Ellie Harrison

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Bring Back British Rail

  • 2023 Media

    Faut-il privatiser les transports en commun?

    16 Apr 2023
    27, ARTE (France)

  • 2021 Media

    Great British Railways Debate

    20 May 2021
    Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

  • 2020 Writing

    Artist as Active Citizen

    Harrison reflects on The Glasgow Effect for this new text commissioned to launch a-n‘s year-long research project with AirSpace Gallery: Artists Make Change (May 2020 – May 2021). It is published alongside a new text by Dave Beech reflecting on the history of political art, to provoke discussion about artists’ roles in affecting social change. (Word count: 1,540)

  • 2019 Writing

    The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint

    On 4 November 2019, Luath Press published Harrison’s first book. Inspired by her 2016 ‘durational performance’ The Glasgow Effect – for which she refused to travel beyond Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicles except her bike, for the whole calendar year – the book provides the complete context for her thinking and action. (Word count: 119,000)

  • 2018 Lecture

    The Future of Public Transport

    10 Nov 2018
    We Own It conference, London

  • 2018 Media

    Should we bring back British Rail?

    20 Sep 2018
    Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

  • 2016 Media

    Rail re-nationalisation debate

    21 Nov 2016
    Kaye Adams, BBC Radio Scotland

  • 2016 Political Campaigns, Writing

    A Better Railway for Britain

    Writing as founder and coordinator of Bring Back British Rail, Harrison reflects on the last seven years’ campaigning for the public ownership of our railways in this preface for the campaign’s first report, launched in the Houses of Parliament in London on 13 October 2016. (Word count: 663)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail re-nationalisation debate

    27 Aug 2016
    Today, BBC Radio 4

  • 2016 Media

    RT News

    16 Aug 2016
    RT UK

  • 2016 Media

    Interview with Ellie Harrison

    16 Aug 2016
    Julia Hartley-Brewer, TalkRADIO

  • 2016 Media

    Exposing UK privatised train operating companies

    10 Aug 2016
    BCfm Radio

  • 2016 Media

    You & Yours

    8 Aug 2016
    BBC Radio 4

  • 2016 Media

    Commuter diaries of a rail nightmare

    23 Jul 2016
    The Guardian (p.14-15)

  • 2016 Media

    How one train company came off the rails

    17 Jul 2016
    The Sunday Telegraph (p.23)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail Chaos Victims’ Rage

    12 Jul 2016
    Daily Mail (p.26-27)

  • 2016 Media

    Loving the Inbox: the Artist as Bureaucrat

    1 Jul 2016
    ArtReview Asia (p.68-71)

  • 2016 Media

    Glasgow Central Station Demonstration

    4 Mar 2016
    CommonSpace

  • 2016 Media

    Artists need to stick their necks out

    7 Jan 2016
    CommonSpace

  • 2016 Media

    Protesters Oppose Hikes in Rail Fares

    6 Jan 2016
    Evening Times (p.9)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail Re-nationalisation debate

    4 Jan 2016
    5 Live Drive, BBC Radio 5 Live

  • 2015 Media

    Interview with Ellie Harrison

    3 Oct 2015
    Wizard Radio

  • 2015 Media

    Daily Show Debate

    20 Aug 2015
    BBC Radio 5 Live

  • 2015 Media

    The Big Conversation Show Interview

    18 Aug 2015
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

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News

Ellie Harrison is an artist & activist based in Glasgow (UK). In 2023 she won the Stephen Fry Public Engagement Award for her ‘Bus Regulation: The Musical’ Trilogy in Greater Manchester, Strathclyde & Merseyside (2019 – 2023).
In 2021 the Second Edition of Harrison’s book The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint was launched at the UN Habitat’s Innovate4Cities conference to mark the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and chosen by the Ecologist for the Resurgence Book Club. Her Early Warning Signs were also exhibited at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library during COP26 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the project.
Harrison’s Vending Machine continues to feature in the 😹 LMAO exhibition exploring humour in data visualisation at the Open Data Institute in London.

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Ellie Harrison(opens in a new tab)

Ellie Harrison

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Artist, activist & author of 'The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint' 📚

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Another massive win for our campaign today! 🥳 Slowly but surely we will get all Scotland's buses back in public control 🚌 ✊ @followers ...

