Steve Peers

Big money has bought British politics

75% of Reform’s money has come from three rich white men

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...

If there is evidence of irregularities at some polling stations at the Gorton and Denton byelection, then that evidence should be properly and promptly investigated in accordance with due process by the proper authorities. And that is what is being done. Any denunciations of the election result should thereby await the result of this process. The losing party spokesperson candidly admitted the day after the election that any irregularities were not enough to have affected the result, which was emphatic. But this did not prevent the losing party’s leader from loudly promoting grave allegations of sectarian voting, corruption and dishonesty. Yet if the irregularities are not upheld on investigation as invalidating the result, it is unlikely that those findings will be shouted about. And such a response is irresponsible. Parts of the United Kingdom have a history of sectarian violence. Parts of the United Kingdom have histories of racial tension. Responsible politicians should not exploit such allegations for partisan advantage. Making such allegations is to play with fire, literally. Responsible politicians should be careful to avoid subverting the very fundamentals on which a functioning democracy rests. Such “poisoning of the wells” is familiar to those following the politics of the United States, and it lay behind the lethal violence that took place in Washington DC on 6th January 2021.

New

The poisoning of the wells

Why discrediting election results without waiting for due process is unhealthy for a democracy

This week's Weekly Constitutional by me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk

Killing children in order to liberate them. It's certainly a view...albeit one which only a deranged sociopath might hold.

I’m so tired of seeing people bash Bluesky for being an echo chamber when X is an actual intentionally constructed echo chamber that is demonstrably radicalizing people across the political spectrum who still use it

Not hard to find examples of each in various conflicts - ie Kosovo being short, Syria lasting a decade plus

More broadly the Convention is focussed on refugee status specifically, not its broader relationship with immigration law, which is touched upon but largely left to state parties to work out

Untrue - the Convention provides both for the possibility that protection might cease to be necessary (ie the cessation clause: refugee status ends if there's a change in circumstances) AND the possibility it might need to be long-term (ie references to facilitating citizenship of the refuge State)

Again, Farage, Badenoch and their fellow travellers on X are wildly out of touch with the public on Iran.

Even the majority of Reform supporters oppose their position.

Case Law Summaries Prepared by the Case Law Editorial Team: Aidan Hammerschmid (Coordinating Editor), Brian Barbour, Regina Jefferies, and Tamara Wood from the Kaldor Centre

👀 Yet another batch of IJRL case law summaries has been published

✍️ For those interested in recent judicial developments, have a look at the summaries prepared by our team through the link below

🤝 ... And as always, if a decision comes out in your country that should be included, please reach out!

New

The poisoning of the wells

Why discrediting election results without waiting for due process is unhealthy for a democracy

This week's Weekly Constitutional by me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
@chrisgrey.bsky.social

Trump’s lightbulb moment: America needs Europe after all The U.S. is even looking to Ukraine to help its operations against Iran — as Trump rages at Starmer and Sánchez for refusing to back his war.

The ultimate irony is Trump asking Ukraine for support . www.politico.eu/article/dona...

Cruelty to immigrants is not what my party stands for. It’s time for True Labour, not Blue Labour | Stella Creasy We must get back to the party’s roots before it is too late. That means embracing difference, rejecting division – and fighting for opportunities for all, says MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy

Cruelty to immigrants is not what my party stands for. It’s time for True Labour, not Blue Labour. @stellacreasy.bsky.social speaking for I think a majority of Labour members against the "performative cruelty" of the Home Secretary www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How State and Local Leaders Are Responding to ICE: Your Questions Answered - Bolts The violence of Trump’s immigration crackdown in cities across the country and the killing of protesters by federal agents have put pressure on local leaders to change their approach to... Read More

NEW: As we've seen the raids & ICE surges, everyone has had so many questions. 'what can states do?' 'what can cities do?' 'what can one ask a sheriff, governor, zoning board, to do?!'

you sent us a lot of your questions.

we just answered 9 of them. i learned a ton myself, i think you will to.

