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Dr Nick Kilford

@nearlydoctornick.bsky.social
736 followers 2.8K following 0 posts

Thinking about public law, esp the interaction between different levels of legislative authority.

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Reposted by Dr Nick Kilford
Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Thankfully Turnitin's planned change in terms to use all student content for AI development has been forced back. But the big Q remaining is: How did getting a degree from universities worldwide become conditional on students agreeing to the end user licence agreement of an *edtech company*?
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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
It's #DigitalFriday ! This is my routine appeal to #skystorians and all other academics prepping for teaching to share any software, hardware, online resources (primary, secondary, teaching tools, blogs) tips and tricks that they've found useful this week! #AcademicSky 🗃️(pls boost to relevant feeds)
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Mark Elliott @profmarkelliott.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
New article: Mark Elliott and Nicholas Kilford, "The Relational Principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty" SSRN draft available to download; forthcoming in Public Law publiclawforeveryone.com/2026/07/21/t... @nearlydoctornick.bsky.social
publiclawforeveryone.com
The relational principle of parliamentary sovereignty
In a forthcoming article in Public Law, Nicholas Kilford and I examine three leading UK Supreme Court decisions that have subjected the principle of parliamentary sovereignty to notably unorthodox …
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UCL Policy Lab @uclpolicylab.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
"The big question now is not just how to win power, but how to wield it in a way that restores trust, dignity, and agency to communities long left behind." First published in 2025, @andyburnham.bsky.social reflects on place-based governing. www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
ucl.ac.uk
Reclaiming power together: a politics of community to renew Labour’s purpose by Andy Burnham
First published in our 2025 collection, Britain Renewed: Labour and the Communitarian Tradition, Andy Burnham reflects on place-based governing.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Examined a good PhD this week which made extensive use of the BWA (@ukandeu.bsky.social's Brexit Witness Archive). If you know any researchers (or even ug students doing disso's) who are working on British politics, do let them know about it. It's an absolute treasure trove. This one's esp. fab.
ukandeu.ac.uk
Brexit Witness Archive - Philip Hammond
Lord Hammond on why he wanted Britain to remain in the EU as a Eurosceptic, how Theresa May’s Brexit plan developed, and trying to prevent ‘No Deal’ from the backbenches.
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Perry Barber @umpireplb.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Some thoughtful person provided a link to a non-paywalled version of this article: gcaptain.com/drowning/
gcaptain.com
Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning
Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. In this article, Mario explains what drowning really looks like and how to recognize it when its happening.
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Join the Constitution Unit! We are welcoming British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme applications for September 2027 entry. If you are interested, contact your proposed mentor by 25 May. Applicants must have had their PhD viva between 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2027. Find out more 👇
ucl.ac.uk
Constitution Unit welcomes British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship applications 2026/27
The Constitution Unit is welcoming applicants to the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme for September 2027 entry, with an internal deadline of 25 May 2026.
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Friends of Lye Valley @friendlyevalley.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Oxford museum sees 47% decline in swift numbers www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Oxford Natural History museum sees 47% decline in swift numbers
For 80 years swifts have returned to the tower of Oxford Museum of Natural History.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Thought this was a model response from @celiarichardson.bsky.social to a pretty harsh article in the Spectator about the National Trust
Celia Richardson • • 2nd
Director of Communications and F...
6h・
The National Trust is run by 'infantilised morons' according to a spectator article published this weekend.
•+ Connect
It is of course entirely reasonable to question how organisations like the National Trust serve the public.
But I found myself less struck by the argument and more by the tone.
During the school holidays this year the National Trust will be hosting Pokemon adventures for children and families in beautiful historic landscapes and gardens.
I'm one of the morons behind the decision.
This isn't something unique. From the Van Gogh Museum to the Natural History Museum, and city-wide experiences that lead visitors around landmarks like the Louvre, it's a global pattern of cultural organisations experimenting with how people encounter heritage.
We know from their writers that articles attacking the National Trust get a lot of clicks for the Telegraph and Spectator, so we tend to expect more negative headlines than other culture, heritage and nature charities.There's a serious discussion to be had about how heritage organisations balance conservation, interpretation and access. That includes how we invite in children and young families-often their first step into places they may come to love for life.
