I want to be serious about this for a moment, as I think there's something interesting here. When I started blogging and then tweeting about human rights and the politics of human rights just over a decade ago there were almost no lawyers on social media... /1
At the time, there were some brilliant lawyers doing social media - e.g. @davidallengreen @carlgardner @Familoo @TheSmallPlaces @Charonqc - but it wasn't a 'scene' which journalists and politicians paid much attention to. /2
I think that #Catgate (2011) changed that as all of a sudden journalists started paying attention to lawyers who seemed to know what they were talking about and could explain these complex issues which werre becoming more politically charged /3 ukhumanrightsblog.com/2011/10/06/wha…
And now, here we are, a decade later, and there is a multiplicity of articulate, dedicated, cross-party - even 'activist' voices on social media, especially Twitter. We are mobilised. Obviously you may find some of us insufferable, but overall I am super-proud...
... that the legal community has stuck its head over the dusty outdated parapet which existed in 2009 and has become a real persuasive force, advocates for justice like Secret👆, and powerful enough to trigger the PM's advisor or whomever that quote came from. /5
So I know you probably don't want to hear any more lawyerly self-congratulation but it is worth noting this moment, that this 'debate' over human rights law etc has been raging for years but it feels like the dynamic has shifted a bit. Lesson over! /6