1 week ago
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Today marks 40 years since ‘D-Day’ – the day that Margaret Thatcher’s 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 was implemented everywhere across England, Scotland & Wales, except London 🚍 I’ve devoted the last 10 years of my life fighting to undo the damage that this policy caused. On Saturday, I was proud to be part of this special online event to mark the occasion 👏 You can watch the recording here 👇 @followers
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3 weeks ago
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This is Massive! 📢 Did you hear First Minster John Swinney announce that all buses in Scotland will be brought back into public control by 2031? 🚍🥳 After 10 years' campaigning with Get Glasgow Moving and Better Buses for Strathclyde, it's just amazing to see The Scottish Government finally starting to listen! Hear my reaction in this special podcast for The National Newspaper 👇 @followers ...

3 weeks ago
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This weekend Wasps Artists' Studios - Hanson Street, Glasgow is celebrating its 25th anniversary! 🥳 I’ve been based here for sixteen of those years, since 2010. On 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺-𝟰𝗽𝗺 I’m opening my studio to visitors as part of the building’s special anniversary open studios event: waspsstudios.org.uk/news/hanson-street-studios-celebrates-25th-anniversary-this-october/ Please come down and say hello! @followers ...

1 month ago
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On Thursday night we launched the Get Glasgow Moving public transport campaign’s 10th Anniversary Exhibition at The New Glasgow Society 🙌 It’s only on until Weds 23rd Sept, so please make sure you visit! 👇

🗓️ Open every day until Weds 23rd September, 12noon-5pm
📍 1307 Argyle Street, G3 8TL

It’s been a total labour of love to bring this exhibition together – four days’ solid to install and a whole summer spent sorting through the archives and organising more than 240 photographs, sixty press cuttings, fifty films, alongside many old placards, banners and leaflets to the tell the story of our campaign over the last decade 🚍 🚇 🚆

If you don’t know much about Get Glasgow Moving or just want to find out how I’ve been spending a massive chunk of my time over the last 10 years as the campaign’s co-founder and chairperson – then please make sure you come along!

I’ll be invigilating from Monday – Weds, so come and say hi 😊

We are also selling our popular campaign t-shirts, designed by yours truly, for just £10 – so don't miss your chance to get one 👕

And thanks, as always, to Neil Scott for the wonderful photos!

Presented as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2026

#GlasgowDoorsOpenDaysFestival #GlasgowGoesOut #CulturalHeritage #GlasgowEvents #GDODF26 @followers
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2 months ago
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Opening this Thursday! 📢 Please don't miss this special exhibition I've curated to celebrate the Get Glasgow Moving campaign's 10th Anniversary 🥳 I've been working on it all summer and it's 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 at The New Glasgow Society as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival #GDODF26 @followers 🙏 ...

2 months ago
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I was delighted to be back in Liverpool City Region this week for the launch of Merseytravel's new publicly-controlled bus network 🚌🥳 I staged 'Bus Regulation: The Musical' here in 2022 and 2023 as part of the campaign which led to Steve Rotheram's decision to become the 2nd UK city region to roll-out bus franchising, after Greater Manchester. Find out more here: ellieharrison.com/merseyside @followers ...

2 months ago
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After 10 years campaigning, it's just brilliant to see The Scottish Government finally taking action to regulate bus fares in Glasgow 👏 But their £2 fare cap will do nothing to improve services, create new routes or integrate timetables and tickets with other transport modes 🚍🚇🚆 For that we must bring our bus network back into public control. Please support Better Buses for Strathclyde to make it happen ✊ @followers ...

2 months ago
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Commodities

  • Hen Weekend Badge Hen Weekend Badge £2.00
  • Bring Back British Rail Sticker Bring Back British Rail Sticker £3.00
  • Tea Blog Sticker Tea Blog Sticker £1.00
  • Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector Book Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector £10.00
  • Day-to-Day Data Book Day-to-Day Data Book £20.00
  • The Glasgow Effect (First Edition) The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint £10.00 – £12.00Price range: £10.00 through £12.00
  • Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund Sticker Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund Sticker £3.00
  • 4 Live Broadcasts DVD 4 LIVE Broadcasts DVD £20.00
  • Gold Card Adventures Poster Gold Card Adventures Poster £5.00

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