Colin Murray

AI is going to trash every single way that we had modernised university teaching and send us back to handwritten exams and vivas for every assessment. Which will bring back every problem with those assessment models (and make us seem even more out-of-touch even as we just try to do meaningful work).

The Supreme Court Ruling Was Bad for Business ... at least for a little while

*taps mic*

It pains me to announce that I may have generated a "hot take"

mostfavourednation.substack.com/p/the-suprem...

We're going far beyond scrapping the ECHR here (although that is also part of the Reform plan). If a party want get rid of indefinite leave to remain, and remove this for hundreds of thousands of people to whom it already applies, they're not a constitutional party which follows the rule of law:

The problem with relying on massive market moves as the only factor that will influence Trump's thinking on tariffs is that it's so long to wait til the markets open on Monday.

TACO is never on the menu at the weekend...

Starmer says Reform plans to repeal Equality Act 'shocking' Reform UK's education spokesman Suella Braverman says the UK is being torn apart by

UnBritish? I dunno. Reform threatening to get rid of unified equality legislation but claiming to be retaining the underlying protections sounds more like a new milestone in the Ulsterisation of UK politics. Or at least what passes for equality law in NI:

share.google/V7A96hr92uQH...

If you're looking to get a quick hit of expert analysis on the SCOTUS tariffs decision, the folk at @strictscrutiny.bsky.social have you covered:

Community meme: I CAN EXCUSE FASCISM. BUTI DRAW THE LINE AT MERCANTILISM.

The Supreme Court:

U.S. Supreme Court complicates—but does not end—Trump’s trade war - CCPA Impacts on Canada, Mexico and the CUSMA review

Quick take from @policyalternatives.ca researcher Stuart Trew on the SCOTUS tariff ruling this morning as it relates to the #USMCA review. www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

Among the most important signs of how SCOTUS might rein in a President's claim to emergency powers is:

Chief Justice Roberts with Justices Gorsuch and Barrett on the 'major questions' doctrine.

The three express deep skepticism of claims to open-ended emergency powers:

1/

There's also an irony that the tariffs imposed as part of deals (with the UK and EU) would appear to stand after the ruling as they're not reliant on IEEPA. But then, you do deals with the devil...

The refund implications of the ruling are jaw dropping:

www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

Okay, shocked face. Oral argument didn't look good for Trump, and the Administration's take was always a stretch, but this is still a major decision where Trump was banking on having the Court in its pocket. Or maybe some justices like their 401ks:

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

I wouldn’t put it past our political class to draw the conclusion that, in the absence of an economy that creates graduate jobs, we will just have to cut back on graduates.

As Telegraph hit jobs go, this one is impressively, next-level, bonkers. You can hear the Editor screaming at reporters to find some more woke, being slightly crestfallen when all that comes back is some career objectives Romeo once offered and then shrugging and giving the "print it anyway" wave:

Did Francesca Albanese really call Israel 'the enemy of humanity'? Last week, France, Germany and others called for the resignation of Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, over an alleged anti-semitic comment about Israel. Her supporters say the claim is based on misinformation. #TheCube

France, Germany and other European countries have demanded the resignation of Francesca Albanese for calling Israel "the common enemy of humanity".

The problem is... she never said that. The video was manipulated by AI and taken at face value by governments.

@euronews.com fact checks

In such circumstances, general payouts on these terms might just about be payable by UCL, but it will send some other institutions under...

UCL students win £21mn over Covid disruption in watershed UK settlement Move involving 6,500 claimants is set to put pressure on other universities to compensate graduates

The settlement works out at about £2000 a student on average, with the rest being legal fees on no-win-no-fee terms. It's a small fraction of overall tuition, but it reflects that we've pushed students into being consumers. The key is unis are now running on tiny margins:

www.ft.com/content/a0cf...

Israeli army sniper in Chile accused of Gaza war crimes could face justice Rom Kovtun's social media reveal he was holidaying in country, opening door to 'universal jurisdiction' legal jeopardy.

Al Jazeera reports an Israeli soldier accused of Gaza war crimes on basis of social media posts is facing potential prosecution while holidaying in Chile under universal jurisdiction offences. This might prompt similar cases, closing off holiday destinations to the IDF:

share.google/rPkO6K2rQCYA...

“This is a judgment where the Court carried out the kind of close scrutiny that Parliament ought to have done.”

The English High Court has overturned the ban on Palestine Action.

ALAN GREENE on the dangers of expansive executive discretion – and why the Court signals that counter-terrorism powers require genuine legal constraints, not mere trust in the “good chaps.”

verfassungsblog.de/palestine-ac...

Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities It comes after University College London settled a claim from students there over lost learning in the pandemic.

I feel so miserable about this. Nearly broke myself working 16, 18 hour days during the pandemic. We did everything we possibly could, then doubled it, tripled it. HE is still struggling to get back off the floor, years later. Now another financial punch in the face.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Here are some thoughts on the Palestine Action ruling for the @lrb.co.uk. The ruling shows the importance of the UK Government's national security assessments being challenged - which doesn't happen enough under our current system.

Jon Burrows doubling down on these claims this morning on Morning Ireland... Ireland's obligation to follow extradition rulings was a law so unjust that it amounted to following slavery laws. There's no debate to be had on such terms - all the Unionist parties are now chasing TUV votes.

Reminder that Francesca Albanese is not being targeted for a sentence twisted and lifted out of context in a speech.

She is being targeted for daring to name the names of giant companies complicit in the crime of genocide.

They would rather destroy international law than be accountable to it.

There is no earthly way in which Burrows can sensibly claim that extradition issues over politicised justice concerns, imposed on Ireland by independent courts, is anything like the state gunning down innocent people in the street. On this basis he should be asking the US to apologise too...

Over 50 Academics Warn That Voting System Is Not Fit For Multi-Party Politics Dozens of academics have written to the government to warn that the current voting system risks producing distorted results on an 'unprecedented' s...

Over 50 academics have written to the government to warn that the current voting system risks producing distorted results on an "unprecedented" scale at the next general election. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

“I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated.“

This story is what antisemitism looks like ... what has Victoria Sharp's religion got to do with this decision:

share.google/eyq3NQ8NCm0V...

Stephen Nolan said on his show this morning "I totally agree, we need to dig deeper", in response to a caller querying the wider figures

But all already in the article:
94 prosecutions
From 215 charges
From ??? arrests (PSNI said too expensive to provide this data)

Pat Finucane: Widow's 'frustration' at public inquiry delay The UK government agreed to establish an independent public inquiry into the 1989 killing 17 months ago.

The Finucane Inquiry saga once again displays a persistent UK Govt pattern of delay ... announce something is coming ... delay again ... do a little bit ... delay again ... hope when the music stops someone else is the minister in charge:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

VC Response: You have only one leak and one bucket? You're playing 21C University on easy mode!