A lot of our political discourse would be easier if we didn't extend good faith to people who would never extend it back.

Results of the 20th Quarterly Survey on the Conditions for North-South & East-West Cooperation October-December 2025 have been published. The report and presentation can be accessed at crossborder.ie/reports/brie... @benrosher.bsky.social, @anthonysoares.bsky.social & Aidan Campbell #research

Gentle reminder that this is happening on Monday

Guess what the evidence shows? Disabled people pushed into deeper poverty are pushed *further from, not into, the workplace*. NEW REPORT, PACKED WITH EVIDENCE from community organisations. www.citizensadviceyork.org.uk/wp-content/u...

…a key point… “mutual trust” must not become a channel for a proliferation of rights violations in eu territory…

my dad didn’t go to university and he was extremely happy to pay taxes for his four children to do so; and, indeed, for the doctors who treated him at Addenbrookes to have gone to university as well.

We’re kicking off our 2026 lunchtime webinars for the All-Island Social Security Network on Feb 9th (1-2pm) where we’ll have researchers from @ulsteruni.bsky.social discussing the Defective Concrete Crisis www.eventbrite.ie/e/all-island...

New on the Social Policy Blog: “What can we learn from pension reforms in Latin America and Southern Europe?” by Marina Angelaki and Leandro Nicolas Carrera. socialpolicyblog.co.uk/2026/01/29/w...

The one conservative joke is "I identify as an attack helicopter," while the one liberal joke is "lol these guys are homogays who suck cock because they're gay"

Not at all surprised an Irish jury acquitted But the perversions of the concept of discretion used by the defence & some of the Garda witnesses were breathtaking, to say the least And the DPP seemed uninterested or incapable of challenging them www.rte.ie/news/2026/01...

As this research comes to fruition, you can now visit our project website where you'll find a short film, our photo, art and writing galleries and a link our community artefact. sites.google.com/view/yup-the...

"What's being done here is the biggest restriction on the right to access judicial review in the history of the State. It's incredibly worrying. "Rights are completely useless unless you can enforce them." - Cathal Malone BL @cathalmalone.bsky.social #JudicialReview #RightsSchmites

Job opportunity - we need a fab new colleague to do quant research on work, welfare and mental health within @kingscsmh.bsky.social (closes 8 Feb) This is funded until Apr/28, but we'll support you in bids to extend it - please do circulate to suitable ppl! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQD294/p...

"The Government is talking out of both sides of its mouth, invoking human rights when it helps their argument, but undermining them when they become inconvenient." SocDems' Patricia Stephenson says any move away by Ireland from the ECHR would be reckless... jrnl.ie/6927673

Solidarity with #MargaretLoftus & absolute shame on the Gardai who testified on behalf of a violent abuser. Margaret commended the women who’ve gone before her. Survivors increasingly break anonymity to call out the traumatising, misogynistic legal system.

Question to Minister for Justice from @garygannontd.bsky.social: So, how many people have you been prevented from deporting because of the ECHR? Minister's reply: Uh, dunno. www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-01-13/1646/#pq_1646

We’re hiring! The CCBC is looking for an 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 to join the Border People FLOW team. The successful candidate will coordinate a network of cross-border advice workers & enhance their capacity, foster collaboration, and work with Social Policy Officers. crossborder.ie/news/border-...

again, "open borders" is a lie. interviewers who don't immediately call this out are complicit, and should get another job

Have these people considered that Simon Harris is making fools of them?

I hope one day when he’s gone and looking up at us, he’ll regret his complete lack of moral character during his life

📢 A gentle reminder that there's still time to submit abstracts for our Special Issue proposal on 'Temporalities of Crisis: Rethinking Borders, Migration, and the Politics of Exception'. We welcome interdisciplinary, critical, reflective contributions & would be very glad to read your work.👇

📣 Europe’s procurement rules must be clear: if a company cannot contribute fairly to the societies it takes advantage of, it should not profit from public contracts. #publicprocurement

Apropos of nothing, did you know one of Jim O’Callaghan’s proposals is to have asylum and immigration cases dealt with by Circuit Court judges? #speirghorm

New: At least 71% of those who had Child Benefit suspended were in fact legitimate beneficiaries who had not emigrated. That figure may rise, as 23% of cases remain open. Only 5% been found to be fraudulent so far. Senior HMRC officials were questioned by MPs about the scandal this morning

Chair of committee Meg Hillier also said HMRC made "egregious" error in ignoring the Common Travel Area for families in Northern Ireland. She said she was "appalled" a UK-wide department would make such an error thedetail.tv/articles/hmr...

