Activist and law student. Recently of @EnglishPEN. @smfthinktank & @59productions alumni. Author of @1001recaps. Everyone has a right to my opinions.
Dec 8, 2020 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
The replies to this tweet/op-ed are full of people reminding David Lammy about the shocking abuse of the Bengalis by Churchill, and reminding us of some of his greatest, racist quotes. This prompts a quick thought... 1/n
Perhaps we tolerate obvious rights-abusers like Churchill in our national story because, regardless of the bad things they did, they set us on a trajectory that we nevertheless approve of (at least in the context that Lammy is talking about in the article). 2/n
Dec 8, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Gah. I just managed to pocket dial someone, and then unwittingly left a 6 minute voicemail of various domestic conversations. I’m absolutely mortified.
I say ‘pocket dial’ but what I actually did was press the button on my Bluetooth headphones to try and switch off the podcast I was listening to. I think Siri must have activated, and interpreted whatever I said as a request to call someone. 2/n
Sep 27, 2020 • 17 tweets • 4 min read
This crazy story about a university claiming that posters in a window “break the law” is a good example of how chaotic and inconsistent law-making can lead to a denial of liberty. Quick thread. 1/n
I’ve been doing some reading on the ‘chilling effect’ recently. It’s usually used with regards to freedom of expression, but it’s a term imported from US legal thought, and can be applied to any kind of liberty or lawful activity. 2/n
Sep 24, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
My first thought when reading this was to think of a solution. What barristers had some kind of badge? Or what if barrister wigs and gowns were reinstated in Magistrates Courts?
We shouldn’t need freakin’ badges to stop people making racist assumptions.
If I had the emoji keyboard installed then between every word in that sentence would be a clap icon.
Sep 23, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Right so I know this is probably a first world problem but I’m going to indulge myself with a moan about... plastic bags from @Ocado 1/6
During the spring lockdown, we were pretty conscientious about avoiding the shops and doing more online deliveries.
At about the same time, @Ocado stopped its programme of recycling plastic bags, because that could obviously be a source of virus transmission. 2/6
Sep 12, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
One thing I think about a lot is what headlines and political messaging would look like if liberals/progressive adopted some of the tabloidy, accuracy-stretching tactics we see deployed by the Johnson right. This news story might be a good case study.
‘Johnson set your opt out of human rights laws’ reads the headline. Now, if you read the article, you’ll see that he wants to opt out of very specific human rights measures, on immigration and when soliders can be prosecuted for acts committed while on operations.
Sep 11, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Who remembers Abu Qatada? He was accused of terrorism and seems a security risk, but Theresa May had a torrid time trying to deport him to Jordan because she couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be tortured. 1/4
How did we get rid of Abu Qatada eventually? Oh yes... A TREATY! Mrs May was able to satisfy the courts that he wouldn’t be subjected to torture, because we could rely on Jordan to abide by the terms of the treaty. 2/4
Sep 7, 2020 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Attention to all those who value the Rule of Law and equal application of human rights. Regardless of the outcome of this case, we already *know* that the tabloids and the intolerant right are going to moan about ‘legal aid for terrorists’ ... 1/n
... and almost certainly also:
* ‘activist lawyers’ (see Home Office comms from earlier this month)
* ‘Activist judges’ (see the complaints from Brexiteers about Miller 1)
* An attack on ‘perverse’ human rights outcomes of Ms Begum prevails.
2/n
Sep 3, 2020 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
In his newsletter, @JoshuaRozenberg deftly handles the potential issues in reporting on a @Law_Commission report on Official Secrets, when he is a non-executive member of the Law Commission Board rozenberg.substack.com/p/protecting-o…
What @JoshuaRozenberg gets right is *transparency* - He can’t really adopt what @jayrosen_nyu calls ‘The View From Nowhere’ so he headlines his one-degree-removed connection to the report, and trusts his readers to make up their own minds.
