🎉 As nomination deadlines for the 2025 Polly Corrigan and Kjetil Hatlebrekke Book Prizes approach, 2024 Polly Corrigan Book Prize winner Dr @sophieduroy.bsky.social spoke with KCSI on receiving the prize, the inspiration behind her book, and gave some advice to this year's applicants.

We have written a further letter to the Vice Chancellor at the University of Essex further to meetings held over the last week and additional questions and concerns that have been raised!

Pam Cox MP, former member of staff at the University of Essex, speaks out against redundancies and course closures 👏 www.facebook.com/reel/2288732...

Since they're not restructuring, they're putting us all at risk because there may be a diminished need for "teaching and research", which are... the university's missions I guess?

When will this crisis get any attention whatsoever!? A THOUSAND ACADEMIC STAFF AT ONE INSTITUTION SERVED REDUNDANCY RISK NOTICES! And that's not counting what's surely being visited on professional services staff too. This is an economic catastrophe, to say nothing of the intellectual catastrophe!

Since they're not restructuring, they're putting us all at risk because there may be a diminished need for "teaching and research", which are... the university's missions I guess?

Ongoing decimation of British universities part 252: Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email. Please share @ucuessex.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk

they’re coming for everyone but hitting the parts with the most positive social impact hardest: campus in Southend that was part of regeneration plans which trains nurses & social workers our foundation programme which does incredible work none of the rest of us *can* do

In yet more devastating news, the VC has confirmed her plans to cut 80% of academic staff from Essex Pathways, our foundation year department. This would effectively close down all our existing foundation year programmes through the back door. But it's not a done deal yet. Please share urgently.

One of our branch co-presidents, Jordan Osserman, talking on BBC Essex this morning about the devastating cuts to our University, and what needs to be done about them. Please share. We had yet more shocking news this morning - stay tuned.

I was interviewed by RFI a couple of weeks ago and am now featured - alongside a police union representative - in this written piece on the dangers of expanding digital surveillance and the problems of an all-security approach to terrorism: www.rfi.fr/en/france/20...

The threat to 400 jobs at Essex, in the lead up to Christmas is nothing short of cruel. We stand with every member affected. We will fight this. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1427...

The University of Essex has announced it is looking to cut staff and close one of its campuses as it looks to create a more “sustainable” future. Juliette Rowsell reports https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/essex-close-southend-campus-and-cut-400-jobs

It's official: 400 redundancies and a campus closure. At-risk staff will get a letter next week. Absolutely no serious consideration of any of the union's counterproposals. Please share widely.

I was interviewed for @en.rfi.fr Spotlight on France about how counterterrorism powers have evolved since the 2015 attacks and what this means for civil liberties. We discussed the legacy of the state of emergency, its ongoing impact on democracy, and why law may not be the solution. rfi.my/CCWO

I was interviewed for @en.rfi.fr Spotlight on France about how counterterrorism powers have evolved since the 2015 attacks and what this means for civil liberties. We discussed the legacy of the state of emergency, its ongoing impact on democracy, and why law may not be the solution. rfi.my/CCWO

Would you ask a judge to declare a house haunted? What about suing a fortune-teller for mispredicting your future? Should the law even allow these claims? If you write about law, believer or sceptic, you can contribute to our book on Supernatural Law: Regulating the Paranormal. tinyurl.com/46jwmcnh

I don't work on this but now absolutely wish I did! What a great idea. #legalhistory

Would you ask a judge to declare a house haunted? What about suing a fortune-teller for mispredicting your future? Should the law even allow these claims? If you write about law, believer or sceptic, you can contribute to our book on Supernatural Law: Regulating the Paranormal. tinyurl.com/46jwmcnh

Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching

🚨 Applications Now Open for the EUI PhD Programmes 2026-2027! 📊 Economics |⚖️ Law |📘 History | 🏛 Political and Social Sciences Join the EUI's 50th PhD cohort! Apply by 15 January 2026 (14:00 CET) for the academic journey of a lifetime! 👉: eui.eu/phd #EUIPhD #PhDOpportunity

So glad I spent 6 months putting together an application that has a 1% chance of getting funded 🙃

Après l’ouverture de l’enquête pour viol qui l’a visé en 2017, Gérald Darmanin et ses avocats ont mis sur pied un plan destiné à décrédibiliser son accusatrice, Sophie Patterson. Nouvelles révélations. Par @xavmon.bsky.social et Olivier-Jourdan Roulot.

