I thought it was awful. I think most of what Cooper says is awful. What I'm trying to say is that no one ever seems to try to explain their policies in a neutral way. Just constant attacks.
lawyer (retired solicitor; academic). Live in Wales now, although still Australian. Child law; media law. Legal blogger in family courts for The Transparency Project www.transparencyproject.org.uk (contact me there as I don't receive DMs on Bluesky)
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I thought it was awful. I think most of what Cooper says is awful. What I'm trying to say is that no one ever seems to try to explain their policies in a neutral way. Just constant attacks.
that's all I ever hear/read though. No one seems to be saying he has good political instincts or isn't trying to appease the Right. Not picking an argument with you! but I just find it all depressing. Constant criticism & no wider discussion.
someone has already thought of that one www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
the conclusions make a lot of sense
we're surrounded by noise from both the right and left who want him to be a hate figure. It's inescapable.
An independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment of barristers in England and Wales has recommended decisive action to protect the reputation of the bar from the stain of misconduct. rozenberg.substack.com/p/ban-on-bul...
that's a joke I guess? Great photos
but Mark and Stuart, you didn't mention this at all - the track was just played with no intro. or explanation. Did the Sinister Mandarins have a hand in this?
I just read this www.theguardian.com/film/2019/de... certainly doesn't sound it
that's a tough one
the press barons want to at least seriously underfund & weaken the BBC i think, at least. Murdoch sees a publicly funded service as unfair competition. The Mail just seems to hate the BBC on principle!
wow!
British teenager becomes a ward of court to escape from Somalia - new post on this recent High Court judgment.
The latest Tory to defect to Reform is Chris Mason. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
very witty Keith. Good piece by @mrjohncrace.bsky.social in yesterday's Guardian too
it's frightening to watch
and bizarrely, it's the right who are determined to get rid of the BBC! Robinson, Mason et al are turkeys voting for christmas
shocking. I'm not saying UK and European politics are in great shape but at least 'leaders' still attempt to sound civilised and maintain some gravitas
Don't miss Lecturer in Medical Humanities Dr Michael Lambert on ITV’s Long Lost Family tonight and tomorrow at 9pm. The two-episode special reunites mothers and adoptees separated through Mother and Baby homes in England. 📺: https://www.itv.com/watch/long-lost-family/1a8904
is that genuinely what Vance wrote?!
I keep telling OH he can't make foccaccia in a normal domestic oven. Am I wrong?
should have been a semi colon?
surely you aren't running through Russian snow?!
ENYS MEN is currently streaming free on Channel 4 - share.google/7MeVu0mHYUgC...
Customer feedback this week; ‘Please can you get some more diversity at the National Trust by encouraging more hot men to visit.’ Ideas for how we do this v welcome. Nothing too racy please - we are the National Trust not the National Tryst.
can anyone help with history of adoption query, specifically the role of the Salvation Army early 20th C
Here's something a bit different. We've been reporting from Edinburgh to try to get to the bottom of a mystery in London. Princes Street is the Scottish capital's most famous shopping street — and it's gaining the *exact same* tatty gift shops as London. www.londoncentric.media/p/edinburgh-...
This gets progressively funnier with every use of the term "floppy".
![One of Britain’s most senior police officers has launched an angry tirade against Extinction Rebellion protesters going “all floppy” when they get arrested. Sir Stephen House, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said the tactic of going limp was a “flipping nuisance” as it required extra officers to drag protesters away. House told a London assembly police and crime committee hearing: “We have asked them to stop being floppy. And that might seem like a silly thing to say, but when we arrest them and pick them up, they go all floppy, which is why you see four or five officers carrying them away. It’s a complete waste of officers’ time, and a complete pain in the neck.” Extinction Rebellion: how successful were the latest protests? Read more House also expressed annoyance at how the tactic made the police look heavy-handed. He said: “The problem with them going floppy and four offices carrying them away [is that it] looks to the general public like police are overreacting here. We’re not making them go floppy. They’re just sort of being a nuisance.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7uvcqt45oqlutlrtgx7bpodq/bafkreie7yqxb4cj2t4gxftiqsno5wgk2kczb5vbtj7wh2b2u5sjtqtdrku@jpeg "Click to view full size")
but not reported til now, apparently
so depressing
I'm so disappointed the right wing press have bullied Rayner into stepping down. Can't bear to read anything about it.
