Fernanda Pirie

You look fab Catriona, and I hope the philosopher didn’t stand on your dress. He had been known to do such things!

Attack on Rojava is an attack on hope As a result of various international agreements and directives behind the scenes, the Syrian transitional government of Ahmed al-Sharaa and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have declared war on the Democ...

Attack on Rojava is an attack on hope english.anf-news.com/news/attack-...

Abolishing trial by jury: why is the government overlooking the obvious? Today, the government has confirmed that it intends to remove the right to trial by jury in the vast majority of cases in the Crown Courts. Serious criminal allegations, carrying up to three years …

NEW BLOGPOST

Abolishing trial by jury: why is the government overlooking the obvious?

thesecretbarrister.com/2025/12/02/a...

Sad news. William Twining was a much valued Senior Associate @oxfordcsls.bsky.social

Ros Atkins on... Israel's war in Gaza and proportionality

“Israel insists it followed international law throughout this conflict - and that its actions are proportionate. But nearly all of the experts we spoke to aren't convinced.”

'my instinct is that our troubled world needs Humanities Studies as much – if not more – than in many past years'. (John Major: johnmajorarchive.org.uk/2025/09/10/s... )

Silhouettes of three people in front of a weathered British flag, with the headline: Misrepresentations around human rights and immigration fuelling calls to quit ECHR, Oxford report finds

NEW: An Oxford report warns that misleading media coverage is shaping public debate on immigration and human rights.

The study finds the ECHR is frequently misreported in deportation cases, fueling misconceptions that erode trust in the legal system.

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Ingrid and I issued the following statement in the just-released issue of @ajil.bsky.social. A travesty that it has to be said.

This is a great film. Wish I was anywhere near Georgetown.

An open letter to Nigel Farage - Bishop Steven's Blog Bishop Steven writes an open letter in response to Nigel Farage MP's immigration policy which was launched in Oxford this week.

A courteous but very impressive rebuke to Nigel Farage from the Bishop of Oxford.

"I heard no compassion in what you said...".

"I disagree profoundly with your attempts to ... increase fear of the stranger in our communities".

Do read.
blogs.oxford.anglican.org/an-open-lett...

Stethoscope Story #8 This is "Stethoscope Story #8" by Albino Squirrel Channel on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Dr. Tarek Loubani, who is in Gaza right now, was invited to give a talk to emergency workers about the attacks on health care facilities in Gaza.

But he was instructed - get this - not to say who was doing the attacking. Take a look at how this hero of a human responded: vimeo.com/1112115018/c...

Me too. Milk and More.

Very bad news.

Do we really want a big reduction in immigration? Voters see immigration as the most important issue facing the country. There are things to be done. But can we really afford major reductions?

Want fewer migrants?

Say goodbye to:
* 30% of our tech workforce;  
* 1 in 4 hospitality workers; 
* 1 in 5 construction workers;
* 16% of the NHS. 

Still sound like a good plan?

Stephen McNair reports

Richard Seymour · Baseline Communism: David Graeber’s Innovations In his critique of economics, as in his philippic against ‘bullshit jobs’, Graeber stresses the political decisions...

‘Graeber does seem to have had most fun as an outsider, a movement anthropologist wending his way among anticapitalist militants, or sitting in on horizontalist spokescouncils, arguing and taking field notes.’

@leninology.bsky.social reads David Graeber’s essays:

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

JOB: Assistant Professor in South/Southeast Asian Religions (w/ focus on Hindu Traditions, defined BROADLY) in my department at the University of San Diego (PLEASE SHARE WIDELY).

Apply here: jobs.sandiego.edu/cw/en-us/job...

Delighted #TheRuleofLaws gets a mention in The Economist though the laws of war don’t feature highly. Tricky subject!

‘He has trouble completing a thought’: bizarre public appearances again cast doubt on Trump’s mental acuity

Tsering Döndrup’s defiant reckoning with Tibet’s legacy of violence I FIRST MET Tsering Döndrup at his home in Xining – the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau, located in Qinghai province in western China. This was in early 201

"The personal cost Tsering Döndrup has paid for ‘The Red Wind Howls’ is further evidence, if it were needed, of just how taboo his tale is."

Christopher Peacock on Tsering Döndrup’s defiant reckoning with Tibet’s legacy of violence:

YouTube video by Richard J Murphy Why the UK won’t face hyperinflation – even with government money creation

Why the UK won’t face hyperinflation – even with government money creation youtu.be/Jkx2YzakYNg?... Hyperinflation is the scare story threatened by those who want to stop government spending. But it’s just that: a scare story.

This is an important piece from a senior Holocaust scholar (who grew up in Israel and is an IDF veteran), and it’s important that it’s published in the NYT.

Splendid surroundings to hear the AG reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the rule of law and Venice Commission. And glad to be able
to offer socio-legal and historical perspective. @oxfordcsls.bsky.social

The corporations aiding genocide I never imagined I would read a report like this in my lifetime, and yet it is in The Guardian, is corroborated elsewhere, and it is about a plan put forward by the Israeli government, with no doubt t...

The corporations aiding genocide www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/07...

Glad to have been able to sign this.

UK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyers Exclusive: Letter to PM signed by retired supreme court justices among others says lack of action will imperil international legal system

UK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyers www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

YouTube video by Richard J Murphy Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' ends US democracy. What happens next?

Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' ends US democracy. What happens next? youtu.be/JrpgSR0Y8Ms?...

👏👏👏

Harvard rejects Trump administration's sweeping demands for change

Wonderful dinner discussing everything from Russian literature to legal history with @fernandapirie.bsky.social , Nick, and Kentaro.

Many congratulations Elena. It’s an important and original piece of work and I’m glad to have facilitated the early stages. I hope the publication process goes smoothly.

And you’re planning to build a few more temples around the place?