Adam Tomkins

A collage of photos of the "SHUT UP! Should offensive speech be free?" event: some are of John Smith Centre Director Eddie Barnes and Professor Adam Tomkins speaking at the front of the room, and some are of the audience watching them.

🙌 A big thank you to @proftomkins.bsky.social who joined us and a room full of students and academics last week to discuss his new book: "On the Law of Speaking Freely"!

📰 Read Centre Director @eddiebarnes.bsky.social's takeaways from the event on our blog: www.johnsmithcentre.com/news/we-simp...

In this week’s Spectator:

🎤 “We can’t grow unless we hear from others whom we disagree with or who are telling us things we do not already know.”

@proftomkins.bsky.social speaks about free speech and why it’s important for public debate and individuals.

@uofgsocsci.bsky.social @uofglaw.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social

Excellent 👌

Call for papers for a workshop on Economic Aspects of the Constitution: www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_...

From Heresy to Hate Speech – Helen Dale Adam Tomkins’s book shows the knotty history and evolution of free speech debates.

Quite a day. Not only did I give my new work, on Swift and the Enlightenment Constitution, its first public outing, but Helen Dale’s deeply thoughtful review of my last project, On the Law of Speaking Freely, has been published here: lawliberty.org/book-review/...

SHUT UP! Should offensive speech be free? Join Professor Adam Tomkins and the John Smith Centre to examine how to navigate free speech.

⌛️ There's still time to get your free tickets to 'SHUT UP! Should offensive speech be free?', a John Smith Centre event with @proftomkins.bsky.social.

📅 28 Oct 2025
📍 Humanities Lecture Theatre, Gilbert Scott Building
🤝 Open to @uofglasgow.bsky.social students & staff
🎟️ 👇

Not 👀 as much as 🙈🙉🙊
Speech is 🥶
Justice is 🚫

IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT TALKING - John Smith Centre The University of Glasgow has a longstanding reputation as a place for open political debate and discussion. John Smith – after whom our centre is named – cut his political teeth as a keen Labour…

IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT TALKING 🗣️

In our latest blog, @eddiebarnes.bsky.social writes on the importance of open debate and discussion ahead of our event at the University of Glasgow with @proftomkins.bsky.social later this month.

Read it here 👇

A designed graphic with text reading: "EVENT. SHUT UP! Should offensive speech be free? There has never been a more important time to talk about talking. Join Prof Adam Tomkins and the John Smith Centre to examine how to navigate free speech. 28 October 2025, 6.00-8.00pm, Humanities Lecture Theatre, Gilbert Scott Building, Glasgow. With Prof Adam Tomkins, John Millar Chair of Public Law." The graphic also shows the logos of the John Smith Centre and the University of Glasgow.

📢 EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

Join us and @proftomkins.bsky.social to discuss the law and history around free speech. Open to @uofglasgow.bsky.social students and staff.

📅 28 Oct 2025
📍 Humanities Lecture Theatre, Gilbert Scott Building
🎟️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1818334941...

Toadstools running wild

The UK’s Speech Problem – Adam Tomkins If free speech is broken in Britain, here’s how to fix it.

Published today: on how to fix free speech in Britain (for those who think it may be broken) lawliberty.org/the-uks-spee...

I’m glad you’ve said this. I was wondering what “serious disruption to the life of the community” was doing in these provisions if it didn’t capture what the H Sec appears to be seeking to capture.

It’s not an exact analogy, but the UK Govt published 15 “Scotland Analysis Papers” in 2012-14, in the run-up to the indyref, the first of which was formal legal advice on what independence would mean. Thereafter, the entirety of the UK Govt’s position on indy rested on that legal advice.

In Pursuit of True Speech – Adam Tomkins A new history tries to highlight a middle path between free speech absolutism and pure censorship. It does not quite succeed.

A new review essay by me on free speech and true speech, published today: lawliberty.org/book-review/...

The only thing worse than academics running the academy is academics having to stand open-mouthed and aghast whilst they watch others running the academy. (You can add “into the ground” to the end of that sentence if you wish.)

Career Development Fellow in Public Law at Durham University Searching for an academic job? Explore this Career Development Fellow in Public Law opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

Another opportunity to join Durham Law School as a three-year career development fellow in public law. A great Law School and a vibrant public law community with opportunities to teach in both core and optional modules, and excellent support for research. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNX378/c...

Fewer than would have been ideal, I grant you.

I read every evidence session the Committee held, and I will read the report this week coming. It was perfectly clear from the questions asked what direction the Cmte would head in, and equally clear that the Cmte would make a complete hash of it. Not Parliament’s finest brains, nor its finest hour.

The audiobook of 'On the Law of Speaking Freely' by @proftomkins.bsky.social is out now!

The book tackles the problems of contemporary free speech law by applying the lessons of the past to address the challenges of the present.

🎧 Find out more: buff.ly/V00s6Fk

For this week only, Hart are selling my book at a 30% discount, for £17.49. It’s a steal! Head over to Hart’s website to order it.

The audiobook of 'On the Law of Speaking Freely' by @proftomkins.bsky.social is now available to pre-order!

🎧 Find out more: buff.ly/CfWyv86

BOOK: Adam TOMKINS, On the Law of Speaking Freely (London: Bloomsbury/Hart, 2025), 280 p. ISBN 9781509972104, 22,49 GBP (image source: Bloomsbury/Hart ) Abstract: This book tackles the most pressing problems of contemporary free speech law by examining where...

BOOK: Adam TOMKINS, On the Law of Speaking Freely (London: Bloomsbury/Hart, 2025), 280 p. ISBN 9781509972104, 22,49 GB

esclh.blogspot.com/2025/07/book...

Good points. Is it also true that there is only so far a tree can grow before it starts to rot, or gets blown down in a gale? (How far can one extend the metaphor?)

Many congrats on this, Paul. The PL team at Glasgow will support this in any way we can. Great stuff 👌

On the Law of Speaking Freely written and read by Adam Tomkins Play On the Law of Speaking Freely written and read by Adam Tomkins from Bloomsbury Publishing. Play audiobooks and excerpts on SoundCloud desktop and mobile.

The audiobook of On the Law of Speaking Freely will be published on 10 July (the paperback and E-book editions are out now). In advance of the audiobook being released, here’s a clip:—

m.soundcloud.com/bloomsburypu...

Cover of Tomkins, On the Law of Speaking Freely

Cover of Wragg, Free Speech Theory

Likely not wholly coincidental, but I see Hart have published not one but two books on free speech today (one by my colleague @proftomkins.bsky.social): likely a nice review essay opportunity for someone. (Here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/on-the-la... and here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/free-spee...)

Looking forward to this

Adam always sparks a debate and I dare say revels in them

Oh. I didn’t know this. Thanks 🙏

Only in the the sense that Orwell could sound this way, surely.