John Fitzpatrick
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johnmfitzp.bsky.social
John Fitzpatrick
@johnmfitzp.bsky.social
What a cracking evening and got to meet this amazing person! And oh that accent @ImeldaOfficial it is amazing. If anyone gets chance to watch her RTE documentary Amhráin na nGael (Songs of the Irish)🇮🇪 It’s well worth watching
November 29, 2025 at 12:36 AM
The CMA Awards 2025

With some of the biggest names in Country Music 🎤 performing. A perfect Friday night
Featuring Performers:
Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley,

#BBCiPlayer #CMAawards
November 21, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Ireland 🇮🇪 v Portugal 🇵🇹

... Watching Ireland can be painful sometimes Tonight they need at least a draw and not to lose! A draw would mean we have to win by 2 goals against Hungary on Sunday
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Threatening us with a good time
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.
November 7, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Why Reform UK hates net zero … follow the money!

Most Reform UK voters don’t object to green policies, so who is its climate crisis denialism designed to serve?

By David Goff

@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
@tubbyewe.bsky.social
Why Reform UK hates net zero … follow the money!
Most Reform UK voters don’t object to green policies, so who is its climate crisis denialism designed to serve?
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
The railways in the UK are a joke. The rail operators think more about lining shareholders pockets than they do about passengers same with buses 🚌 You want to get the country moving & working again sort out public transport!
November 7, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Ireland v All Blacks
Ireland & New Zealand return to Soldier Field Chicago. 9yrs ago Ireland claimed an historic win over the All Blacks. The 40-29 victory ended Ireland's 111-year wait for a win over New Zealand

#AutumnInternationals #TeamOfUs #Irfu #fourproudprovinces #IREvNZ
November 1, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Joe Marler “I was the more stand in the way of people… turn like an oil rig type of player” 😂😂
October 30, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
The Andrew formerly known as Prince
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
Prince Andrew stripped of 'prince' title and will move out of Royal Lodge
He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - Buckingham Palace says
www.bbc.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Looking forward to this! Can’t wait for the Autumn Internationals to start. Can Ireland beat New Zealand 🇳🇿 Can England beat Australia 🇦🇺 after a thrilling encounter last time out.

#AutumnInternationals #IRFU #RFU #SRU #WRU

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...
Ireland vs New Zealand: Jack Crowley starts at 10 with Caelan Doris on the bench for Chicago rematch
Jack Crowley is named to start at fly-half in Ireland's much-anticipated Chicago rematch against New Zealand, while returning captain Caelan Doris will start on the bench.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Slow Horses
British spy thriller that just keeps getting better & better based on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herron, created by Will Smith. Season 5 is a triumph from start to finish. Starring Gary Oldman with Jack Lowden & Kristin Scott Thomas
October 29, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Trains delayed to Doncaster because of trespassers on the tracks. Why the feck would you trespass on train tracks complete and utter irresponsibility and stupidity
October 27, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
The mirage of safety: Dubai, Reform UK, and the false promise of order

Dubai’s promise of safety and order, like that of Reform UK, rests on an illusion and comes at a cost to those without power

By Mike Chitty

@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
The mirage of safety: Dubai, Reform UK, and the false promise of order
Dubai’s promise of safety and order, like that of Reform UK, rests on an illusion and comes at a cost to those without power
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
October 22, 2025 at 6:43 AM
My train is delayed by 14 minutes because of…. Wait there… Slippery rails. It’s as if we are unprepared for rain snow and ice ☔️ ❄️ 🧊
October 22, 2025 at 6:43 AM
After another leaving do with some wonderful friends and ex -colleagues time for some music 🎶
Sisters in Country…
How Dolly , Linda & Emmylou’s careers took off in the 1970s with distinct takes on country, but how they ended up uniting as close harmony singers on Trio.
October 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
"Does the ECHR stop states from controlling their borders?"

No. The ECHR Court emphasises migration policies are up to states themselves.

"But the ECHR stops the UK from deporting foreign criminals."

No, it doesn't.

Successful human rights-based appeals against deportation are very rare.
October 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Like most apologias, the Wolfson report isn't supposed to be read, it's just supposed to exist to provide cover. But this is really pretty limited cover. If anyone is bothered, note the utter lack of any references re the GFA.

It's all just vibes:

www.conservatives.com/wolfson-fina...
Wolfson Final Report | Conservatives
Wolfson Final Report
www.conservatives.com
October 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Here are two of the relevant sections on ECHR in the Belfast/ Good Friday Agreement (Cm 3883, pp 16-17). I'm as moderate a Nationalist as you can possibly be. Without ECHR I would regard the multilateral Agreement as terminated.
October 4, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
I see Conservative conference will "discuss" leaving the ECHR again this morning. Anyone care to ask how they will prevent the Irish lobbying the US, delivering bipartisan agreement that the UK is breaking the Good Friday Agreement, leading to UK political crisis?
October 6, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
@georgeperetzkc.bsky.social is well worth a follow for those interested in how all the kerfuffle about the ECHR will impact the GFA/BA in Ireland. 👇
Chris Philp on R4 yesterday making 3 false statements about the ECHR and the GFA.
1. “The ECHR is mentioned only in the Multi-Party Agreement not the UK/Ireland Agreement.”. Wrong: the latter agreement requires the UK to support the former: they can’t be pulled apart like that.
Summary here by @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social of the so far unpublished but apparently “circulating” “legal advice” by Lord Wolfson to the Tory party. open.substack.com/pub/rozenber...
October 6, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Today will see a flurry of speculative claims about the GFA & ECHR. Most significantly that rights weren't important/were late additions/didn't mean the whole ECHR in NI law. I'm begging journalists to push back. Civil Servants were planning for Labour's Rights Agenda for NI from the 1997 election:
October 6, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
Today will see a flurry of speculative claims about the GFA & ECHR. Most significantly that rights weren't important/were late editions/didn't mean the whole ECHR in NI law. I'm begging journalists to push back. Civil Servants were planning for Labour's Rights Agenda for NI from the 1997 election:
October 6, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
3. “The ECHR commitment is only applicable to devolved bodies”. Wrong. The commitment is to incorporate into “NI law”, including NI law made and administered by UK institutions. (And given that UK institutions were responsible for the concerns, any other result would be bizarre.)
October 6, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by John Fitzpatrick
2. “The ECHR commitment is only to have rights ‘like’ the ECHR”. Wrong: there is no basis for saying that the agreement to incorporate “the ECHR” in NI law can be read as meaning “something the UK thinks is a bit like the ECHR”.
October 6, 2025 at 7:04 AM