Aug 11, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Why isn’t “the media” just a bit better at reporting the so-called refugee crisis? Why do good journalists at reputable news outlets fall into the trap set by populists? 1/4
In other situations, such as the reporting of terrorist attacks, and suicides, I perceive an improvement. Each time the bad thing happens, the media iterates it’s approach to something a little more sensible. 2/4
Aug 10, 2020 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
Sorry to hear of the death of Anthony Lester QC, Lord Lester of Herne Hill. When I was at @englishpen I worked with him on a number of free speech campaigns, where his voice in parliament made the difference. Here’s a quick thread. 1/7
During PEN’s ‘No Offence’ camapign Lord Lester added a clear protection for free speech into the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. He always called it “the PEN amendment.” It’s para 29J of the schedule legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/1/s… 2/7
Jul 31, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
The chat on here today has been about how the government *deliberately* wanted to disrupt Eid with their new regulations, hence the rushed new secondary legislation.
The go-to reason for this is that the Tories are racists / islamophobic yadda yadda.
But what if they did want to disrupt the Eid celebrations, and that’s a *good* thing?
We’ve been hearing how COVID disproportionately affects BAME people, and nearly all those celebrating Eid will be in that category.
Jul 29, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Chilled by the thought that there are swathes of America who aren’t that bothered about this sort of thing.
And yet I bet when they hear that Neimoller poem, they nod and tell themselves they would be one of the ones who stood up to fascism.
None of them realise that, not only are they not standing up to authoritarianism, but they have not and do not recognise it when it’s happening in front of their eyes.
Jul 18, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Having spent 10 years working for @englishpen, a charity founded on the idea of writers supporting me, there is nothing that quite gets my goat than journalists dumping on other journalists like this.
By writing unnecessary articles about a young journalist, the Daily Mail are attacking a new young voice in their profession. They invite the abuse that could drive her offline.
Diversity* of voice is a tenet of Free Speech Done Properly. The Daily Mail is hostile to that.
Jul 13, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Last week, regarding the way modern technology allows us to easily record conversations and retain correspondence, I wrote that “perfect memory is a curse.” But reading about the allegations against the author Warren Ellis, I’m reminded that there is a flip side to the coin.
Ellis’s alleged manipulation has come to light in no small part because of modern technology theguardian.com/books/2020/jul… Women across continents have been able to ‘compare notes’ and messages showing how several were in a relationship with the same man simultaneously.
Jul 11, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
“Yet their safety is the very reason that bestsellers like Malcolm Gladwell and Margaret Atwood can speak out. The secure can best protect those in peril: the untenured academics or mid-list writers or even the teacher at your child’s school.”
The other event that has prompted thoughts of Jorge Luis Borges is the Johnny Depp defamation trial against The Sun. Earlier, I posted them his tweet. “What a strange experience to relive a period of time in one’s life...” 1/n
This time, the story is ‘Funes the Memorious’ (or, ‘Funes, His Memory’ or ‘Funes the Memoryful’ depending on the translation) mail.paradise.caltech.edu/ist4/lectures/… It’s a 7 page story 2/n
Jul 9, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Long time followers will be aware of my love of the writing of Jorge Luis Borges. A couple of this week’s news stories have a Borgesian flavour to them. Or rather, they give rise to old themes that Borges articulates very well. 1/n
The first of these is ‘The Letter’ - an open letter signed by prominent writers and academics published in Harper’s Magazine, bemoaning the rise of cancel culture. It seems to have divided Twitter, with many people criticising the generic text based upon those who signed it. 2/n
Jul 8, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
“Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences”. Should those consequences be:
This poll really needs two dimensions.
Jul 7, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
“... the dominant majority of progressive people simply don’t believe in the value of free speech anymore?” Hmm. I think the issue is far subtler than that. 1/n fredrikdeboer.com/2020/07/07/end…
First, much of the outrage often described of a “woke” is just, in fact, marginalised people finding their voice and using it. Hard to square that, shall we say, ‘emboldening’ with being anti-free speech. 2/n
Jun 27, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Following the outrage at a provocative tweet by the Cambridge academic Priyamvada Gopal, I’ve been looking back at some old blog posts of mine.
Blogging is an iterative medium. It’s sometimes interesting to see how my thoughts have evolved over the years. 1/n
From 2012 - On Diane Abbott’s ‘racism’ robertsharp.co.uk/2012/01/05/on-… Another example of tweets being taken out of context 2/n
