Aileen McHarg

@aileenmcharg.bsky.social

2.6K followers 660 following 1.1K posts

Professor of Public Law and Human Rights, Durham University. Joint General Editor, Public Law.

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Political science 48%

Law 19%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 18h

There have been 2 attempts recently in Scotland to get rid of jury trials for non-financial reasons: on a temporary basis during Covid, then a pilot project in rape cases. Both were seen off by the legal profession. So I'm surprised that there hasn't been more of a stushie about these proposals.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Cas Mudde, Ben H. Ansell , and 70 more Jonathan Portes, Cas Mudde, Ben H. Ansell, Richard S.J. Tol, Dorothy Bishop, David M. Farrell, Will Jennings, Stefan Rahmstorf, David N. Thomas, Gavin A. Schmidt, Patrick A. Jansen, John Horgan, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Colin Murray, Mark D. White, Huw Price, Rosemary A. Joyce, Dirk Pilat, Charles West, Martijn W. Hesselink, Chris Hanretty, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Alison Phipps, Mary Corcoran, Anand Menon, Michelle Everson, Jo Barraket, Rebecca Tushnet, Ben Worthy, David R. Miller, Robert Wolfe, Gary D. Rawnsley, Aileen McHarg, Jacob T. Levy, Simon Glendinning, Scott A. Imberman, Julie Cupples, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Stephen Ryan, Samantha Brennan, Jonathan Birch, Anne Norton, Hubert Zimmermann, Leo McCann, Manuel Puppis, Graeme Warren, David Bartram, Lisa Diedrich, Brian Doucet, Ann Bartow, Stuart White, Pauline Stafford, Clayton Littlejohn, Rense Corten, Greg Linden, Jack Stilgoe, Lukas Graf, Jon Dean, Klaus Oschema, Christina Pagel, Daxton R. Stewart, Rune Møller Stahl, Olivier Mannoni, Camille Lefebvre, Aviel Roshwald, Colin Talbot, Tarik Abou‐Chadi, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Jeroen Van Bouwel, David Spurrett, François Guesnet, Speranţa Dumitru

Rutger Bregman @rutgerbregman.com · 1d

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Worrying.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

AI is always offering to provide summaries of articles though ...

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Something very much frowned upon, these days.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

When I was a UG at Edinburgh, English lit had a certain reputation ... I wonder if that is still the same too?

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah - 3 lectures a week was the norm when I was a UG at Edinburgh and when I started teaching at Bristol. But before I left, it went down to 2 lectures per week, and the same thing happened shortly after I joined Glasgow.

Semesterisation was then another excuse for cutting contact hours.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

My institution is a bit obsessed with the QS rankings for that reason - research counts for that too, but in a different way.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Things have changed a bit recently.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Really? It's been a phenomenon everywhere I've taught.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

The reduction in contact hours is partly about reduced contact full stop, but partly about reduced contact with permanent academic staff. This is partly about coping with larger student numbers, but it's also driven by prioritisation of time for research.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

More concern for quality (understood as consistency across modules); better facilities; more professional teaching; more focus on employability, etc. These things are probably taken for granted, though. 2/2

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 1d

Current students aren't getting the same deal that their parents got, certainly. Contact hours are about 2/3 of what they used to be; module content has been cut; there is less purely formative assessment; bigger numbers make the whole experience less personal.

OTOH some things are better. 1/2

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 2d

'overly hate'? Just a bit?

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3d

Or even a tin of tomatoes.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3d

I'd rather have that for Christmas than a ton of tomatoes.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3d

Good to see the Guardian living up to expectations with its Christmas present suggestions.

A catering size tin of chopped tomatoes.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3d

5 requests in 10 days would have me hyperventilating.

Reposted by Aileen McHarg

Dr Adam Evans @a-b-evans.bsky.social · 4d

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I love the smell of a freshly printed journal article in the evening… #senedd #devolution

Reposted by Aileen McHarg

Jonathan Jones @sirjjkc.bsky.social · 4d

My commentary on some of the legal aspects of the government’s latest immigration proposals, including the potential for court challenges

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/lega...

What are the legal implications of Labour’s new immigration reforms? | Institute for Government

Some of the government’s proposals are thin on details, others are likely to be tested in the courts.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 5d

This note refers to an article by Lewis on the impact of the SC decision forthcoming in the January 2026 issue of Public Law. Definitely worth a read.

Lewis Graham @lewisgrahamlaw.bsky.social · 5d

Jwanczuk, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love SC

My case note on today's decision in Jwanczuk, a particularly illuminating example of the the current Supreme Court's conservative approach to human rights issues.

administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/t...

The Supreme Court, Discrimination and Maximal Deference

This may seem a harsh decision but… the risk of undue interference by the courts in the sphere of political choices made by the legislature in the welfare context can only be avoided if the courts …

administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

Reposted by Aileen McHarg

Lewis Graham @lewisgrahamlaw.bsky.social · 5d

The Supreme Court, Discrimination and Maximal Deference

administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 5d

I hope nobody in UK university administration reads the bit about academic salaries in Hungary.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 6d

Interesting, thanks.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 6d

Strong "painting over murals for children" vibes.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 6d

😲

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 6d

Half day closing

Reposted by Aileen McHarg

Dani Garavelli @danigaravelli.bsky.social · 6d

Me and @caitlinsmith.bsky.social have teamed up to make another BBC Radio 4 documentary. If At First You Don't Secede asks if there is any way through the current impasse on independence. It's on this coming Sunday (November 23) at 1.30pm if you fancy a listen. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - Currently, If at First You Don’t Secede

If at first you don’t secede, should you really try, try, try again?

www.bbc.co.uk

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 7d

It wasn't clear whether it was a scream of celebration or despair.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 7d

Sketch about a voice operated lift not recognising Scottish accents.

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