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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 19h

Best = don't enable a human rights abuser, comedy-wash the oppression of domestic satirists, but decline the invitation and use that as an opportunity to raise awareness of their abuses as many did and ALQST welcomed in their statement above.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 20h

Worst thing you can do = take their money, propagandise for them.

Less bad = take their money, shut the fuck up and take the shit you get for it

Better than that = listen to Saudi human rights NGOs and do what they ask (and donate your fee to them) alqst.org/en/post/riya...

Riyadh Comedy Festival no laughing matter in context of gross human rights abuses

The great irony of the Riyadh Comedy Festival currently taking place is that its hosts continue to suppress peaceful free speech and satirical comment among their country’s own citizens.

alqst.org

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 20h

Sigh. The reason why authoritarian regimes put on global sporting and cultural events is to give them a licence to operate. It detoxifies them, creates ambassadors, and white-washes their human rights abuses. The articles justifying doing a comedy event "because Saudi is changing", IS WHY THEY DO IT

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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 23h

I see Robert Jenrick is supporting Hamit Coskun who is appealing his conviction by reference to the ECHR (which Jenrick wants to withdraw from).

Who knew that the ECHR could be useful, even to the anti-ECHR Hard Right?

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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 1d

Caollfhionn Gallagher KC reflects on the legacy of her friend Conor Gearty, who recently passed away...

He “won every debating competition in sight... Debate breaks down certainty, forcing you to enter the mind of the holder of an opposing point of view.”

The political prisoners club, and remembering Conor Gearty

My work takes me across the world, and I am always amazed at how those who have suffered such trauma spend time helping others

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 1d

Given that we are following the US-Trump playbook here in the UK, I wanna know how many judges/lawyers are picking out their indictment wardrobe. Because James' look is 🔥

* Yes I use humour to make political points.

The Daily Beast @thedailybeast.bsky.social · 1d

It wasn’t immediately clear what the charges are.

MAGA Beauty Queen Prosecutor Indicts Another Trump Enemy

It wasn’t immediately clear what the charges are.

trib.al

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 1d

Usually just Edinburgh tbh

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 2d

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 1d

In case you want a list: www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/o...

www.theguardian.com

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 1d

Comedians who will do a gig for Amnesty International and then in their same lifetime comedy-wash Saudi Arabia are contemptible. Of course I'm not surprised by some, others I am utterly disgusted by. I'm not angry, I'm disappointed. Fuck that, I'm angry and disappointed alongside Saudi women.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

Tldr; we have the HRA/ECHR because we don't have a written constitution. So politicians can blame someone else rather than themselves for THEIR responsibility as guarantors of fundamental rights.

Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

To others. So they can conveniently blame the ECHR and various articles for THEIR failure. But the last thing we can expect from the political establishment is any personal responsibility when there are convenient "foreigners" to blame.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

If we had a constitution which wasn't a fucking mess, whether that was codified or established via statute, politicians couldn't get away with blaming anyone else but themselves. But they don't, they've subcontracted human rights protection (well not really because of the HRA, but rhetorically)...

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

Dogshit politicians can therefore blame everyone apart from themselves for the deficit. "Oh it's foreign judges".. what "foreign judges" (many of whom are British) doing YOUR JOB? That we have to rely on the ECHR is the failure of the British State, not the Council of Europe. Us, it's all us.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

We don't. The Human Rights Act is our Bill of Rights, because we're not grown up enough to have it provided in any other way. Let's be clear; that's a political failure on the UK. NOT a failure of the ECHR or UN system. That's all on us.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

This is a call for us understanding the actual situation we are in. An unwritten constitution means that we rely on the ECHR as a fallback. If we were a grown up country, we would EITHER have a constitution OR legislation and policy that filled the gaps for protection of fundamental rights.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

Our problem, now stay with me here, is that we have no written constitution. Quick note to the constitutional lawyers I KNOW WE HAVE A CONSTITUTION. But our reliance on the ECHR is a political cop-out which we are reaping the deficits from. This is not a call for a constitution (calm down, Lib Dems)

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

I'd like to agree with this and do with 50% but "it's (ECHR) part of the problem".. "Article 3 and Article 8" reform is necessary, is absolutely not correct. It does not diagnose the issue, which I'll try to do....

Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 3d

Tobias Ellwood, "British political debate is reduced to single one-liners that promise quick fixes"

"Stop the boats,
Take back control,
Get Brexit done,
Now, leave the ECHR"

"As if these are some sort of panacea, a silver bullet, to challenges"

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

They need this to prepare them for the world of work where they will definitely need to do this in any legally compliant organisation. So... good?

Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 3d

OMG young people are being taught the bare fucking essentials for them to hold down a job in the UK! Shock! Horror! Have we fallen down the Trump rabbit hole so much? This is preparing young people for being normal humans in the workplace and should not be headline news

The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 3d

All new Oxford University students are being taught the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion this week, the vice-chancellor has said

Oxford students need diversity training ‘to protect free speech’

www.thetimes.com

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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 4d

Thing is, if you’re a lawyer and a Tory - maybe you’re even a Tory peer - and you fail to speak out very clearly and publicly against this stuff, you’re signalling for all to see that you’re at best comfortable with fascism and the destruction of the rule of law

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 4d

We've already seen judges and lawyers being targeted as "enemies of the people". This increases risk of threats/attacks, while undermining judiciary as a whole. Couple it with Tory plans to scrap immigration tribunals and legal aid for people seeking asylum and it shows utter contempt for the law.

Robert Jenrick lists 30 'activist judges' he vows to axe in war on UK's open border

In a bold move, Robert Jenrick is set to unveil a controversial plan targeting what he calls 'activist' judges, at the Conservative Party conference.

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The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 4d

This is a lie.

There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.

But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 4d

Sacking judges is what authoritarians do. We all know where this is going and where it will end. This must not be acceptable discourse.

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Gordon Guthrie @foundationsofthedigitalstate.com · 4d

learn to edit films, with me, in Edinburgh - for your autumn self-improvement needs

4 week course - £20 a session - or free if you are an ECVS member (membership is £50 a year)

edinburghcinevideosociety.substack.com/p/learn-some...

Learn something new...

Weekend course in film editing

edinburghcinevideosociety.substack.com

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks this is all good because this not a genre I know at all. I read the Hobbit as a kid and literally nothing else.

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Naomi McAuliffe @naomimc.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks, that's great to know! Will order one and see how it goes.

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