Richard Bellamy

The Nature of Constitutions and the Role of the Courts | UCL Uncovering Politics This week we’re looking at the nature of constitutions. What are ‘legal’ constitutions? What are ‘political’ constitutions? And why might the latter be better than the former?

Thanks to Alan Renwick for asking me to do this podcast with him on my latest book Defending the Political Constitution. No need to spend £105 to read it - thanks to Alans's expert questioning I'll talk you through it for free.
uncoveringpolitics.com/episodes/the...

Also to runner up Brian Smith

Congratulations to Patrick Lenta for winning the 2025 CRISPP Essay Prize for the best essay in a normal issue published in Vol 27 (2024)

Defending the Political Constitution: A Book Launch of Richard Bellamy’s latest book This event is organised by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism.

Details of my book launch are now available - everyone welcome. It will be hybrid for those not in London and recorded.
www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

You can read a free chapter of Defending the Political Constitution here:

fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/...

Get a 30% discount on my new book Defending the Political Constitution with the code on this flyer: fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/...

My new book now out on line with OUP Academic - hard copies available from 22January Defending the Political Constitution url: academic.oup.com/book/61802

The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde

Yet more evidence that Labour's immigration policies are not only inhumane they are an electoral disaster www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Wes Streeting accused of ‘chaotic and incoherent approach’ to NHS reform Exclusive: thinktank report finds health secretary has failed to improve productivity, with the health service unlikely to meet its targets

Well that's the end of his leadership ambitions ... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Labour at the Margin... ...of survival

@benansell.bsky.social provides evidence for what many of us had thought - Reform leaning Labour voters in marginal seats are a Blue Labour myth, by pursuing them with Reform-light policies they are haemorrhaging Labour voters everywhere.

eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Such a key point about cutting back on language provision - it’s not good for science and it’s not good for growth
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Finally a glimpse of light in the darkness. And wow ehat a speech - pure poetry www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

Great to make a flying visit to my old stomping ground

The British Academy Serena Medal The Serena Medal is awarded annually for eminent services towards the furtherance of the study of Italian history, philosophy or music, literature, art, or economics.

Congratulations to Nadia Urbinati on the award of this year's Serena Medal by the British Academy www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/prizes-medal...

The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory: Launch Event This event is organised by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism.

Delighted to announce a hybrid event to launchThe Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory: ed Richard Bellamy and Jeff King

UCL 13 Oct 2025, 18:05 – 19:30, followed by a wine reception.

Event details and how to book an on line or in person place – are here

www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...

Hybrid | The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory: Launch Event This event is organised by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism.

www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory: Launch Event

The UCL Global Centre for Constitutional Democracy at UCL is delighted to announce an event to launch The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory at UCL on 13 October 2025, 6:05 pm–8:00 pm All welcome.

Details here:

www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

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New Book - Defending the Political Constitution - coming soon ....

Wtf?! Barbaric

It was such a pleasure to discuss with the brilliant @shafakelif literature and politics, minorities in the Ottoman Empire, how the past conditions us, the role of writers in society, and much more... The joint interview is out in today's @theguardian.com link👇

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi review – love, war and betrayal Troubled by a photo of her grandmother living it up in Mussolini’s Italy, the author of Free delves into archive and memory to uncover the truth

Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi review – love, war and betrayal

I have a new paper out online in @crispp.bsky.social: I argue that a focus on domination can help us better understand a renewed politics of working time - a reduction in work, the right to disconnect, and challenging employer authority over free time.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Opinion: The past decade was a masterclass in how to misread a nation. If Sir Keir Starmer doesn’t want to gift Britain to Reform, he needs to prove fast that he can be tough and effective on immigration on.ft.com/47dejup

Should Politicians Always Be Truthful? | UCL Uncovering Politics This week we ask if politicians should always be truthful? It often feels like many politicians themselves think not. But what does a healthy democracy demand?

I discuss its themes - in some ways part of a new book project - with Alan Renwick at: uncoveringpolitics.com/episodes/sho...

Truthfulness, pluralism and the ethics of democratic representation - Richard Bellamy, Sandra Kröger, 2025 It is sometimes suggested that even democratic politicians need to dirty their hands in ways that render hypocrisy, lying and deception unavoidable and even jus...

New article now out and on open access - “Truthfulness, pluralism and the ethics of democratic representation” is now published in Volume 27, Issue 3 of The British Journal of Politics and International Relations and is available at doi.org/10.1177/1369...

Excellent piece

Manu Chao rocking Livorno

CRISPP 28.5 is now on line. A special Issue on Democratic Ethics and Voting edited by Annabelle Lever & Attila Mráz
– many articles open access – available at:

www.tandfonline.com/toc/fcri20/c...

Congratulations!