector.
The motion recognises the sector’s “growing importance to Scotland’s economy” and specifically highlights our goal of scaling the industry to £1 Billion GVA by 2030. It also puts our “secret weapon” metric—the £151,382 GVA per head—into the formal parliamentary record.
The Next Step: Securing the Debate
Lodging a motion is the first step. To ensure this debate actually happens in the chamber, we need MSPs from across the political spectrum to support it.
This is where the community comes in.
We need to show the Parliament that there is widespread, cross-party interest in the future of the games supercluster. Whether your local MSP is SNP, Labour, Conservative, Green, or Lib Dem, they need to hear from you.
How You Can Help Today
Why This Debate Matters
A Members’ Business debate forces a formal response from the Scottish Government. It provides a platform for MSPs to champion the studios in their constituencies and ensures the five core recommendations of the Action Plan remain at the top of the government’s priority list.
On Wednesday we launched the vision. Today, we start the democratic process of making it a reality.
#games #GamesActionPlan #government #holyrood #parliament #scotland