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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray
@colinmurray.bsky.social
7.4K followers 1.1K following 1.3K posts

Professor of Law & Democracy @newcastleuni.bsky.social Constitutional Law | Human Rights | Brexit | Devolution | Political Violence | Colonialism | Other Assorted Dourness He/Him

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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 25d
A new Explainer out from @aoifemod.bsky.social and me detailing the UK's ECHR commitments under the 1998 Agreement in response to recent speculation. It is short, because there is very little to say - the UK's obligations are evident on the B/GFA's plain text:

caj.org.uk/wp-content/u...
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Reposted by Colin Murray, Lesley A. Hall, Elizabeth Ewan

charlielynch.bsky.social
Charlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 1d
“I knew that homosexuality was a sin - I didn’t want to be homosexual. I went to my G.P and said I had read Freud’s book on dreams, that I suffered from homosexuality, and that I would like to change.”

My new article now out in Irish Historical Studies:

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Between sickness and sin: models of male homosexuality in Northern Ireland c.1960-1990 | Irish Historical Studies | Cambridge Core
Between sickness and sin: models of male homosexuality in Northern Ireland c.1960-1990
www.cambridge.org
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d
The notion that last year's Russian spy ring case makes it more difficult to prosecute the Cash/Berry case doesn't stand up to momentary scrutiny. It isn't an effective dodge to the "China question"; it's a claim that calls the DPP's competence into question:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Reposted by Colin Murray

adamjschwarz.bsky.social
Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 1d
The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 has been awarded to Venezuelan democracy activist María Corina Machado.

The Nobel Committee recognised her “struggle to achieve a just & peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

In other words, exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing to the United States.
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Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Colin Murray, Stuart White

lewisgoodall.com
Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 2d
I do wonder if Labour might look at the sorts of people dominating the discourse and dominating the content wars and maybe, just maybe, rethink the sorts of grey figures they routinely put up for interviews, instructed at that to be as cautious as possible. Things have changed. Their comms hasn’t.
100 89 710

Reposted by Gráinne McKeever

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
I chickened out of my long-time working title:

Trains and Borders and Orangemen, Oh My!

But the first sight of a new publication in the wild still feels nice. Thanks to @conormccormick.bsky.social, David Capper and Norma Dawson for assembling this collection:

www.cambridge.org/core/books/l...
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Reposted by Colin Murray

emilyjones.bsky.social
Emily Jones @emilyjones.bsky.social · 2d
Join us on the 22nd October 2025 from 1-2pm UK time for this talk by Professor Susan Marks (LSE) on: 'If the World Is a Family, What Kind of Family Is It?' This event will be held online and in person and all are welcome. To register, please go to: www.ncl.ac.uk/law/events/i...
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
They do their job as journalists and source a broad range of opinion. Or they don't make quality assessments on research "detail" that they are not qualified to make.
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
Totally.
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
Great day for this post from @alangreene.bsky.social to come out because it explores exactly this phenomenon down to the specific example. The UK media either doesn't care about balance or finds it very difficult to assess claims for itself, so "both sides":

ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/10/09/a...
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Reposted by Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Andrew L. Jackson

andrewlrjackson.bsky.social
Andrew Jackson @andrewlrjackson.bsky.social · 2d
Happy to see this new article published yesterday - co-authored with @orlakelleher.bsky.social

“The implications of the European Court of Human Rights' climate rulings for climate litigation in Ireland: a new legal reality”, in the Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
A pure example of BBC balance. On the one side, on the other, all the way through. This leaves a really superficial account of what's at issue with leaving the ECHR and accepts, doe-eyed, that Policy Exchange had a "really detailed proposal" on the GFA, not a hot mess:

share.google/qGXg9rHZYfPL...
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
Great to see that Beckett is still winning.
luxalptraum.com
Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 3d
TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it
One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way. What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money. Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight. To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 2d
The Windsor Framework dropped the number of sea border checks substantially, based on a system of labelling, EU access to UK customs data and sample checks. It was always likely to permit more leakage of non-compliant goods into the EU single market if the UK was slack:

www.ft.com/content/7238...
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Reposted by Colin Murray