HISTORIC: For the first time ever, 50% of Americans want to ABOLISH ICE. More here:
www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trump-regi...

EU-Mercosur: Council greenlights safeguards for agricultural products The Council adopted a regulation to safeguard EU farmers against import surges from Mercosur, ensuring swift action in case of severe market disruptions for agricultural products.

EU adopts legislation on safeguards for farmers under the EU/Mercosur free trade agreement www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

YouTube video by Kulvinder Ghir Delhi Students On The Most Famous Train Journey!

That Goodness Gracious Me sketch for anyone who hasn’t seen it:

"Give me the blandest thing on the menu"

Plumber wins by-election for Greens

From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

‘Nazi heaven’: Inside Miami campus Republicans’ racist group chat The chat is the subject of a Florida International University police investigation.

The secretary of Miami-Dade County’s GOP started a group chat for conservative students — and within 3 weeks, it was filled with over 400 instances of the N-word, Nazi rhetoric and writings of "dozens of ways of violently killing Black people"

I remember the Goodness Gracious Me reverse spoof 30 years ago already. At Euston (I think): "sometimes it takes days to complete your train journey" etc

The post mortem of 2024 is a classic in only acknowledging the top line result, rather than thinking what par would have been for the starting position. Hemorrhaging votes in solid Labour areas should have been a massive warning light.

People who are not tax resident in the UK should not be allowed to donate to UK political parties.

Companies should not be allowed to donate to UK political parties.

No one should be allowed to use crypto to donate to UK political parties.

I cannot wait for the insights on this! He's going to:

1. Sample some local street food.
2. Ride a train.
3. Visit a temple.
4. Not mention the pogroms that the serving Prime Minister presided over.
5. Smile at some elephants.
6. Top up his kids' private school fees.
7. Say "India is changing".

CJEU, asylum law III

Advocate General's opinion: Member States are not obliged to evacuate refugee family members from Gaza
infocuria.curia.europa.eu/tabs/documen...

Deluded. Labour lost about ten points during the course of the 2024 campaign. A strategic triumph it was not.

If your political strategy is to alienate your entire voter base and pave the way for a hard-right government, sure

Book Group The last Thursday of every month was Book Group,
when the books would gather together to discuss Brian. “It’s no fun here any more,” remarked Bleak House, glumly.
“Why doesn’t he read us?” whined the Grapes of Wrath. “It makes me so angry!” 
“I’m sure he only bought me so he can show me off to his friends,”
complained Ulysses, in a stream of self-consciousness. “I bet he can’t even remember my name, The Idiot,”
muttered a voice from the Russian literature section.
“That’s because he avoids you like The Plague,” said another.
“C’est vrai!” came a cry. “It is like I do not exist.” “Let’s not give up on him yet.” It was Brave New World.
After some Persuasion, they agreed to give him one last chance.
“Be quiet!” cried Waiting for Godot with Great Expectations.
“Here he comes now!” Brian entered the room, with his phone.
He sat down and watched some videos of baby pandas falling over.
After an hour or so, he started googling cats dressed as celebrities. On the shelf, the books waited with uncracked spines,
their silence speaking volumes. Brian Bilston

In celebration of World Book Day, here’s a poem called ‘Book Group’.

Incredibly telling Kemi Badenoch interview on Today:
- can’t say what she’d actually want UK forces to do
- no idea what objective her proposed military action is to achieve
- hides from reality that single biggest constraint on British military = her govt’s defence cuts

CJEU, asylum law II

New judgment: Member States can have several extensions of the usual 6-month time limit to decide on asylum applications, subject to conditions including a 21-month absolute maximum - infocuria.curia.europa.eu/tabs/documen...
nb the asylum pact law tightens this point somewhat

this is an interesting development, but I think initiatives like @eurosky.social are a much better idea

also, it seems laughably naive to think that a social network that is an EU body and at least partially funded by taxation "could stay impartial and independent from political pressures"

and btw it was '84% of respondents', not '84% of Europeans', ie a self-selecting survey is not a valid poll