Heather Burns

‘Move fast and break things’ wasn’t supposed to be a manual for legislators.

EVENT - The 8th Strathclyde Annual Postgraduate Law Conference will take place on 26 and 27 May 2026 (online on the first day, on campus on the second day). Its theme is "The (Un)Makers of Law: How Resistance is Shaping Legal Thought and Practice" www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/l...

Those of us who've studied previous attempts by government to censor art and culture, or band anything really, will be very familiar with these arguments which are always made and always ignored because "why are you opposed to protecting children?"

UK eyes sweeping powers to regulate tech without parliamentary scrutiny The U.K. government has laid two amendments that would let it sidestep parliamentary debate so it can update online safety laws.

www.politico.eu/article/uk-e...

I shall now go to the gym where there is a non-zero chance that the breakfast shows on the tellies will be showing a Very Concerned Parent who has been media trained out of her eyeballs by her PA agency minders to demand the Ban Ban Ban Now Now Now and that is where the power lies here.

I have grey hairs from doing some of that smacking. Here we are again. 🤷‍♀️

This is absolutely hilarious and deserves a Veep-style TV adaptation.

The Government has tabled an amendment in lieu that would grant Ministers the power to introduce restrictions on children’s use of internet services, following its ongoing consultation on children’s wellbeing. This would give the Government a significant delegated power to legislate in this area, despite the Bill containing very little policy detail explaining how it would work. In practice, the power would allow Ministers to require providers of internet services to impose restrictions on any “specified internet service” for children under a “specified age”. This could extend far beyond social media. In theory, it would allow restrictions on any designated website or category of websites, as well as services such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or AI tools. The amendment provides no detail about the types of restrictions that could be imposed. Restrictions would ultimately be decided by Ministers and implemented through a Statutory Instrument. This would mean that Parliament could not amend the Minster’s decision. Scrutiny would be limited to a short debate followed by a vote to either approve or reject the measure. The proposed provision therefore embodies two undesirable legislative practices. First, it introduces an extensive new power at the final stage of the Bill’s parliamentary passage, when opportunities for debate and amendment are already constrained. Secondly, when Ministers come to exercise that power, the resulting Statutory Instrument would itself be subject to limited scrutiny and could not be amended by Parliament.

Good summary from @hansardsociety.bsky.social on how today's ~the children~ Commons debate on a social media ban for <16s is, regardless of your opinion on the issue, very bad lawmaking and government, rehashing (as I've said) bad ideas which were smacked out of the OSA years ago for a reason.

I filmed this at 5 PM whilst swearing at the stupid vape/bong/tartan tourist tat shop where the fire started, now look below, and you know what folks I want to see every stupid vape/bong/tartan tourist tat shop in this country shut down by lunch tomorrow. 😡🤬🖕

me 🤝 Proton's comms person

explaining that you cannot simply decide a court order doesn't apply to you just because you don't like it

Women have helped change the world in many different ways, but possibly the strangest involved a woman from Glasgow named May Donoghue and a dead snail.

Cont./

#paisley #statue #glasgow #internationalwomensday #thesnailinthebottle

Trump, Farage, and Musk dog toys

New addition to the dog toys line on the right

Screen shot of text from the end of an email that reads: If you want, I can also write a much sharper version (still legally safe but far more cutting) that will really land with him and his solicitors.

Pro tip: if you're going to send someone a nonsense letter that you hope uses enough serious sounding "legal" language to be taken seriously, you should probably make sure you delete the bit at the end where ChatGPT offers to write a different version lol

Markwayne is actually a noble title, and is the Oklahoma equivalent to "Marquis," and may be passed on at the same time your father gives you his car dealership

[Exit Murderer.]

Republicans don’t just want abortion illegal—they want it unspeakable.

Recently, these supposed free speech enthusiasts got an abortion providers' speech canceled at Texas Tech claiming it would constitute “illegal activity.”

So we're giving her the platform conservatives took away.

They’re all like that sadly.

You just need to develop a deeply cynical sense for timewasters and if in doubt, don’t bother.

Classic sign of them having picked a contractor already, but they need three quotes for the procurement rules. I hated this so much when I was contracting.

I’ve started calling my local Asda Brexit, because they’re not even getting deliveries for fresh everyday goods in. I just went in for some fresh baked bread and eggs. Nothing, of anything, in the bakery, at all. No delivery today. No eggs.

My Co-op corner shop can’t even be counted on for a pint of milk anymore

Is it just me or has anyone noticed how UK supermarkets now look like the beginning of Covid, except the empty shelves aren’t panic buying, that’s just the everyday normal now? Like the fundamental concepts of stock and logistics have gone “whatever”?

TL;DR: WTF Is Going on in Tennessee Five bills you need to know about

Incredible find from @rachelwells1.bsky.social: Tennessee Republicans are trying to codify fetal personhood through an AI regulation bill

wellsrachelm.substack.com/p/tldr-wtf-i...

საფერავი 👍

Two column text which alt texted into gibberish, sorry

Private Eye, last September.

I had a recent spell of messaging with a friend in Ukraine in the two hours a day he had been allocated some rationed electricity, in -17° cold, oh and while being bombed. It was awful.

. @signal.org is hiring for a major gifts fundraiser role and this may well be one of the most important jobs in the world. Pass it on to the right person.
(Don’t ask me, I’m just passing this along)

jobs.lever.co/signal/68f75...

As bad omens go, I was just walking along in my Scottish village and some absolute wanker drove past in an actual American Ford pickup truck with California plates, with an old gas engine spitting fumes. I think this was in Revelations.