We won't all agree on how these places should be enjoyed and critics have every right to voice strong opinions. But I think we share a common goal: that the places continue to matter to people, and are cared for long into the future.
The tone we choose shapes the debate and the kind of public life we create, around our institutions and everywhere.
I'd like to think we can hold ourselves and each other to a standard that is both robust and respectful.
Much of the article is behind a paywall. But anyone can read the opening abuse of our staff for free. And there is a cost to this kind of commentary.
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Ben Yong @bymyong.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
My paper “Bureaucracy and Distrust: the Civil Service in the Constitution” has been published in Current Legal Problems. It looks at the UK civil service’s constitutional foundations, and how it might respond to a populist govt. It's open access. currentlegalproblems.org/article/bure...
currentlegalproblems.org
Bureaucracy and Distrust: The Civil Service in the Constitution - Ben Yong
Faith in democracy and established institutions seems to be at a low ebb. Democratic backsliding – the weakening or evisceration of institutions designed…
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Owen Winter @owenwntr.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Build-a-voter is back! @fransham.bsky.social's creation is now updated for 2026 with data from More in Common. www.economist.com/interactive/... My profile is predictably Labour-leaning...
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
How do we govern the moon? Our topical discussion paper www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/60...
The British Academy
CARNEGIE
ENDOWMENT FOR NTERNATIONAL PEACE
Global (DisOrder international policy programme
From disorder to harm?
Governing
the Moon and protecting its sites of interest
Alessandra Marino, The Open University
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Douglas Reyes-CeroÑ @dreyesceron.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Absolute cinema watching that jar of Nutella escape contain behind the backs of the astronauts after packing other things away
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Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
When ads came to ChatGPT, users were mad — those who had been using it as an editor or therapist suddenly saw ChatGPT as vulnerable to manipulation by brands and marketers. The reality is that it was happening the whole time. I wrote about the new SEO gold rush: www.theverge.com/tech/900302/...
theverge.com
Can AI responses be influenced? The SEO industry is trying
Marketing firms are going all in on AI search.
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Ralph Scott @ralphscott.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
🚨 NEW REPORT! 🚨 What is the state of the UK academic job market in politics, and what does this mean for the field and #highered? In a new @psaecn.bsky.social report, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social @williamlallen.bsky.social and I find worrying trends in job adverts and HESA data from 2012-25 #PSA26
psa.ac.uk
Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations - Political Studies Association
Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations: Evidence from the UK, 2012-25 Authored by: Dr Ralph Scott, Dr Lawrence McKay, and Dr William Allen Read the full report here   Execu...
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Alison Hoens @physioktbroker.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Errors present in 45% of AI generated reports of news stories 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
bbc.co.uk
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
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niki grayson @nikigrayson.com · 02/04/2026
right now the astronauts are calling houston because the computer on the spaceship is running two instances of microsoft outlook and they can't figure out why. nasa is about to remote into the computer
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 24/03/2026
"I’m pretty sure technological progress is a law of nature, like gravity or death. The power loom, as we know, is inevitable, preordained by God, who works His miracles through the hands of rich and wise inventors. It’s foolish to resist it."
buff.ly
Being a Luddite Is Cool and All, but Have You Seen the Hilarious Tapestries These New Looms Are Making?
“Am I worried about losing my job? Sure. It seems almost assured that eventually, my skilled craftsmanship and decades of experience will be replaced by a hu...