have they not sent anything for peer review then? Just self published? (must admit it sounded a bit not-new)
I just looked at my dormant twitter a/c and not only getting posts from 'TR' despite setting of 'notifications following' but also an ad for a game 'reposted' by a friend who died some years ago. Ugh
'The Conservative party, whose leader Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly pledged to fight for “free speech”, has banned Byline Times from attending her party’s annual conference' bylinetimes.com/2025/09/04/k...
if anyone is genuinely trying to send me DMs on Bluesky, I can't access them I'm afraid. You can find me on the @seethrujustice.transparencyproject.org.uk website if you'd like to contact me
Iconic moment at the Downton Abbey premiere
Democrat @raskin.house.gov excoriates Nigel Farage for banning journalists from Reform UK events: "I'm asking you a direct question. Why do you ban journalists who oppose your views from coming to your events? Why did you tell local government not to do interviews with your local newspaper?"
Nigel Farage is claiming to Congress that the UK gov deliberately withheld details of the Southport attacker from the public. This is dangerous and it’s false. The attacker was under 18, and so a court had to give express permission to release his name in exceptional circumstances, which it did.
interesting to see the BBC have moved Aberystwyth to 'North Wales'. That is an unusual path I guess. BBC News - Ex-actor Zack Polanski's unusual path to become Green Party's new leader www.bbc.com/news/article...
it was a story in The Sun, apparently
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
or maybe they 'get' that people are packed into an artificial living space with nothing to do, instead of having their asylum claims duly processed so they can settle in the community and look for work (or return ... but only returns seem to get mentioned)
Quite appallingly, the shadow Lord Chancellor and shadow Secretary of State for Justice has posted to X an inaccurate and misleading statement about the Court of Appeal’s judgment, mistakenly quoting and describing paragraph 114 of the judgment it overruled, not the Court of Appeal’s own reasoning
Just reported: a court judgment case with probably the most intriguing first line in UK judicial history: (I can't lie to you; it gets more boring very quickly. But then it gets intriguing again, I promise.)
exactly! why didn't Starmer go on to say 'process applications to allow refugees to settle in better accommodation and return non-refugees', instead of just 'process returns'. So depressing!
there was rent control for a while too
new blog post on care proceedings in Cardiff Family Court, with final care order for child placed with grandparents as foster carers
did you know that Sean Bean originally spelt his name Shawn?
ooh look - they found a 'story' - BBC News - I chose a Caesarean date for earlier childcare funding eligibility - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
broad generalisations but I know what you mean. Still think the over 65s would have a residual memory of the threat of fascism though
we've 'had it on a plate for 2 decades' apparently. But I have some sympathy for that view because young ppl now face job insecurity, ridiculous housing costs etc.
post-war generation benefited more from those opportunities than succeeding generations, I'm told
it's not me who was labelling 'boomers'! @gsoh31.bsky.social was suggesting that generation had a different view of human rights than younger ppl and I was wondering why they would. I still don't quite see the connection
but we have recollections from our parents' generation plus what we learned about Stalin
but the point made was that we (older ppl) don't have 'woes' because student grants, affordable housing, good pensions etc.
I don't understand this because older people will have personally known people affected by WW2 and the spread of fascism, which is what the ECHR was designed to prevent recurring. So you'd think they would value protection of human rights the most
he has expressed regret at Labour bringing in the Human Rights Act and freedom of information legislation as 'mistakes'
not 'unexpected' from Straw who is on record as regretting Labour gov brought in the HRA and the FoI Act
💡 Register for our upcoming webinar: 'Defining child maltreatment for research & surveillance: an international, multi-sectoral Delphi study in 34 countries in Europe & surrounding areas' Dr Laura Cowley 📅 Weds 10th Sept ⏰ 1 - 2pm 📍 Online, Teams events.teams.microsoft.com/event/400fc9...
New scheme for free child care available to all working parents in England (who earn <£100k) must surely benefit 1000s of families but not seen as 'news'.
