@LeaskyHT

Reporter, The Times and Sunday Times I no longer use X. Try me at @Leaskyd.bsky.social or on [email protected]

 Scotland
Joined March 2009
  • Tweets137K
  • Following5.5K
  • Followers17.5K
3.1KMedia
I think people who use X for work do need to let people know they won’t be readily available on this platform. I’m still here if you need to DM. But *obviously* this site is rapidly losing its usefulness for reporters and, like many others, I’m no longer spending much time here.
HW@whitts706214 Nov 2024
Rumour has it you don’t have tell everyone you’re leaving twitter. Like apparently you don’t need an official statement. You can just simply not log on. Breaking news, more as we have it.
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If you're not watching Al Jazeera investigates live now, you *really* should The most remarkable undercover footage I've ever seen. Turning Point UK actively involved in soliciting what they think is a hit UK police really need to be watching aljazeera.com/video/live

LIVE - Al Jazeera English | Video broadcast from Al Jazeera

Watch Al Jazeera’s live broadcast now

aljazeera.com
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David Leask retweeted
sam kochhar@awakend1234Jun 10
Replying to @fox1235953 @lil_doza
That’s the wrong attitude. I’m brown myself and I’m ashamed of new immigrants. how they r behaving. Because they were let en masse they were not given time 2assimilate, and brought their primitive ways with them. U were allowed as a guest u shouldn’t talk about rising up.
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American styled arguments against the pursuit of free inquiry and research on racism and colonialism are taking hold in UK academia. thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…

Black professor condemns ‘right-wing attacks’ on slavery research

Tommy J Curry says critics of research on slavery links are repeating American talking points to ‘censor radical ideas in academe by ethnic minorities’

thetimes.com
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Meet the preacher John Swinney used to persuade Trump on Gaza thetimes.com/article/ff74fe7…
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David Leask retweeted
ECIU
@ECIU_UK26 Jul 2025
Why Scotland’s stone harbours are at risk of crumbling into the sea Violent storms and years of neglect by cash-strapped councils mean the tiny ports that dot the coastline are increasingly in peril - @LeaskyHT thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…
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Why Scotland’s stone harbours are at risk of crumbling into the sea thetimes.com/article/de8fdbb…
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Is it weird that this reply makes me feel nostaligic? After ages on BlueSky I’d almost forgotten how easily some people are manipulated by online influencers.
Shellzybellz 🤪@Shellzzybellz25 Jul 2025
Replying to @LeaskyHT
Useless prick!!! xitter.cf/WingsScotland/status/1…
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more replies
Reporters don’t write headlines or sub-headings but in newspapers and legit media orgs we all work to try and fix mistakes as quickly as possible. So if you see something wrong on a story, let me know.
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There are obviously those who wish to weaponise mistakes in mainstream journalism - even very minor ones. There are people who simply want to demonise those of us who work in our trade. These people, including various online influencers, rarely acknowledge or correct errors.
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Replying to @KennyFarq @LeaskyHT
And here are the key numbers:
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In this column I make reference to a fabulous piece in the Sunday Times by @LeaskyHT. Here's a link: thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…

Meet the English-born Scottish nationalists running for the SNP

As more people from south of the border settle in Scotland the party is increasingly choosing candidates who are not originally from Scotland

thetimes.com
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NEW: Independence or more immigration? Why Scotland can’t have both. My column in @thetimes. thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…
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I don't usually waste time posting on this platform but maybe it is the right place to push stories about AI-generated slop about SNP leaders? thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…

Fears for elections after rise in bogus AI targeting Scottish politicians

The error-ridden, AI-authored books — including profiles of the first minister — have stoked fears of fake news ahead of the Holyrood elections

thetimes.com
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David Leask retweeted
Oliver Kamm@OliverKamm18 Jun 2025
Replying to @LeaskyHT
👆That’s inadvertently very funny and rather shocking. I wrote here about pidgins and creoles, fwiw thetimes.com/uk/article/oliv…

Millions of Pidgin English speakers can’t be wrong

Here’s an extract from a BBC report a fortnight ago about the latest immigration statistics: “These figures dey affect di international students pass, as di stu

thetimes.com
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If you’re remotely interested in languages or language politics I don’t think there is anything funnier than somebody with a Ukrainian flag in their bio declaring Scots to be “pigeon English”.
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Look, I don’t think there any hope of a meaningful conversation on language or linguistics and related politics on X. Why not? Cos We have low public knowledge of languages. And cos being abusive about minority languages/ speakers is just a way marking your online gang.
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As an aside: there is nothing wrong with pidgin languages. Scots isn’t one. That is neither a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just that - and sorry to be a bore - linguistics terms have meanings.
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Who needs Tesco? Orkney shop keeps customers satisfied after 170 years thetimes.com/article/a3de65f…
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David Leask retweeted
David Leask@LeaskyHT20 May 2025
I am looking for folk who have moved to Scotland from England, Wales or Northern Ireland recently. I want to know why! It's for the paper. Do get in touch!
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