There's no such thing as English law in this context. England is not a country recognised at the UN. Our country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Read my explanation in the context of the post.
The forum is mostly people from within the UK. The rights in question pertain to the Republic of Ireland. They are a sovereign nation with their own constitution and legal system. We can not therefore apply UK law to the case. We can however apply Strasbourg since it is the court of final remedy to both the UK and the Republic of Ireland under convention rights. Conversationally, 'sovereign status' is the simplest term which can use when speaking of rights across member states.