This is to announce the return of ThatsDemocracy.com

I have just published How Democracies Live (Chicago University Press). I will draw on the book to discuss the whys and hows of democratic government.

In a series of initial posts, I will seek to answer the question “why democracy?” There are better ways, it is being suggested. Democracy is a mess. We need to take the detractors seriously and answer the why-question in some detail.

We who believe in democracy must speak in its defence. We should encourage confidence, reform and better democratic quality. That, briefly, is the mission of this blog.

We have seen the unthinkable: an attempted coup d’état against the democratic order in America. In China, the crackdown on liberty is hardening by the day. In Europe, Russia is waging a barbaric war on a people’s right to live in freedom. Be in no doubt, democracy is under attack.