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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
We're hiring! We're looking for a freelance magazine designer to join our small and dedicated team as an Art Director. This is an exciting opportunity to join an award-winning magazine with a growing readership and an exceptional reputation for its design. Apply now:
newhumanist.org.uk
We're hiring! Apply to be our Art Director
We're looking for a freelance Art Director to work on the print edition of the magazine for five days each quarter
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Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The danger to my job from AI isn't that AI can do my job, it's that my job is made even more precarious by the way AI is shaping ideas of the value of work. It can't do my job, but it can be part of convincing people (incorrectly) that my job isn't necessary.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 10/03/2026
Good words of warning here. AI models are generally designed to read and incorporate (and, in a sense, believe) virtually everything they find online, with very few guardrails. The information can get divorced from its original source, context, & rebuttals or retractions. That's a really big problem
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 10/03/2026
"Free Time isn’t just a new product—it’s a total wellness optimization platform. It’s not an app but rather a mind-blowing vessel of unstructured time where you can do anything your heart desires, or nothing at all." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/int...
mcsweeneys.net
Introducing: Free Time
From the innovators who brought you Taking a Nap and Just Chilling, Free Time is a luxury experience beyond your wildest dreams. Free Time isn’t ju...
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Chris McCorkindale @chrismccork.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
www.gov.scot/publications... - published today
gov.scot
Report on the Roles and Functions of the Scottish Law Officers
This is a Report on research into the roles and functions of the Scottish Law Officers.
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 02/03/2026
it can't tell if the output is true because *it has no concept of truth*. The only thing it "knows" is "this output is correlated" It is structurally indifferent to truth
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OneKind @onekind.org · 06/03/2026
❗New date for greyhound rally: Wednesday 18th March❗ 👉 We're sorry for the inconvenience, but unfortunately this is the nature of parliamentary business so close to the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament ahead of the May elections. 🙌We really hope you can still make it. Please share, thank you
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Melissa Chemam @melissaontheroad.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
And another bites the dust? The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial
Editorial: With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported
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Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
New report out today on the impact of the Supreme Court's s.28(7) jurisprudence, with @profnicolamcewen.bsky.social, @chrismccork.bsky.social and Jo Hunt. www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...
gla.ac.uk
New report examines what UK Supreme Court decisions mean for devolved law-making
5 February 2026: A new report says an unexpected interpretation of section 28(7) of the Scotland Act by the UK Supreme Court has generated uncertainty around limits of law-making in the Scottish Parli...
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Ben Yong @bymyong.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
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.
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Anurag Deb @anuragdeb.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
(Nervously) excited to say that I'll be leaving legal practice after almost 12 years to join the NI Assembly as a research officer in European Affairs. Out with briefing counsel and in with briefing committees + legislators.
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Scottish Universities Press @scotunipress.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Looking for a new challenge in 2026? Join SUP and support not-for-profit academic publishing. We have three vacancies for editorial board members. Submit your application by Monday 2 February 2026 www.sup.ac.uk/news/editorial-board-…
Recruitment notice for editorial board positions at Scottish Universities Press on a blue background.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Very bad news for all other road users in the UK, especially those on foot and on bikes.
theguardian.com
Number of US-style pickup trucks on UK roads up 92% in a decade, data shows
Exclusive: Campaigners say ‘menacing vehicles’ are putting children at risk owing to their large front blind zones
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Adam Kucharski @adamjkucharski.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
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Mark Elliott @profmarkelliott.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
New post: Tyranny, anarchy and the rule of law: Reflections on a major report by the Constitution Committee publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/20/t...
publiclawforeveryone.com
Tyranny, anarchy and the rule of law: Reflections on a major report by the Constitution Committee
The House of Lords Constitution Committee’s new report on the rule of law provides an excellent overview of the concept and of the many challenges it finds itself under in the UK today. But the rep…
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Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
As part of my Parliamentary Fellowship, I've co-authored with David Torrance a short research briefing on parliamentary sovereignty. I'm working on a (much) longer piece, which will be out in 2026! @policyleeds.bsky.social @lawatleeds.bsky.social commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Parliamentary sovereignty
A short research briefing on the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, its origins and contemporary application.
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Anurag Deb @anuragdeb.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
H/t to @nearlydoctornick.bsky.social for highlighting this hauntingly beautiful collab between the late Talos and Ólafur Arnalds: youtu.be/nEBbhgMp8Ok?...
youtu.be
Ólafur Arnalds, Talos - A Dawning (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by OlafurArnaldsVEVO
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Museum at Castleton Visitor Centre in the Peak District, Derbyshire, is to close after 20 years. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Castleton museum announces closure in December
The museum will no longer be able to use a space it occupies at Castleton Visitor Centre.