donalh.bsky.social
Dónal Hassett @donalh.bsky.social · 3d
It was stupid when they said this about Jim O'Callaghan and it's stupid when they are saying it about Catherine Connolly. The cab rank rule among barristers means you have to take whatever the case is + the journalists acknowledge this but completely bury the lede www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
Catherine Connolly says she did represent banks in courts but fails to clarify whether it included home repossession cases
O’Reilly’s bar in Salthill faces out towards the choppy waters of Galway Bay, but it was the scene of a stormy exchange that Catherine Connolly described as “a cowardly personal attack”.
www.independent.ie
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Reposted by Margaret Mitchell, Colin Murray, Martin Paul Eve , and 11 more

luxalptraum.com
Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 3d
TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it
One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way. What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money. Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight. To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.
34 870 4.9K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Brendan Nyhan, Andrew Scott , and 10 more

paleofuture.bsky.social
Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d
"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 3d
It is an interesting case study in removing legal protections around the judiciary because they're not seen as being necessary when everyone in the major UK parties are believed to be "good chaps". And then finding out that everyone really isn't a good chap...
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 3d
Not so long ago this dangerous "naming and shaming" of judges shtick would have been caught by the offence of scandalising the judiciary. If Robert Jenrick wants to bring back all the old arrangements around the judiciary, I wonder is he as keen on that one?

www.thetimes.com/article/1b67...
Robert Jenrick names judges he would sack for ‘pro-migrant bias’
The shadow justice secretary has accused ‘activists’ within the judiciary of having links to political causes that compromise their independence
www.thetimes.com
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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d
100000 thousand places, without replacing funding (lol) would be a hammer blow to English universities (the only ones that will be directly subject to her policy given devolution). It is wantonly destabilising to even suggest it.
5

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d
We'd like to ensure a much less well educated next generation in the UK is yet another bold Conservative pitch amongst a cornucopia of proposals this week which range from the deranged to the dangerous...
timeshighered.bsky.social
Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 4d
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce plans to cut the number of UK university places by about 100,000 annually by reintroducing student number controls, reports Patrick Jack #edusky
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/badenochs-number-caps-plan-would-cut-100000-university-places
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Reposted by Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Susan J. Smith , and 3 more

timeshighered.bsky.social
Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 4d
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce plans to cut the number of UK university places by about 100,000 annually by reintroducing student number controls, reports Patrick Jack #edusky
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/badenochs-number-caps-plan-would-cut-100000-university-places
11 8 7

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d
We're across a v dangerous line in "acceptable constitutional thought" today, and the media really are struggling to convey how mad things just got.
1 1

Reposted by Emily Jones

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d
Some thoughts, with @emilyjones.bsky.social & Romain Chuffart, in Critical Legal Thinking, on the UK's recognition of Palestine and the implications it might have had, but conspicuously has not had, for UK Govt responses to the Samud flotilla's seizure:

criticallegalthinking.com/2025/10/07/t...
The UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine is meaningless without the proper recognition of international law on the aid flotillas
Israel has boarded the Global Sumud flotilla, representing a further escalation of their response to flotillas seeking to deliver aid to Gaza. The
criticallegalthinking.com
3 12

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Colin Murray , and 5 more

barristersecret.bsky.social
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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colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 5d
Thanks, now that's in my head.
1

Reposted by Alan Lester, Laurent Pech

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 5d
More in the breathless, breaking stop-the-presses, and not at all confected story, that judges, before they were judges, were involved in practising law. Take 5 seconds to appreciate just how hard into "swivel-eyed loon" Robert Jenrick is being allowed to lean:

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
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Reposted by Colin Murray

rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social
Raffi Melkonian @rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social · 5d
My real concern is whether Amicus, the mascot of the Canadian Supreme Court, has also been compelled to change robes.
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Reposted by Colin Murray

paolosandro.bsky.social
Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 5d
Lord Wolfson's legal advice to Kemi Badenoch on ECHR withdrawal has now been published. In this thread I'll highlight a few passages that stood out for me - not meant to be a full analysis (in [] are the paragraph numbers). /1

rozenberg.substack.com/p/how-uk-cou...
How UK could leave ECHR
Withdrawal would allow EU to end criminal law enforcement co-operation
rozenberg.substack.com
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Reposted by Steve Peers

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 5d
Robert Buckland epitomises the branch of conservatism that pays attention to the Union (and the legal commitments underpinning it), values personal liberty and instinctively distrusts silver bullet solutions to multi-faceted issues. Feeling for him today:

conservativehome.com/2025/10/05/r...
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