Alan Renwick
alanrenwick.bsky.social
Alan Renwick
@alanrenwick.bsky.social

Professor of Democratic Politics and Deputy Director of the UCL Constitution Unit. Researching democratic reform in the UK and around the world. Views my own.

Political science 75%
Communication & Media Studies 7%

Really looking forward to speaking at this event tomorrow on democracy, and hearing the perspectives of other participants.

There's an option to attend online for those who can't join in person - just follow the link below for details.
@alanrenwick.bsky.social is speaking at an in-person event at Kensington Central Library tomorrow night.

Co-organised with Operation Black Vote and @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social, the event is part of a series about how democracy works and how to shape political decisions.

Sign up 👇
Use your voice | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
www.rbkc.gov.uk

Reposted by Alan Renwick

@alanrenwick.bsky.social is speaking at an in-person event at Kensington Central Library tomorrow night.

Co-organised with Operation Black Vote and @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social, the event is part of a series about how democracy works and how to shape political decisions.

Sign up 👇
Use your voice | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
www.rbkc.gov.uk

The Constitution Unit's latest round-up of constitutional developments in the UK is out now!
The latest edition of our triannual constitutional review is now available!

Monitor 91 warns that 'changes feel timid and reluctant in the face of serious threats' and explains what is happening across the constitutional spectrum.

Read it 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Or browse our thread 👇

Reposted by Alan Renwick

The latest edition of our triannual constitutional review is now available!

Monitor 91 warns that 'changes feel timid and reluctant in the face of serious threats' and explains what is happening across the constitutional spectrum.

Read it 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Or browse our thread 👇

Reposted by Alan Renwick

A united Ireland referendum must not be ‘another Brexit’, analysts say
A united Ireland referendum must not be ‘another Brexit’, analysts say
Two leading journalists from both sides of the border warn against another ‘vague, thumbs up-thumbs down’ vote
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

Does the elections white paper go far enough?

At 1pm today, join @catsmithmp.bsky.social, @rosewhiff.bsky.social, Tom Hawthorn and David Howarth at our free, online event to consider if the government's plans are sufficient to ensure electoral integrity.

Sign up 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Reposted by Alan Renwick

📢 Do the Government's electoral reforms go far enough?

📺 Looking forward to this @conunitucl.bsky.social event featuring APPG member @catsmithmp.bsky.social

🎯 Ministers must go further: from a truly independent regulator, to a National Commission on Electoral Reform

🔗 ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...

Reposted by Alan Renwick

NEW BLOG: How does politics work in Northern Ireland?

@lisajames.bsky.social, @conorjkelly.bsky.social and @alanrenwick.bsky.social explain Northern Ireland's politics and political structures, including power-sharing, the impact of Brexit and debates over Northern Ireland's future.
How does politics work in Northern Ireland?
Politics in Northern Ireland has long been dominated by two alternative constitutional visions: remaining part of the United Kingdom, or unifying with Ireland. In this post – part of the Unit’s new and updated briefing series on key constitutional topics – Lisa James, Conor J. Kelly and Alan Renwick discuss Northern Ireland’s distinctive politics and political structures, and explain the UK government’s role in supporting long-term stability.
constitution-unit.com

Many thanks, David. We wanted to keep the description as simple as we could, so chose to focus on the effect of the system. But we do realise that some points deserve more qualification. Thank you for highlighting this one.

The Constitution Unit has today published a fully updated set of briefings on aspects of politics and the constitution in the UK - with three entirely new briefings added too.

See the thread below for tasters and links.

Happy reading! We hope the briefings will be super-useful for many people.
It is briefings day!

We are releasing newly updated versions of our briefings, plus three new ones!

The series covers topics from the constitutional principles that underpin democracy to the role of citizens' assemblies.

Use this mega-thread to browse them.

And find out more 👇
Constitution Unit publishes new briefings on constitutional principles and the health of democracy
The Constitution Unit has today published new and updated briefings as part of its Constitutional Principles and the Health of Democracy project.
www.ucl.ac.uk
It is briefings day!

We are releasing newly updated versions of our briefings, plus three new ones!

The series covers topics from the constitutional principles that underpin democracy to the role of citizens' assemblies.

Use this mega-thread to browse them.

And find out more 👇
Constitution Unit publishes new briefings on constitutional principles and the health of democracy
The Constitution Unit has today published new and updated briefings as part of its Constitutional Principles and the Health of Democracy project.
www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Alan Renwick

Does the elections white paper go far enough?

On 24 October, join @catsmithmp.bsky.social, @rosewhiff.bsky.social, Tom Hawthorn and David Howarth at our free, online event to consider if the government's plans are sufficient to ensure electoral integrity.

Sign up 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Reposted by Alan Renwick

ON THE BLOG: Prime Minister's Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons: Lessons in parliamentary reform

@ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social explains how Canada's experiment with a Prime Minister's Question Period procedure between 2017 and 2025 worked and how it differed from the traditional model.
Prime Minister's Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons: Lessons in parliamentary reform
Between 2017 and 2025, the Canadian House of Commons operated a Prime Minister’s Question Period procedure, introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a new published article summarised here, Ruxandra Serban explores how this procedure worked, and how it differed from the traditional Question Period model.
constitution-unit.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

'Democracy is not just about voting, but it is also about thinking through the issues and working out what you think.'

Our Deputy Director, @alanrenwick.bsky.social, appeared on David Runciman's Past Present Future podcast to talk about referendums.

Listen on YouTube 👇
Fixing Democracy: What’s Wrong with Referendums?
In today’s episode David talks to Alan Renwick from UCL’s Constitution Unit about the pros and cons of referendums. When does a democratic question need to be put direct to the people? Do some…
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Claudia Landwehr

Lovely to talk referendums with the ever-insightful David Runciman. This is part of a series on how to fix democracy's problems - definitely worth a listen if you haven't done so yet!
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

In today’s episode David talks to @alanrenwick.bsky.social from UCL’s Constitution Unit about the pros & cons of referendums. How can they be used to open up political debate? When does a democratic question need to be put direct to the people?

