JohnNicolson he/him
@johnnicolson
Journalist. Scottish. European. Harvard & U of Glasgow alumnus. Harkness Fellow. Kennedy scholarship. Ex US Senate speechwriter, BBC & ITV news anchor and Member of Parliament. He/him.
I’m thrilled to have been appointed a trustee of the National Galleries @NatGalleriesSco With an extraordinary collection, and exciting future plans I can’t wait to get to work with Catherine Muirden and her team. Here’s a wee painting of RLS from the collection to celebrate!
Facebook reminds me I was on the cover of @thetimes ‘Bricks and Mortar’ supplement 19 years ago today! The story - how I’d rescued a derelict “beyond repair” house which then kickstarted the restoration of a whole block of houses facing demolition.
Wee flashback for #caturday & our lovely much missed Rory. He loved to dance round the kitchen. The Scissor Sisters were his favourite.
1983 world student debating championship trophy back from restoration in Paisley & heading for its new permanent home @UofGlasgow @GUUnion @Princeton Did I ever mention I was the world student debating champion? 😊
As Anas Sarwar prepares to join the numerous Scottish Labour retirees in the House of Lords a reminder of his recent and past Lords pledges. #ReadMyLips etc.
I do love Facebook ‘on this day’ reminders. Here’s today’s. A @BBCScotland publicity still.
It’s my beau’s birthday. Four decades of being effortlessly suave. Happy birthday darling Juliano ❤️
I strongly support this @scotcivictrust initiative to protect the Hillhead Baptist Church from demolition. The last thing Glasgow needs is yet more civic vandalism. The @scotgov needs to call this in as the Trust asks. @newglasgowsociety.bsky.social
We’d a private funeral for my Mum six years ago today. Covid restrictions meant no mourners were allowed. So no friends & family to celebrate her life. Instead here are love notes I found from my Dad: he dropped these surreptitiously on her office desk as they dated in secret.
Scotland versus Brazil tonight. The countdown begins! 🏴 🇧🇷
Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear me-eeee etc.
Starmer resigns claiming he’s created a “party which stands proudly with and not against the national flag.” The flag business - along with the U turns & leadership promises abandoned - seems emblematic of an inauthenticity which has alienated the public since his election.
Fathers’ Day is always poignant for me as it is for so many people. I lost my Dad when I was 16 - not long after these pictures were taken with my Mum and wee brother Torquil. I think of him every day. #FathersDay
Scorchio! Hiding away from the oppressive heat in our shaded garden oasis….
My Uncle Bobby’s 1960s bestseller - made into an Oscar nominated movie with Edith Evans - was based on letters from an impoverished old lady to my father at the Anderston National Assistance Board. She believed she was a countess fallen on hard times. My Dad played along…
Maiden speech in the Commons 11 years ago today (Facebook reminds me). Dear longstanding pal Frank McKirgan - my World Debating Champion partner - on the Commons terrace congratulating me.
Fabulous Classical Pride concert @BarbicanCentre with the @londonsymphony - a packed audience listening to gay composers’ music with all proceeds going to @RainbowRailroad helping #LGBT people escape persecution worldwide. Kudos to conductor @ozeffman
I’m so sad to hear of the death of David Hockney. Alongside Isherwood he inspired the young schoolboy me - growing up gay in Scotland in the censorious 70s - with a vision of sun-kissed freedom & acceptance. I’ve loved his work ever since.
My Dad’s 1960s diary entries. Toddler me is worried he’ll be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf at work. And I already love the Botanical Gardens.
Some of my troll accounts appear to be in meltdown atm. Of all the many absurdities they’ve spewed over the years this from a supporter of the sinister ‘LGB Alliance’ is one of my favourites.