This Wednesday I will attend the Joint Committee on Human Rights in order to give evidence about the human rights implications of the Chagos agreement. I look forward particularly to meeting Professor Philippe Sands.

I think people in need of assisted dying legislation have been let down by their advocates. This has been a rushed and damaging process. I’m not sure you can reasonably blame a bill’s opponents for the shortcoming of your own process. It’s all a bit of a sad mess. 7/7

I support the principle of assisted dying. I think bringing it in through this kind of flawed process is a recipe for disaster. I think attacking the legitimacy of the Lords as convened is just confused and counterproductive. This is a result of the choice to do this through PMB. Own it. 6/?

Those promises that there was plenty of time to refine and amend it later were false. That’s part of the problem now at the Lords. There just isn’t enough time (though some are trying to run it out of time, too. But that was inevitable). It is trying to do a big thing badly. 5/?

Privately, even some advocates of the bill admit it’s a bodge job. The safeguards were completely changed part way through. Different bits were written by different groups. It’s stitched together. MPs were pushed to pass it at second reading on the promise it could be amended later. 4/?

Yes, Harold Wilson’s government passed major social reforms through PMBs. But crucially they worked out the details *first*, through parliamentary inquiries or commissions. This could’ve been done for assisted dying, but instead it was just skipped for a thrown together bill. 3/?

Assisted dying isn’t a manifesto pledge. It isn’t even a government bill. Lords are entitled to do their job on such bill. More than that, private members’ bills have limited time for debate and amendment. That’s why people flagged from the beginning it might be a bad way to pass this reform. 2/?

The accusation that the Lords are “obstructing democracy” by supporters of the assisted dying bill is a ridiculous one that shows up the flaws in this process that have been there from the very beginning – which have repeatedly been covered up by heated rhetoric (1/?)

This is an absolutely incredible example of someone telling on himself, because for almost all of his life Matthew Goodwin craved nothing more than exactly this. He boasted for years of being the “youngest full professor of politics”, and then applied for post after post at more prestigious unis.

Turns out that a lot of people who want high trust societies don't like actually existing high trust societies.

David Abulafia has died. www.cai.cam.ac.uk/news/david-a...

#histbookchat Great review of a new book on the British monarchy and the slave trade from the always entertaining @yuanyiz.bsky.social

Banana republic stuff.

NOONAN: “.. When there’s peace and quiet, he becomes restless .. So he creates drama. .. Lather, rinse, repeat. Life is drama, always has been. It used to be gambling casinos and bankruptcy, now it’s Venezuela and Greenland.” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...

Apparently Mark Carney gave a very ill-judged speech on national unity on... the Plains of Abraham. Had he actually spent a bit more time in Canada in the past couple of decades, he would have understood why this was a bad idea. But muh Davos.

I haven't been a stip for years, and in fact am no longer at Oxford at all, which is just as well given the exploitative conditions at some of the colleges.

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him. White. Hot. Rage.

This is of course correct. I misstated lack of Labour majority in Lords as Con majority, which they do not have.

The president is no longer trying to justify his tariff threats in law. Then again, no one expects him to, writes Colby Cosh nationalpost.com/opinion/colb...

If I committed academic misconduct I simply would not give a newspaper interview about committing academic misconduct (watch this space).

Your most cited entry is... an edited volume to which you co-authored a chapter? In my neck of the woods we call this lying.

You have more citations than me... having finished your PhD 13 years earlier? Wow I'm owned. Truly.

I’ve read the review. I haven’t read your book so I am not in a position to form my own view. I couldn’t see that you were described as a sucker nor your book as crass

I’ve read the review but can’t see where he uses the word you quote. Am I missing something?

Can you quote where you were called a sucker?

I read your book review. If anything, it’s quite mild mannered. I prefer a well argued book with a backdrop of solid evidence. And this is coming from an Irish Republican!

And the review of the review is out. For the record, I didn't call her a "sucker", but I guess this is in keeping with the fast and loose manner in which she makes some claims.

They were eventually allowed one phone call as a thanks for saving the agent’s life. They used it to call their lawyer, who called their state representative, who ultimately got them released on the condition they tell people they were “treated kindly.”

The monarch of Canada being feted by the country whose government is endorsing secessionist movements in Canada would be a disgrace. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

I have colleagues who went to Florida in good faith. I have colleagues who have pending Florida hires. Hell, I interviewed in Florida. We will remember to steer well clear going forward.

The US has its 250th anniversary, the World Cup, and the Olympics all coming up during Trump’s second term. Just an extraordinary potential triple-whammy of international humiliation in response to his antics.

As the sovereign of at least four countries who shed blood in Afghanistan and Iraq I don't think King Charles should visit the United States for their 250th anniversary.

Diefenbaker is the single most vindicated man in the history of mankind.

Not tempted to take lectures from American progressives when their head of state threatens to destroy my country and spits on the graves of those who died to defend his people.

There is evil and then there is this

And the review of the review is out. For the record, I didn't call her a "sucker", but I guess this is in keeping with the fast and loose manner in which she makes some claims.

Earlier this week the government used its majority to strip out an amendment to require a plebiscite of the Chagossians before the deal can go through. It is beyond disgusting for a supposedly progressive party and government to deny the Chagossians' right to self-determination.

If this is accurate, I will shed no tears for this shameful deal done over the heads of the Chagos Islanders. At the same time it makes us look bad and is a classic Starmer U-turn, of which there have been far too many. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Mauritius didn't claim the Chagos Islands until the 1980s. Before that, its government insisted the Chagos were fully British. The PM then is the father of the incumbent PM!

If they are going to start this again with this how about the give the Chagossians the ultimate say on any change this time? Ideally give them as many islands as possible

Should King Charles apologise for his family's involvement in slavery? My review of a somewhat muddled intervention of a book in @thetimes.com. Free link below. www.thetimes.com/article/1f77...

As someone who is generally supportive of the Bill - the Lords are doing what they are constitutionally supposed to do. You shouldn't expect to pass such a complicated piece of legislation on such a contentious issue with anything other than utmost, serious scrutiny.

Lots of people on this website accuse the Lords of fillibustering the assisted dying bill. But have they actually followed proceedings or just upset it's not going to pass? Charlotte Ivers (who is pro) went along and didn't see any fillibustering It's a complex bill and needs time

The concern for the Chagossians is where, exactly? London dispossessed them of their islands in the '60s and is attempting to further entrench that dispossession without any regard for their wishes. Yet, silence from those who would otherwise be all over London disregarding a minority‘s rights.

Yuan Yi Zhu (@yuanyi_z): "Healthcare systems should provide healthcare instead of killing people. Well done to the French senate in resisting the blandishments of the death lobbyists." | nitter https://nitter.net/yuanyi_z/status/2014423825740419120#m #maid #doctorskillingpatients #polfr

I've been reading a great deal of business history lately, Yuan, so I really appreciate your notes on how quality of writing is extremely important. I think in the humanities good writing is important, but this seems to be a trade volume, meaning it's essentially mandatory.

"After all, the book is titled The Crown’s Silence, not The Crown’s Good Deeds." I may have laughed out loud at this line.

Should King Charles apologise for his family's involvement in slavery? My review of a somewhat muddled intervention of a book in @thetimes.com. Free link below. www.thetimes.com/article/1f77...

Draft-dodging scum says what