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

'Democracy is not just about voting, but it is also about thinking through the issues and working out what you think.'

Our Deputy Director, @alanrenwick.bsky.social, is on the latest episode of David Runciman's Past Present Future podcast discussing referendums.

Listen on YouTube 👇
Fixing Democracy: What’s Wrong with Referendums?
In today’s episode David talks to Alan Renwick from UCL’s Constitution Unit about the pros and cons of referendums. When does a democratic question need to be put direct to the people? Do some…
www.youtube.com
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

In today’s episode David talks to @alanrenwick.bsky.social from UCL’s Constitution Unit about the pros & cons of referendums. How can they be used to open up political debate? When does a democratic question need to be put direct to the people?

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

NEW BLOG: Government plans for electoral reform are welcome but contain one serious error of judgement

@alanrenwick.bsky.social argues much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
Government plans for electoral reform are welcome but contain one serious error of judgement
Much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
constitution-unit.com

Thank you! Yes, I agree, and your piece on this is really good. All power to you in pushing it!

I'd mention some other points too (better information provision might top my list). The post was already long, so I focused just on what's in the government paper. But there's a lot more to say!
Thoughts from me on the UK government's elections policy paper.

In short: many good things, but several points don't go far enough, and there is one big mistake.
NEW BLOG: Government plans for electoral reform are welcome but contain one serious error of judgement

@alanrenwick.bsky.social argues much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
Government plans for electoral reform are a welcome start, but contain one surprising and serious error of judgement
Much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
constitution-unit.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

NEW BLOG: Government plans for electoral reform are welcome but contain one serious error of judgement

@alanrenwick.bsky.social argues much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
Government plans for electoral reform are a welcome start, but contain one surprising and serious error of judgement
Much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed ministers responsible for elections will need to make further progress on some crucial matters
constitution-unit.com

Many congratulations to my great colleague Luis Schenoni on this wonderful, richly deserved achievement!

@uclspp.bsky.social
👏 We're excited to announce that @llschenoni.bsky.social has won our Hedley Bull Prize in #InternationalRelations!

🏆 Luis' book, 'Bringing War Back In', beautifully weaves a myriad of methods with robust analytical findings, as described by our jury #ECPRPrizes

Read more 👉 buff.ly/M7VEszk
Luis L. Schenoni is awarded our 2025 Hedley Bull Prize
European Consortium for Political Research
buff.ly

Reposted by Alan Renwick

👏 We're excited to announce that @llschenoni.bsky.social has won our Hedley Bull Prize in #InternationalRelations!

🏆 Luis' book, 'Bringing War Back In', beautifully weaves a myriad of methods with robust analytical findings, as described by our jury #ECPRPrizes

Read more 👉 buff.ly/M7VEszk
Luis L. Schenoni is awarded our 2025 Hedley Bull Prize
European Consortium for Political Research
buff.ly

Reposted by Alan Renwick

Listen to 'Uncovering Politics' for expert insights into both the immediate drivers of the 2024 result and the longer-term transformations reshaping UK politics.

With @martamiori.bsky.social @psurridge.bsky.social @profjanegreen.bsky.social @alanrenwick.bsky.social
UCL Uncovering Politics - Listen on Spotify - Linktree
View uclpoliticalscience’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!
linktr.ee
This, by @alanrenwick.bsky.social, is spot on about the dire impact of Prime Minister's Questions - the flagship event of the parliamentary week.
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

Reposted by Alan Renwick

'They should be the start of an ongoing process of fundamental democratic renewal. And on some of the matters requiring further change, the need for action is urgent.'

Read our Deputy Director, @alanrenwick.bsky.social's, instant analysis of the elections white paper for @uclpolicylab.bsky.social 👇
Plans for electoral reform mark a major step forward in reforming our democracy
Speaking at the civil society summit, Sir Keir Starmer outlined a range of democratic reforms, including the introduction of votes for 16-year-olds. Professor Alan Renwick provides his in-depth…
www.ucl.ac.uk

Don't miss the UCL Constitution Unit's new Monitor, out today.

It's filled, as ever, with analysis of constitutional developments over the past four months or so - Lords reform electoral reform, devolution, and lots more.

@conunitucl.bsky.social
The latest edition of our regular constitutional review is now available!

Monitor 90 describes this government's constitutional reform scorecard as 'mixed'. It says that much remains to be done and progress in some areas has been disappointing.

Read it 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution....

Reposted by Alan Renwick

The latest edition of our regular constitutional review is now available!

Monitor 90 describes this government's constitutional reform scorecard as 'mixed'. It says that much remains to be done and progress in some areas has been disappointing.

Read it 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution....

Fascinating discussion of the current English devolution plans, particularly exploring their effects on democracy.

Thank you to all three speakers for bringing such insight and clarity.
England's 'devolution revolution': prospects and challenges

We hosted a timely event this afternoon (held just before the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was published) all about English devolution, with Bella Sankey, Roger Gough and @ariannagiovannini.bsky.social.

Watch it 👇
England’s ‘devolution revolution’: prospects and challenges
YouTube video by UCL Constitution Unit
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Alan Renwick

England's 'devolution revolution': prospects and challenges

We hosted a timely event this afternoon (held just before the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was published) all about English devolution, with Bella Sankey, Roger Gough and @ariannagiovannini.bsky.social.

Watch it 👇
England’s ‘devolution revolution’: prospects and challenges
YouTube video by UCL Constitution Unit
www.youtube.com