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Dr Patrick O’Brien

@patrickcobrien.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.6K following 445 posts

Senior Lecturer in Public Law at Oxford Brookes. Research: judges, judging, public law and constitutional theory.

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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Recently diverted some old All ER reports from the bin. This Lexis thing sounds interesting, hope it works out for them.
Old printed advert: “Lexis connect time reduced to £10 per hour”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Love that the high concept placeholder name for the Aldi Brewdog clone clearly made it through a marketing meeting completely unscathed, and someone just ran with it
330ml can reads “Anti-Establishment”, I presume for people who have heard of nuance, but though “nah, nuance is a form of control exerted by THE MAN”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
i.imgflip.com/aqa4rm.jpg
Good/bad meme
BAD: AI is breaking yet another thing
GOOD: It’s the research grant application system
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Good luck to whoever this is but you have accidentally called your new album Cruet World. Maybe a different font next time?
A poster for someone’s new album, intended to be called “Cruel World” in keeping with the general gothic aesthetic of the image in the poster. But poor font choice has led to the first word reading as “Cruet”, which I think is a small jug. Look, I had twenty minutes on a platform waiting to change trains. You begin to obsess about things, you really do.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Unexpected “all human life is here” profundity from the cardboard “holiday wishes” tree-shaped board at a suburban Dublin Starbucks. Best of the season to everyone, and look after yourselves folks.
Someone called Gary wants a droneA selection of wishes, including what may be “a big boots Latina” and “for my family not to die”“I wish to have my kids back”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
This (from the NY Times Connections puzzle) is a nerdy but quite sweet piece of quiz diplomacy
NY Times “Connections” puzzle, with top line reading “Only Connect Olive Branch”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Obviously, this speech is crassly offensive in multiple ways, and does violence to judicial independence. But I think it's also important to recognise that there was never a 'golden age' when Lord Chancellors just appointed and sacked whoever they wanted as judges. This is an authoritarian fantasy.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Unbound OJLS v unbound Public Law
Images of the old Canadian Supreme Court judicial robes (left; red with white fur trim, strong Santa vibes) and the new (right; black with two red lines, no real vibes at all).
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
So grateful to have this extremely helpful guidance on how to use my academic freedom.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Which Tayto is better: ROI or NI? A age-old question. What better way to find out than scientific side-by-side and blind taste testing using a focus group of kids?
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
From the company's website:
From the company's website:

Who are the judges?

Our experienced panel of world renowned family law judges consists of highly qualified, leading matrimonial finance barristers from reputable chambers. All of them are sitting as judges or are private FDR judges. These experts specialise in complex divorce and financial matters and are often consulted by top family law firms across the country.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
From the Judicial Conduct Rules: Fee-paid judges should only use their title whilst acting in a judicial capacity. It is permissible
to refer to judicial office as part of a CV. However, fee-paid judges should not use their title
as an advertisement for professional services or for the furtherance of trade, business or
political interests. They should also avoid reference to their title in media interviews, unless it
is directly relevant to the content. They should have regard to the principles set out in the
Media Guidance for the Judiciary which is available on the judicial intranet.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
The Sky News TV feed on the running machine in the gym is displaying subtitles for the quiz show Tenable over Keir Starmer’s speech. It adds immensely to the experience.
Image is Keir Stormer gesticulating very seriously. 

Subtitles read “I’m going to remain poker faced Warwick Davis.”Serious Starmer face.

Subtitles: “so, I’m going to say Elvis Presley”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
- “Frasier, everyone who’s anyone is on a quest to cast the One Ring into the pit of Mount Doom, and yet here we are without plans on a Saturday night!” - “I know Niles. It’s the longest Ring cycle since Wagner.”
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
"Do you have a Nectar card?"
It's the same picture of Keir Starmer saying "there's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom" in the White House that everyone's circulating. 

I guess I just felt like jumping on a bandwagon. Just to feel something. I also thought about "unexpected item in the bagging area". Would that have been better?
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Believe in your dreams. Magical things can happen.
Screenshot of the Nectar card app telling me that I’m the number one purchaser of “Twinings: Distinctively Smoky” tea in my local Sainsbury’s. That may not sound like much to you but, honestly folks, look around at 2025. I’m absolutely making the most of this.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
For these difficult times, a template letter to send to all your respected but annexation-curious American law professor friends
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
[quivering hands scroll towards the 'x' to close the browser window, a deep primal scream of inchoate rage and frustration emerges unbidden from my very core]
Screenshot text: "WELL DONE! You have completed this course. You may now close the window." At least, I think that's what it said before I through the laptop at the wall.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Phew, nailed it!
Screenshot text: "You've successfully avoided a scam. The Brazilian manufacture bribed their way to a CE certificate, which was fake anyway."
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Ok so now it's been gamefied. I'm the plucky CEO of a supply chain business, which is totally relevant to my actual job. I'd love to play it for laughs but honestly, if I have to repeat any of this I won't be responsible for my actions, so the path of truth and honesty it will have to be.
Screenshot text: "Sounds fishy. Tell them no thanks, you can find manufacturers on your own."
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Julie, I think they're on to us. Dump the phone. DUMP THE PHONE!
Screenshot text: "You'll have people pressuring you to offer them bribes and gifts, but you would never give in to the temptation... right?"
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Folks, I wasn't expecting this to make me question my career choices
Screenshot of text detailing big money bribes that has led me, a low paid academic with literally zero involvement in any kind of role that would be relevant to bribing or being bribed, to reconsider my career choices. Text: A £12,000 birthday trip for a head of procurement that included visits to wineries and dinners. A trip to Italy for eight potential clients that consisted primarily of sightseeing and included £1,000 in "pocket money" for each person. £10,000 spent on dinners, drinks, and entertainment for a government official. In other news I am looking forward to my new job as a head of procurement and/or potential client.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Remember kids
Image of someone holding up a cardboard sign reading "SAY NO!", captioned "No, thank you"
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
It JUST.GOT.SERIOUS. Not potato buying. Please no. Is nothing sacred any more.
Screenshot text: Even seemingly unglamorous operations like potato buying are areas where hospitality can be abused for illegitimate means
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
I could query the usefulness of this completely circular anti-bribery advice, but to be honest this guy DEFINITELY knew the action might be seen as improper if he was investigated for bribery.
Screenshot text: A good way to tell if you could be implicated in a bribe is to ask yourself: could this action be seen as improper if you are being investigated for bribery?Image of an honestly well dodgy guy, whispering into his mobile, captioned "is considered a bribe in most jurisdictions"
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
This guy didn't do the training. Feel bad for him.
Image of a man resting his head on a desk, captioned "to land you, and your organisation, in hot water"
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
The entertainment value of the anti-bribery training I have to do for work is vastly enhanced by subtitles.
image of a man smiling, captioned "remember that in your job, you are in a position of trust"Image of a man in prison, captioned "AGAINST THE LAW"Black screen, captioned "AGAINST THE LAW (metallic thud)"
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
A weird take. The electoral system coupled with longstanding party support trends absolutely rule out any one-party majority, so the premise here is wrong: running a campaign to win one would be mad. It’s definitely going to be a coalition, the only question is: of which parties?
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Thanks Ben! V much enjoying the inevitable venn diagram
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
... and again by the duties imposed on the new NI Human Rights Commission to create rights "supplementary to those in the European Convention on Human Rights" which will be taken "together with the ECHR" to constitute a Bill of Rights for NI.
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Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
It is also contradicted - admittedly not completely - by the Human Rights portion of Strand 3, which references "incorporation" of the ECHR, which is a specialist term with a technical legal meaning: enacting an international obligation in domestic law.
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