Colin Murray

@colinmurray.bsky.social

7.5K followers 1.1K following 1.3K posts

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Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · Sep 16

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...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 53m

This, from @saraita101.bsky.social, is not going to brighten up this dreichest of days, but it does confront the immediate issue facing NI that we're locked in a recrimination cycle, and the Unionist parties who have the most to lose from it are pushing it hardest:

www.irishnews.com/opinion/sara...

Sarah Creighton: As the DUP declines to send anyone to President Connolly in Dublin, the scary question is: do we even want reconciliation here?

Maybe we like the cycle of outrage and hurt. It’s comfortable and it’s all we know

www.irishnews.com

Reposted by Rory O’Connell

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1h

The Bingham Centre report on UK counter-terrorism law has landed. Apply its findings to anything from the Kneecap prosecution to the banning of Palestine Action and you find just how draconian UK counter-terrorism law is, and the extent of necessary reform:

binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...

Reposted by Colin Murray

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 16h

AI chatbots could help stop prisoner release errors, says justice minister

HMP Wandsworth gets ‘green light’ to use AI after team sent in to find ‘quick fixes’ after spate of mistakes Artificial intelligence chatbots could be used to stop prisoners from being mistakenly released from jail, a justice minister told the House of Lords on Monday. Lord Timpson said HMP Wandsworth had been given the “green light” to use artificial intelligence (AI) after a specialised team was sent in to find “some quick fixes”. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 19h

Trump rumoured to be consulting Albert Reynolds using a Oui Ja Board for advice on foreign leaders using defamation law against UK media...

Reposted by Colin Murray

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 19h

Legal experts and politicians criticise process used to ban Palestine Action

Independent commission says definition of terrorism relied on by ministers is too broad and more parliamentary oversight is needed Legal experts, former government ministers and an ex-MI6 director have criticised the process used to ban Palestine Action. The members of an independent commission set up by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law said the definition of terrorism was too broad and better parliamentary oversight and judicial scrutiny was needed. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 23h

The Ivan Yates interview is hilarious in its refusal to even contemplate the key ethics issue. Media coaches can maintain the confidentiality of clients. The problem was Yates' choice to then engage in campaign media as a commentator, not a paid adviser to one campaign.

www.rte.ie/news/politic...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d

As Alan Rusbridger points out, the cabal of "news" organisations attacking the BBC have far greater shortcomings and are already delighted to skew our information environment:

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d

This as not simply populism, it's an extreme assault on public institutions and structures. The last week has been about the BBC, but comes alongside mounting attacks on judicial independence/the European Court of Human Rights. Treating each issue in isolation will see them killed off one by one.

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 1d

What you’re witnessing is a populist assault on the BBC.

This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.

iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...

Reposted by Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Lesley A. Hall , and 3 more Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Lesley A. Hall, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Jane Suiter, Elke Weissmann

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by Steve Peers, Colin Murray, Justin Lewis

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1d

Incredible that Robbie Gibb - most influential person on BBC board by many accounts and from journalists I speak in BBC - was involved in setting up GB News.

GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Enforced veganism’: Ofcom lets GB News flout accuracy rules, say climate campaigners

Exclusive: Regulator has received 1,221 complaints about UK broadcasters since 2020 but found no breaches of its code

www.theguardian.com

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d

Whereas we really do, and our rate of firsts would be vanishingly small without it...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d

You see algorithm in the title here and you think, I can't cope with big tech anymore, but upping this WonkHE piece as my weekend read. All HE institutions in the UK have their own rules on how degree outcomes are calculated & this really impacts on degree equivalence:

share.google/OCpk1FP8AfCM...

Algorithms aren't the problem. It's the classification system they support

With England's regulator cracking down on “flexible” degree algorithms, Jim Dickinson argues that what’s at stake isn’t just grade inflation, but how universities define student success

share.google

Reposted by Rory O’Connell

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 1d

Rule of law says what now (Ireland edition)?

Cathal Malone @cathalmalone.bsky.social · 2d

The Government's new stated aim is to make it so unattractive for lawyers to take good cases against the State that they will stop. Not bad cases. Good ones. Successful ones. This new rule only applies if you *win* your case. Doesn't that worry anyone slightly?

m.independent.ie/irish-news/o...

Objectors will be on the hook to pay six-figure legal costs under judicial reviews clampdown

Objectors will have to foot six-figure legal bills for successful judicial review cases in a new move being brought to the Cabinet to speed up the supply of infrastructure and housing.

m.independent.ie

Reposted by Colin Murray

Cathal Malone @cathalmalone.bsky.social · 2d

Objectors will be on the hook to pay six-figure legal costs under judicial reviews clampdown

Objectors will have to foot six-figure legal bills for successful judicial review cases in a new move being brought to the Cabinet to speed up the supply of infrastructure and housing.

m.independent.ie

Reposted by Colin Murray

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 2d

Maybe there was an era when apologies helped. Now it’ll just pivot the story to “so you admit you got this wrong, who’s to blame and why haven’t they resigned yet?”