Founded in 1948, @antaisce.bsky.social is Ireland’s oldest environmental charity, now says in all that time, it has never faced a threat to its ability to fulfill its legal functions regarding planning on a par with current government proposals. www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...

🎧 New #ARINSPodcast out NOW! Beyond Identity and Ideology: How Deliberation Can Reframe Constitutional Debate 🔗 Listen now: Spotify: bit.ly/44XSsW2 SoundCloud: bit.ly/3L5HYx7 @ria.ie @shelleydeane.bsky.social @dcuresearch.bsky.social @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social @ucddublin.bsky.social

*touches wood* Contracts signed and draft mostly written for a new book with my colleague Niamh Wade on the development of Irish social security law and policy (and the increased use of criminological discourse in the same), coming with Routledge in 2027

I BEG every smug commentator who praised Mahmood for doing the “tough but necessary thing” to read this. All the disadvantages of plummeting immigration for the economy & public services, for NO POLITICAL GAIN. Labour in DESPERATE need of a 180 change of course on immigration

2016/2026

Labour has shifted further and further to the right since gaining power, enacting some of the most hostile policies against minorities in decades, and the outcome? They are polling lower than the Mariana Trench. They aren't losing support to Reform. They are losing it to progressive parties.

The deadline for this is coming up soon (17 Jan) so if you are interested, go for it! And if you want to chat about law at Leeds, let me know!

Register: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

The responsible adults in the room trying to pass the "You Can't Hold Me Accountable For Anything Act (2026)" I see

The legislation is mad. All immigration Judicial Review will now be sent to Dublin Circuit Court? But just immigration, nothing else? A duty on Court Presidents to try and reduce the number of cases taken against the Minister whenever he asks them? It's like it's Jim's personal fiefdom.

As American moves towards eliminating jus soli citizenship, a reminder that the people of Ireland voted to do the same This resulted in precisely 0 benefits or opportunities accruing to existing Irish citizens But it did let us be cruel to a bunch of kids, so who is to say if it was good or bad

There’s truly too many

My new book explores how emotions shape legal conflicts over LGBT rights in places like the US, UK, and Australia and it considers how we might use law to repair the inequalities we face as LGBT folk. You can download a copy of the book for free here: edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-emo... 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

You can tell that LotR was written by an academic because Gandalf disappears for like 20 years doing research to answer a single question.

Italy is among the European countries with the most restrictive citizenship laws for the children of immigrants born on its territory, while several other European governments are also tightening access to citizenship. Video by @artefr.bsky.social. www.arte.tv/it/videos/12...

Finalising a legal map of current disability benefits on the island with my All-Island Social Security Network colleagues that will hopefully come out in 2026

Agree this ruling appears rather waffly. It’s discrimination if the national court decides it’s discrimination…?

Two lectureship positions are now open at our gaff @lawatleeds.bsky.social (both teaching and research Grade 8)!! In a country where there is HE decimation everywhere, our law school is hiring! Lovingtons are encouraged to apply! jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

An excellent exploration of ethnic disparities in sentencing in the magistrates' and Crown Courts – now available to read #OpenAccess in @crimrxiv.com @ccjsleeds.bsky.social @openresleeds.bsky.social 👇

Grading and googling hallucinated citations, as one does nowadays, and now that LLMs have been around for a while, I've discovered new horrors: hallucinated journals are now appearing in Google Scholar with dozens of citations bc so many people are citing these fake things

The biggest threat to social cohesion is the lack of affordable housing NOT immigration. Immigrants are not paying 1M€ plus for a mediocre end of terrace 3 bed in Rathfarnham. They’re not buying fancy apartments around Dublin. We need to invest in social/affordable housing or we are fucked.

An MEP presiding over a lobbying organisation for SMEs while leading European Parliament work on corporate sustainability and due diligence sounds like a conflict of interest to us. That's why we've submitted another complaint on an MEP side job. Read the full press release below: buff.ly/nZY9Vtb