Adam Tomkins
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proftomkins.bsky.social
Adam Tomkins
@proftomkins.bsky.social

Professor of Law, University of Glasgow. Latest book: On The Law of Speaking Freely (Hart, 2025). Now writing about Enlightenment, democracy, and decline.

Adam Tomkins is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region from 2016 to 2021, when he stood down for that year's elections. .. more

Political science 58%
Law 27%
Pinned
This is now out in the world:

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

Looking forward to tomorrow afternoon's @uofglaw.bsky.social Public Law Research Cluster seminar, when David Kenny (@dkennytcd.bsky.social) of @tcddublin.bsky.social will present his paper 'Ireland, Westminster, and Political Constitutionalism'.

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

The audiobook of ‘On the Law of Speaking Freely’ by @proftomkins.bsky.social is available now!

Chosen by Lord Sumption as one of The Spectator’s Books of the Year: “Much more than a law book … It deserves a much wider readership than just lawyers.”

🎧 Listen here: https://adbl.co/44zOMbP

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

🙌 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:

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

🎤 “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_...

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

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

⌛️ 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
🎟️ 👇
SHUT UP! Should offensive speech be free?
Join Professor Adam Tomkins and the John Smith Centre to examine how to navigate free speech.
www.eventbrite.co.uk

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

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

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 👇
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…
www.johnsmithcentre.com

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

📢 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

Published today: on how to fix free speech in Britain (for those who think it may be broken) lawliberty.org/the-uks-spee...
The UK’s Speech Problem – Adam Tomkins
If free speech is broken in Britain, here’s how to fix it.
lawliberty.org

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.

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

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.)
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...
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.
www.jobs.ac.uk

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.

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

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.

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

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

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

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...
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...
esclh.blogspot.com

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 👌
Pleased to have been awarded some money by the Society of Legal Scholars to do an event on 'Economic Aspects of the Constitution' later in the year. Call for papers to follow.

Reposted by Adam Tomkins

Pleased to have been awarded some money by the Society of Legal Scholars to do an event on 'Economic Aspects of the Constitution' later in the year. Call for papers to follow.

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...
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.
m.soundcloud.com