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Paul F Scott @paulfscott.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Call for papers for a workshop on Economic Aspects of the Constitution: www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_...
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Mark Elliott @profmarkelliott.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Really enjoyed this piece. "Lawyers and academics therefore find themselves in the difficult position of ... trying to reason people away from a view or belief they never reasoned themselves into to begin with. We are bringing facts to a vibes fight."
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Lewis Graham @lewisgrahamlaw.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
AG of Northern Ireland's Reference (on DOLS) will be heard on 20 October 2025; the case will be heard by a panel of seven members (Reed, Hodge, Lloyd Jones, Sales, Stephens, Rose, Simler) presumably because the Court will be invited to overrule Cheshire West: supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
supremecourt.uk
A Reference by the Attorney General of Northern Ireland of a devolution issue under paragraph 1(b) of Schedule 10 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 - UK Supreme Court
“Whether the Minister of Health has power to revise the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice issued under s.288 of the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (‘the 2016 Act’) so as ...
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Roger Masterman @rogermasterman.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Wrote a piece - with Matt Nicholson - on whether dualism provides an effective guide to, or description of, the UK's relationship with international laws (tl;dr summary: not really). It will be coming out in the CLJ in due course, but you can read it *now* here: www.cambridge.org/core/service...
cambridge.org
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Anurag Deb @anuragdeb.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Here, Nick and I take a wider lens on devolution: its history, underlying policies & principles to expand on our point in part 1 (share.google/reJPFVN4Uqp3...). The UKSC's concept of parliamentary power vis-à-vis devolved lawmaking is problematic, impractical & should be abandoned asap.
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Anurag Deb @anuragdeb.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
The first challenge under the NI Climate Change Act was a watershed moment in how NI deals with climate change. Here (part 1/2), @nearlydoctornick.bsky.social and I explore another side to the Act: one drawn from some problematic decisions of the UKSC with debilitating consequences for devolution.
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Happy 99th birthday to the man who gave voice to the wild. 🎉 Sir David Attenborough, thank you for a lifetime dedicated to the natural world, and for sharing its story with wisdom, wonder, and grace. You've inspired generations to fall in love with nature.
This photograph captures Sir David Attenborough seated outdoors on the rugged terrain of Skomer Island. Behind him, the ocean and coastal cliffs form a scenic backdrop under a clear sky. Sir David, dressed in a khaki jacket and light trousers, looks towards the camera with a gentle expression, exuding a sense of warmth, calm, and wisdom. Around him, puffins can be seen flying and perched on the rocky ground, illuminated in rays of golden sunlight as the sun sets behind the cliffs.
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Unwritten Constitutional Norms and Principles Project @ucnpproject.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
On 2 June, the @houseofcommons.parliament.uk will collaborate with scholars incl our members @ucllaws.bsky.social, @durham-university.bsky.social & @uodroitpublaw.bsky.social on a workshop on the role of politicians & parliamentary personnel in sustaining the unwritten dimension of constitutionalism
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Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Couldn't have decided to partner with better people for the first big output of my Parliamentary Academic Fellowship, especially given that one of its objectives is to strengthen the dialogue between parliamentarians, academics, and other stakeholders. With @bricksilk.bsky.social opening!
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Roger Masterman @rogermasterman.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
The April 2025 issue of Public Law is now avail. on Westlaw feat. a themed analysis section - Race and Public Law - compiled by @vidyakumar.bsky.social. Papers are by Vidya, on "Race and the UK Constitution"; Shreya Atrey "A Common Law principle of racial equality?"; Tom Frost ...
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Lewis Graham @lewisgrahamlaw.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
In the PUBLIC LAW volume we have contributions from Ed Bates, Joanna Bell, Nicole Busby, Kenny Chng, Paul Craig, Anurag Deb, Brice Dickson, Hasan Dindjer, Mark Elliott, Eleni Frantziou, Tom Frost, Ariella Gordon, Daniella Lock, Kacper Majewski, Conall Mallory, Lee Marsons, Stevie Martin... [1/2]
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