If someone resigns, it’ll be “why didn’t their boss resign too?”, and so on.

The game has changed. Institutions need to catch up.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d

Give me a void and I'll scream into it.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d

The reality is that Brexit is a cold place full of tough choices when next door to the EU as a mega trading bloc. Either try to shut yourself off as much as possible, as the Tories did, suffering checks & dislocation, or you'll have to pay (£££) to pig-a-back on EU rules:

www.ft.com/content/8963...

Reposted by Colin Murray

Elaine Burke @elaineburke.bsky.social · 4d

If gave you €1 every second since you were born:

You would have €1 million within a week and a half.

You would have €1 billion by 32.

You would never have €1 trillion. Generations upon generations after you would not reach €1 trillion. Because it would take over 31,700 years to reach €1 trillion.

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Colin Murray

Joshi Herrmann @joshiherrmann.bsky.social · 4d

Extraordinary story from @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social: A London lawyer bought hundreds of Sheffield freeholds. Then the ‘very aggressive’ letters arrived.

One woman: “It broke my heart, that was my savings towards a new car...He has just wiped me out.”

www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...

A London lawyer bought hundreds of Sheffield freeholds. Then the ‘very aggressive’ letters arrived

Exclusive: The Tribune can reveal that Andrew Milne has threatened leaseholders with high court action. It ‘broke my heart’ one woman says

www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 4d

Everyone gets their own article in The Telegraph, this week and any week, provided they're willing to hail the transformative benefits of leaving the ECHR, but deny the reality that parts of the UK think very little of the quality of British justice shorn of international oversight.

Reposted by Albert Weale, Colin Murray, Colm O’Cinneíde

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 5d

Between 11am and 1pm tomorrow, join Robert Spano, Jens Elo Peters Rytter, @colmocinneide.bsky.social and @profveronika.bsky.social to discuss the future of the European Convention on Human Rights, both in Europe and the UK.

Sign up to attend this in-person event at @laws.ucl.ac.uk 👇

The Future of the ECHR - In Europe and UK

Organised by the Human Rights Institute and the Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism.

www.ucl.ac.uk

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 6d

The NIHRC has repeatedly had to fight in the courts to be able to do its job. If the Chief Commissioner can't raise rights issues in press interviews, this undermines its (statutory) public education role. This is a key GFA institution - it must not be muzzled:

www.irishnews.com/news/norther...

Shankill bomb victim’s brother in court challenge against human rights chief’s comments

Gary Murray tackling Alyson Kilpatrick after she questioned objectivity of senior figures in legacy investigations body

www.irishnews.com

Reposted by Michelle Everson

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 6d

I've a new paper out in the Discrimination Law Association's Briefings on the distinct Windsor Framework's rights/equality arrangements applicable to Northern Ireland law, which give ongoing significance of a broad sweep of EU protections even after Brexit:

discriminationlaw.org.uk/assets/docum...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 6d

Definitely could, sorry for parsing in the post.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 6d

The protections for philosophical belief under the Equality Act really don't play nicely with police discretion to stop and search those suspected of involvement in political violence under the Terrorism Act. A likely AG Reference coming:

news.sky.com/story/tommy-...

Tommy Robinson found not guilty of terror offence for failing to give police access to his phone at Channel Tunnel

Police had demanded access to his iPhone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act

news.sky.com

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 7d

Sometimes getting a random like or comment on a year+ old post reminds me of what BlueSky was like when there were about five of us (okay, a million) of us here, and it felt like posting into the void. Reupping for posterity, in case you missed it first time ...

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · Sep 6

At the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm and kinda mortified for David Trimble for the summary they give for his peace prize. It's like the reference no one really wanted to write. What about his stance was he known for? Best left unsaid.

Reposted by Colin Murray

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 7d

Very insistent, is The Times leader today, that the Supreme Court ruling is clear. But even it can't agree what the ruling means.

Snips from The Times on 4/11/25, 12/9/25 and 26/9/25.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 7d

The (adult) person next to me on a flight is engrossed in Miracle on 34th Street. Reader, I'm so not in this festive zone that I'm torn between envy and incredulity. Come back to me in a month...

a man with a beard and a hat is talking to another man .

ALT: a man with a beard and a hat is talking to another man .

media.tenor.com

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 7d

When people talk about the Overton Window shifting, this sounds like a magical process. But really it means that the space for public debate is being actively constrained by publications sacking journalists who provided divergent (progressive) accounts of what's going on in the world...

Lex McMenamin (they/them) @leximcmenamin.com · 7d

I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.

certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 7d

The PSNI is presenting a defence to the data breach case that's basically "we can't afford a remedy". But data protection rights derive from EU law, and affected officers could invoked the EU Charter's right to effective remedy under Art 2 WF. Fun to come:

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...

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