"The mission-driven mentality fragments the destruction of a people and place into thousands of isolated acts, each justified on its own terms, none acknowledged as part of a larger campaign of genocide."

The costs of the UK’s Global Talent Visa looks a trifle high in comparison to competitor countries - largely through the Immigration Health Surcharge (which critics say is a form of double taxation as they contribute to the NHS through normal tax on their earnings)

Conor Gearty died a month ago yesterday. He was deeply committed to human rights law without idealising it. He recognised its power & value while acknowledging its limitations (& those of the people engaging with it). He was also an exceptional lawyer. This is a fitting final piece in the @lrb.co.uk

« Hegel fait quelque part cette remarque que tous les grands événements et personnages historiques se répètent pour ainsi dire deux fois. Il a oublié d’ajouter : la première fois comme tragédie, la seconde fois comme farce. » (Karl Marx, à propos de la France) www.mediapart.fr/journal/poli...

Trop hâte de la liste des ministres, je me demande où ils vont mettre Darmanin et Agnes Runacher cette fois.

Pierre Serna, historien de "l'extrême centre" : « La République en marche est devenue une République à l’arrêt. Le président est dans un déni total de sa responsabilité. Or, la République, c’est la responsabilité. Seuls les rois de l’Ancien Régime sont irresponsables » www.lemonde.fr/politique/ar...

Not to brag about my incredible political foresight, but I had not re-re-re-updated my French constitutional law slides after Lecornu was nominated PM

Blimey, the French media didn't even have time to pop down to Carrefour for a lettuce.

Ce décret de nomination publié hier soir au JORF restera un moment d'histoire. Sans doute le Gouvernement le plus éphémère de toute notre histoire républicaine. Il aura duré... 14h.

Ce qui nous rapproche encore davantage de la IVe République, c'est que l'instabilité gouvernementale va de pair avec une grande stabilité du personnel gouvernemental.

Author copies for Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today! If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.

Misogyny drives much of modern extremism, but society has failed to deal with it as a root cause of mass violence, @milleridriss.bsky.social writes In her book Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism, Miller-Idriss tackles the issue head on. www.justsecurity.org/120654/how-m...

International Law as a Dual State or How Not to Cope with Failure | by Fuad Zarbiyev

France 🇫🇷 has a new Prime Minister. Many see the task he is facing as impossible. GIOVANNI CAPOCCIA (@gcapoccia.bsky.social) on the Fifth Republic and its constitutional identity under strain. verfassungsblog.de/the-fifth-re...

I wrote a short piece on definitions that conflate anti/semitism with (anti)-Zionism and the dangers that their adoption poses specifically for international lawyers, including for our Palestinian colleagues and students: voelkerrechtsblog.org/defining-awa...

Les constitutions auraient-elles échoué ? Alors que les Lumières ont fait naître une foi dans la puissance des constitutions, Lauréline Fontaine lève le voile sur le mythe qui les entoure et dénonce le gouffre séparant les aspirations du constitutionnalisme et la réalité de sa mise en œuvre.

Agreed. Last point very interesting. Administration has stopped bothering even pretending that they care about international law. Bad sign.

@lucatrenta.bsky.social and @avramovok.bsky.social's upcoming book, "Killing in the Name of the State," is available for pre-order on Amazon. This looks absolutely fascinating! www.amazon.com/Killing-Name...

A new future for New Caledonia? | by Ignacio Portela

Like the laws of war, the 🇮🇱 gov distorts moral lesser evil arguments to justify atrocities in #Gaza. That "extensive & wanton destruction ... was perpetrated for the benefit of its victims is absurd & obscene." Strong words by @eitandi.bsky.social via @ejiltalk.bsky.social

Looking for a safe way to top up your earnings? You can bet on the French government's fall this Autumn.

I am genuinely impressed at the government's capacity to undermine the normative power of invoking terrorism and national security. They have done more in 30 days to problematise the concepts than 30 years of leftist scholarship.

The Monty Python law: “this is getting silly” is a good point at which to consider changing course.

‘The inability of Western powers to condemn Israel’s conduct – much less bring it to an end – has made a mockery of the rules-based order that they claim to uphold.’ Adam Shatz on the world since 7 October: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Let me rephrase that for you - France is imposing collective punishment on evacuated Palestinians from Gaza.