Paul Dano was heartbreaking but James Norton's hair also deserved its own award
yes it was on the front page of the Express all the time, back when Al Fayed still had a reputation
captured perfectly by @jonathancoe.bsky.social in his novel Bournville
Why does the BBC feel obliged to put his agenda at the front of their coverage week after week - at the expense of other ideas about dealing with immigration? The irony is he would no doubt end the BBC licence fee with no replacement funding if he were to become PM. See 👇🏻4/
Family of French woman killed by ex-partner to go to court to find out why she was not protected
Flag raising "patriot" used to be a people smuggler. Between him and all the domestic abusers currently loutishly protesting outside asylum seeker hotels, please can we give up all pretence they have "legitimate concerns"? manchestermill.co.uk/manchester-f...
this account of one family's trauma describes exactly why I wish the band weren't called Kneecap, but maybe it all helps raise awareness of history and the legacy for children who had no choice in being labelled
“Domestic abuse screening tool doesn't work, minister says” I don’t know about other family lawyers, but I frequently read police disclosure where obviously (to me) high risk situations are classes as “standard” or “medium” risk under DASH… it’s quite alarming. www.bbc.com/news/article...
🚨 Speaker Mike Johnson says the problem with gun violence is the human heart, but global evidence shows easy access to guns and inequality — not the heart — drive violence. From Dunblane in the UK to Port Arthur in Australia, stronger laws saved lives. open.substack.com/pub/theintel...
michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-...
I'm not sure whether the Telegraph & the Tories are actually interested in Angela Rayner's residences or just obsessed with her. Meanwhile Nigel Farage has five houses.. wp.me/p15p2Q-eWu
I unfortunately glimpsed a Mail front page the other day that was sheer spite and bullying of Rayner. As if there's no real news to report
how attractive!
exactly what I thought
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Have you experienced faulty video technology in court? How important do you think it is that everyone in the courtroom can see video evidence? Let us know your thoughts below ⬇️ #CourtWatchLondon #VideoTechnology #TransformJustice 🧵[6/6]
Do you know what to do if you’ve been misrepresented by the press? At The PJP, we help people understand their rights: 🔹 How to file a complaint with press regulators 🔹 How to demand a correction or apology 🔹 When you may be able to pursue legal redress #KnowYourRights #PJNow #MediaLiteracy
back when I did conveyancing, a client who'd sold her house as was moving abroad forgot she'd done that ... purchasers weren't happy
Public law practitioners: have you been involved in litigation regarding automated decision making by Government, or do you think you might be in future? The @publiclawproject.bsky.social are keen to speak to you.
ha! the Fabians were seen by my Labour branch as the ultra right back in the 80s
judges can't do that. They have no right of reply
I know. Beware the Fabians!
lovely piece by @francesryan.bsky.social
give me strength "Political leanings of two judges involved in Epping migrant hotel case - and who they sided with" | Politics News | Sky News share.google/sjW7q1NRt3mB...
the local authority has a role as 'corporate parent' to children looked after, believe it or not
I'm reading and enjoying Karla's Choice by @nickharkaway.com , borrowed from my public library. In an idle moment, I discovered on wikipedia that nine actors have played Smiley! Not sure about the upcoming portrayal by Matthew McFadyen (too charismatic?)
terrific photo of @sanchia7.bsky.social who has done so much to report on international social issues and more recently on family courts. A great loss from the BBC
thank you so much Sanchia for your huge contribution to reporting on family courts
Videos claiming that from 18 September, if you withdraw more than £200 in cash a week your bank must send your transaction details to the UK’s Financial Intelligence Unit, are circulating on social media. The National Crime Agency told us this isn’t true.
Morning hive mind I’d like to know: is there any polling on what people think about giant data sheds? Not “is AI good” but “do you see this as the potential future for your local economy, are you worried about it gobbling up your electricity”, that sort of thing
This is a helpful summary of the challenges to accommodating asylum seekers on planning grounds www.iclr.co.uk/blog/comment...
Is the BBC Reform UK's mouthpiece? Yup. "Researchers at Cardiff University have produced a detailed analysis of every episode of the BBC’s flagship Question Time programme broadcast between September 2014 and July 2023 to see if the broadcaster was balancing political viewpoints."
oh I didn't know that. Sad
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
crikey, what's going on at UCL?
are the Police the most acrimonious band break-up ever?
I'm trying to ignore it, which is difficult, and probably not the right thing to do
serious investigatiom by ITV
do you mean fans of Farage?