John Cotter
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drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter
@drjohncotter.bsky.social
2K followers 1.5K following 1.1K posts

Senior Lecturer in Law at Keele University, England. Research in EU constitutional law, especially defence of democracy, and impeachment. Irishman living in Cheshire. Views are my own.

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John Lambert Cotter was an American archaeologist whose career spanned more than sixty years and included archaeological work with the Works Progress Administration, numerous posts with the National Park Service, and contributions to the development of historical archaeology in the United States. .. more

Political science 29%
Materials science 18%
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drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · Sep 8
Last mention of my most recent article on how - as a last resort - EU law can be (re-)-interpreted to protect the democratic legitimacy of its legislature in the face of Member State autocratisation.
drjohncotter.bsky.social John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · Aug 28
My latest article ‘Democracy Manifest? Ensuring the EU Legislature’s Democratic Legitimacy
in the Face of National-Level Autocratisation’ has just been published online and open access in European Papers: www.europeanpapers.eu/en/system/fi...
www.europeanpapers.eu

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1h
Listen, if I have to buy a yacht to get that Telegraph column, it’s a price I’m willing to pay if someone will gift me the price of a yacht.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1h
I’m also somewhat cynical about Brexiters acknowledging Brexit hasn’t worked out, because this brand of politics/policy has always relied on a “things are really shit” diagnosis, followed by a [insert some radical hyper-neo-liberal or human-rights-are-overrated scheme] prescription.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1h
I advocated for a radical, destabilising, and effectively irreversible project which has been an economic disaster. I now recognise it has been a disaster. However, luckily, I haven’t learned anything and it hasn’t led me to question my judgement in the slightest. Give me a column in the Telegraph.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 9h
It’s gotta be the referee’s legs, Cotton. Smooth and lethal. You just don’t see it nowadays.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 22h
The other point is that many of McCartney’s greatest vocal performances are after the Beatles. His singing voice probably reached its peak in the mid 1970s (the Take It Away podcast make this point also). Evidence: m.youtube.com/watch?v=jbJ0...
Paul McCartney & Wings - Call Me Back Again (from 'Rockshow') [Remastered 4K]
YouTube video by PM Producciones
m.youtube.com

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 22h
You’re sending me a writ, while I’m trying to do my bit, as George said.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 22h
lol. Although I do love Imagine as well.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 22h
The older I get, the more I admire McCartney. Even his version of Mary had a little lamb is fantastic. And he had the nerve to do whatever he felt like. I admire that.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 23h
The other one is that hate for Imagine. I mean, it’s probably overplayed, but I think it’s a beautiful song, sung and performed beautifully.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 23h
I don’t understand why people don’t rate it.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 23h
The truth is that there are many songs on Wings albums that are better than their equivalents on Beatles albums. I’m somewhat suspicious of people who give Wings a chance and say they don’t like them. If you don’t like Wings, you probably also didn’t like most of the White Album.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 23h
I’m old enough and confident enough to say Wings were fantastic. Not the Beatles, but who is? Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus & Mars, all great. London Town and Back to the Egg, beautifully quirky. Wings over America is one of the best live albums ever. Mull of Kintyre is lovely. Sue me.
ottoenglish.bsky.social Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 1d
Mull of Kintyre was the best-selling single of the 1970s and the worst piece of shit Wings ever wrote.

People keep telling me the 1970s were great, but clearly, those people were not there. #TOTP

Reposted by John L. Cotter

ottoenglish.bsky.social
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 1d
Mull of Kintyre was the best-selling single of the 1970s and the worst piece of shit Wings ever wrote.

People keep telling me the 1970s were great, but clearly, those people were not there. #TOTP

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1d
I mean, you don’t need to be a biblical scholar to know that tax collectors feature pretty prominently in the New Testament.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1d
She’s mixing up Holy Grail and Life of Brian. Easily done.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 1d
Has someone invented a self-flying jet that can also generate columns for the Telegraph?
Telegraph headline stating “In Praise of Private Jets”

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 2d
There will be more from me on impeachment in EU law (I am currently working on a monograph for OUP which is to be completed in mid 2027).

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 2d
This article will be published in a special edition of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law and comes out of a conference, Law in an Age of Permacrisis, which was held at Keele University in July 2024.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 2d
In my latest article, I explore the (very) limited potential for impeachment to be utilised as an accountability mechanism to address violations of the rule of law in the EU at supranational level.
Impeachment as Constitutional Weapon: A Role for Individual Officeholder Responsibility in Upholding European Union Values in the Rule of Law Crisis?
link.springer.com

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 3d
British discourse is degenerating to the point that in a decade all criminal trials will be tried by judges and sentencing will be done by the comment section of the courts service YouTube live stream.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 5d
Yes, but I’m being serious.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 5d
Hand some civil servants one of those nostalgic jigsaw box covers of an English village and say, “there, you go boffins, make that; here’s £250m a week to do it.”

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 5d
We could just take one of the uninhabited British Overseas Territory islands (like Inaccessible Island) and convert it into some kind of Daily Mail/Spectator/Telegraph readers’ Disneyland.
pickardje.bsky.social Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 5d
good to see people keeping a sense of perspective

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 5d
The gravest hazard that US Americans face to the functioning and endurance of their Republic is monarchy.
steadystatevets.bsky.social The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 6d
A federal judge didn’t “steal” the Commander-in-Chief’s powers—she ruled that DoD exceeded the limits Congress set. That is the rule of law working as designed. What threatens the Republic isn’t judicial review, but officials who insist they’re above it.

Reposted by Will Jennings, John L. Cotter, Justin Lewis

pickardje.bsky.social
Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 5d
good to see people keeping a sense of perspective

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Steve Peers, John L. Cotter , and 1 more

steadystatevets.bsky.social
The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 6d
A federal judge didn’t “steal” the Commander-in-Chief’s powers—she ruled that DoD exceeded the limits Congress set. That is the rule of law working as designed. What threatens the Republic isn’t judicial review, but officials who insist they’re above it.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 6d
Psychologically, again being charitable, he seems to be drawn to big characters who are ratings worthy and who he perceives to be winners. So there’s an affinity with Putin (even if there isn’t something more sinister underpinning it). It’s also why his gushing over Mamdani isn’t that shocking.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 6d
As I say, that’s the most charitable view. The reality could be much more sinister than that.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 6d
Part of Trump’s problem with international relations (to be very charitable) is that he is an unsophisticated real estate man with no understanding of statecraft. He wants Ukraine out of his in-tray and doesn’t have the patience to do any real thinking about what follows.

drjohncotter.bsky.social
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 9d
Some people clearly think they have the luxury of electing clowns like Boris Johnson or Donald Trump. And then something serious like Covid happens which directly and undeniably affects them.