My anatidaephobia is really playing up

The dual role of the lord advocate as both the head of the prosecution service and legal adviser to Scottish ministers is “appropriate”, the Scottish Government has said. www.holyrood.com/news/view,sc...

www.gov.scot/publications... - published today

New report by the Constitution [etc] Committee of the Scottish Parliament: digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/R... Both the report and evidence base (see www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-...) are valuable resources in the debate about democratic pathways to an independence referendum.

New report by the Constitution [etc] Committee of the Scottish Parliament: digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/R... Both the report and evidence base (see www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-...) are valuable resources in the debate about democratic pathways to an independence referendum.

JUSTICE LEAGUE WAS RIGHT THERE!!!

McHarg and McCorkindale join forces with @profnicolamcewen.bsky.social and Jo Hunt to form what some are* calling a kind of devolution Avengers. On devolved law making following the Supreme Court’s 28(7) judgments: * I am

1/2 Here’s a 1 min trailer for Advanced Issues in Public Law, a 2nd yr module I’m teaching late 2026 at @durham.ac.uk with @aileenmcharg.bsky.social and @rogermasterman.bsky.social. I just used iMovie. No AI. I&S = individual and the state; UK Con = UK constitutional law—both 1st yr modules.

www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/... Emilios was a gifted academic, a good friend and an enormous support to me through my PhD (including as internal examiner) and early career. A sad, terrible, loss.

I am saddened to hear of the passing of Lord Wallace. Jim was a lovely man who welcomed me to his home in Orkney, and with whom I drank too much whisky several times, while putting the world to rights. Jim's wise reflections on being a minister: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-re...

Hear, hear. An extraordinary career and about the nicest man you could ever meet.

“…the grammar of civility…”

If you start watching this at 11:53pm you'll hit midnight just as the ball goes in the net, after "he's done him, he's done him, he's done him". www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

😭

the coop this evening with possibly the most baffling musical choice i have ever experienced in a supermarket

Two things stand out about this picture: 1. a political leader embracing rather than demonising asylum seekers; 2. the beautiful clothes the Afghan girls are wearing, and which they are free to show in public.

Today (and tomorrow morning) at @UniStrathclyde, the Law School is hosting the event "Praeceptor Noster: Seminar in Honour of Professor John Blackie", to celebrate the career and contribution of John (formerly of this parish) with the great and the good of Scots law.

🗣️Straight talker 🙌 Hands-on coach ✍️ Recruits well 💪 Hard worker 🧠 Shrewd tactician 🤝 Fosters team spirit How Dougie Imrie overachieved at Greenock Morton and why Raith Rovers fans should be excited about their new manager. In @heraldscotland.bsky.social👇 www.heraldscotland.com/sport/256503...

That’s a sore one. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...

Parliamentary sovereignty is one of the most deceptively difficult things to write about accurately, concisely and accessibly. Credit to David Torrance & @paolosandro.bsky.social for showing the deceptively difficult is not the infuriatingly impossible. commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Just about time to watch the highlights again 8 or 9 times then bed.

Shoot! Shoot! He’s done him! He’s done him! He’s done him!

Me and @caitlinsmith.bsky.social have teamed up to make another BBC Radio 4 documentary. If At First You Don't Secede asks if there is any way through the current impasse on independence. It's on this coming Sunday (November 23) at 1.30pm if you fancy a listen. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Legal experts have weighed in on what could trigger a second independence referendum under questioning from MSPs

We have chaos and Ed Miliband, they're just not evenly distributed.

First Greggs Festive Bake if the season. Get the trees up.

Lord Bracadale has resigned as chair of the Sheku Bayoh inquiry. The Court of Session was due to hear a judicial review on whether he had demonstrated apparent bias next month. www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/sites/defaul...

Conor Gearty obituary - The Guardian www.theguardian.com/law/2025/sep...

Very in keeping with the hormonal teenager on too much red bull tone of anonymous briefings from Labour over the last year. An absolute golden rule that anyone who says “the grown ups are back in the room” is fundamentally for the watching.

The news of Conor Gearty's death has just been announced and I'm not coping. He was a mentor and the pole star in my constitutional thinking. He was also a great friend and fantastic fun to be around. I'm heartbroken for Aoife and the children.

Really sad to read about this. An impressive figure but also a supportive academic colleague, interesting, nice and always fun company. Will be sorely missed.

This is the future liberals want.

This will be terrific: @bymyong.bsky.social consistently illuminates aspects of the constitution that the rest of us - unjustifiably - ignore

@seethingmead.bsky.social Our worlds collide as Billy Davies is made assistant manager (with a fancier title) at Greenock Morton ⚽️

A minor criticism of Dept Q: if anything it *downplays* just how plush is the Lord Advocate’s office.

Thomas Horsley: Reforming the UK Internal Market: The UK Government’s Response to the Review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/21/t...

But all that is needed to restore the authority of the Sewel Convention is for good chaps to get along. No risk of bad chap(esse)s getting back into power

In other words, the internal market will continue to be a shared regulatory space in which the UK Govt will continue to have the legal upper hand, and devolved autonomy will be constrained by the need for intergovernmental agreement.

As expected, a minimalist approach to UKIMA reform - no statutory change, but improved processes for agreeing exclusions, and a commitment to the Common Frameworks as a mechanism for co-operation.

UK Government response to the UKIMA review here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686fa1...

For #devolution anoraks, the UK Government will today publish a written ministerial statement in @houseofcommons.parliament.uk re. its response to the review of the UK Internal Market Act

Durham Law is hiring a 3yr career development fellow in public law! Some lovely ppl here: @jessieblackbourn.bsky.social @lizaoloughlin.bsky.social @seshauna.bsky.social @rogermasterman.bsky.social @dkagiaros.bsky.social @nataliesedacca.bsky.social ... and @aileenmcharg.bsky.social rb.gy/ybcbpf

The new Superman movie is…. good actually!?

HWFG

Sorry to hear about Kemi Badenoch.

Public lawyer on tour

Co-starring in Evita with Rachel Zegler…

James Kelly and I have a new article out in EHRLR (2025, 3, 279-305): ‘Legislating with rights in Northern Ireland - why Stormont’s exceptionalism is Stormont’s paradox’. Perfect holiday reading and fits right into your hand luggage.

The Scottish Parliament's Constitution [etc] Committee has published a call for views on the transparency of intergovernmental activity and its implications for parliamentary scrutiny and Ministerial accountability: yourviews.parliament.scot/ceeac/transp... (call closes on 29 August 2025).