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Shona Minson

@shonaminson.bsky.social

1.5K followers 560 following 120 posts

Women's Justice Board member BBC New Generation Thinker Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford Family law/ criminal law intersections. Children's rights. Procedural Justice Creative public engagement. Once upon a time I was a barrister

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Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · Nov 24

Last year I gave the Prisons’ Week lecture at Liverpool Cathedral, on Changemakers and women’s justice.
I talked about Elizabeth Fry, and hopeful uncertainty and where imagination might take us.
I’ve discovered it’s on YouTube so sharing it (& my Betsy Fry obsession) m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jgb...

Liverpool 2023 Prisons Week Lecture: Dr Shona Minson – Changemakers

YouTube video by Liverpool Cathedral

m.youtube.com

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Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 17h

I cannot understand what these people think the purpose of human life is?

It is *not* "pursue joy, deal justly, love well, try to understand as much and see as much of this beautiful world and of the deepness, richness and variety of human culture and experience as you can before you die"?

Tim Worthington @outonbluesix.bsky.social · 17h

How is this repeatedly made into a policy issue - by *all* parties - when the blunt fact of the matter is that grown adults who are obliged to pay for their own education, and relentlessly pursued to repay their loans, should be able to study whatever the fuck they want.

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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 17h

This is obviously the death of the rule of law, a key aspect of any democracy.

It’s also the final death of the Tories as an ostensibly constitutional party and comfirmation of its move, like the MAGA Republicans, into the unconstitutional far right. 11/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 19h

In the current climate of far right hostility, Jenrick is actively inciting violence against these judges with this. Badenoch may have defended his explicit racism yesterday, but this alone should see him lose both his position as shadow justice secretary and the whip immediately.

#r4today

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

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

The Bishop of Birmingham has written to the Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick about his comments about Handsworth

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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 2d

‘[Lord Wolfson says:] The [ECHR] and the Human Rights Act “place major restrictions on individual decision-making at every level (civil servants, judges, and ministers) and in policy and legislative design”.’

YES THAT’S THE ENTIRE POINT

Joshua Rozenberg @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 2d

The next Conservative government will take the UK out of the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act. Kemi Badenoch announced her decision after taking advice from Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, who had warned her that withdrawal would not be a “silver bullet”.

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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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.bsky.social · 2d

We need more of this! Well done for this leaflet with its strong message supporting inclusion, rejecting racism #Celtic

I hope the invited refugees enjoyed the match
#ScotlandForAll

ICYMI @scotnational.bsky.social @alisonphipps.bsky.social @dailyrecord.co.uk.web.brid.gy @neilmackay.bsky.social

D Mcguire @dmcguirecfc67.bsky.social · 3d

This 👇👏👏👏

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Christian Bauman @christianbauman.bsky.social · 3d

Back to Graham Greene again for my #sundaysentence this week: "Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation."

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 3d

It shouldn't be as hard as some people seem to make out to recognise that islamophobia, anti-semitism, hate in general, all needs to be absolutely, unconditionally, condemned every time without any form of whataboutery or "but this..." etc.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Peacehaven: Fire at East Sussex mosque probed as 'hate crime'

Video appears to show two people in balaclavas at the mosque before a large blaze spreads.

www.bbc.com

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Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 4d

Labour's "war on terrorism" continues...

Normal Island News @normalisland.co.uk · 4d

BREAKING: Heroic police officers save public from this terrifying terrorist who was holding a sign the government doesn’t like x

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Tom Scott @tom--scott.bsky.social · 8d

Trump: "If you don't like what I'm saying you can leave the room. There goes your rank & there goes your future." <nervous laughter>

Many of these US generals were no doubt aware of Hitler's notorious "Führereid", the oath of personal allegiance he made German generals swear in 1934..

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Trump to a room of generals: "I've never walked into a room so silent before. Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud."

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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 9d

I wonder what legal test will be for ‘volunteering’ - Union jacks on lampposts? Spying on a rubber dingy in Channel? Outlawing the RNLI? Bake sales for IDF in support of the (not 🙄) genocide?

There is always a lower place when it comes to unhinged immigration policy. Always.

Shabana Mahmood MP #
@Sha...2h g
...
MIGRANTS MUST CONTRIBUTE TO THIS COUNTRY TO EARN THEIR RIGHT TO STAY
#Lab25
BREAKING NEWS
INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN COULD BE DEPENDENT ON
• PAYING NATIONAL INSURANCE
- CLAIMING NO BENEFITS
• HAVING A CLEAN CRIMINAL
RECORD
• VOLUNTEERING IN THEIR
COMMUNITY
SHABANA MAHMOOD HOME SEGRETARY

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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 9d

A Quiet Life

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JazzReads📚 @jazzreads.bsky.social · 10d

So exhausting..

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Renegade Roo @renegadekangaroo.bsky.social · 12d

I've always adored the doggy side eye thing they do ❤️🥺

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Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · 11d

I’m working hard on body and mind recovery after surgery for #breastcancer as I wait to find out what treatment I’m going to need next.
#walking #goodfood #beautifulthings #cancer

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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 13d

New article published with a team of fantastic women

Making sense of academic service in unpredictable times: exploring the risks and benefits of academic activism in higher education

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

@uofgunescorila.bsky.social

Making sense of academic service in unpredictable times: exploring the risks and benefits of academic activism in higher education

Despite operating in unpredictable times and rhetoric to the contrary, universities make it hard for academics to pursue transformative agendas, meaningful community engagement, and activism to inf...

www.tandfonline.com

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Helen Barnard @helenbarnard.bsky.social · 15d

Just to be clear:
- Paracetamol does not cause autism.
- Sadiq Khan is not introducing Sharia law in the UK
- We do not have a massive free speech problem here.
- Britain is not on the verge of civil war.
These are not controversial subjects or contested, they're just not true.

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Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · 15d

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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 17d

thinking again, as I often do, about how unbelievably important it is to fart around

www.snopes.com/fact-check/k...

Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · Apr 10

Kurt Vonnegut man

Kurt Vonnegut tells his wife he's going out to buy an envelope:
"Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man.
You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?
And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope.
I meet a lot of people. And see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by.
And I give them the thumbs up. And I'll ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is — we're here on Earth to fart around
And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around.
And it's like we're not supposed to dance at all anymore."

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Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · 16d

Beautiful

Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · 22d

This was meant to be an omelette.
I‘d forgotten to add the cheese.
(I know that is not all that was wrong with it 😊)

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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 22d

No Words

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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 23d

David Lammy should reverse the proposed “democratic lock” over the Sentencing Council

We need a politics that does not pile pressure on ministers to overrule independent decisions, says @drmatthewgill.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/davi...

David Lammy should reverse the proposed “democratic lock” over the Sentencing Council | Institute for Government

Ministers should welcome the role of experts.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Shona Minson @shonaminson.bsky.social · 23d

a visual metaphor for UK politics

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