John Denham
@jydenham.bsky.social
Professor | Former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister | Director, Centre for English Identity and Politics | Writing about how ideas of nation and nationhood shape politics today at nationstateandpolitics.substack.com ✍️
Money-laundering puts dirty money into the mainstream economy. National populism works the same way
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/the-proble...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/the-proble...
November 17, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Money-laundering puts dirty money into the mainstream economy. National populism works the same way
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/the-proble...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/the-proble...
Let’s make better use of the money we spend on public services:
November 17, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Let’s make better use of the money we spend on public services:
The status quo will not defeat national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
November 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
The status quo will not defeat national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
On the appeal of national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
November 12, 2025 at 9:15 AM
On the appeal of national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
How not to tackle national populism
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
November 11, 2025 at 6:58 PM
How not to tackle national populism
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
From my latest post on the rise of national populism
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
From my latest post on the rise of national populism
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Six posts, one theme: how national populism reshaped European politics.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
November 10, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Six posts, one theme: how national populism reshaped European politics.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
Six posts, one theme: how national populism reshaped European politics.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
November 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Six posts, one theme: how national populism reshaped European politics.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
Here’s what we’ve learned so far 🧵 👇
The Nation Returns
Across Europe, voters are turning to movements that promise to restore national control.
The question is not only why they believe it — but why so few opponents of national populism offer a convincing alternative.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/how-we-got...
Across Europe, voters are turning to movements that promise to restore national control.
The question is not only why they believe it — but why so few opponents of national populism offer a convincing alternative.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/how-we-got...
November 9, 2025 at 1:11 PM
The Nation Returns
Across Europe, voters are turning to movements that promise to restore national control.
The question is not only why they believe it — but why so few opponents of national populism offer a convincing alternative.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/how-we-got...
Across Europe, voters are turning to movements that promise to restore national control.
The question is not only why they believe it — but why so few opponents of national populism offer a convincing alternative.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/how-we-got...
Populism’s appeal is coherent: it links economics, democracy and belonging through the idea of the nation.
Its opponents rarely offer a story of their own.
Its opponents rarely offer a story of their own.
November 8, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Populism’s appeal is coherent: it links economics, democracy and belonging through the idea of the nation.
Its opponents rarely offer a story of their own.
Its opponents rarely offer a story of their own.
England's voters polarise along a 'sovereignty axis': how people think about the UK as a sovereign nation. Ten years after Brexit it still divides Leave and Remain voters (whatever they now feel about membership per se)
November 3, 2025 at 12:13 PM
England's voters polarise along a 'sovereignty axis': how people think about the UK as a sovereign nation. Ten years after Brexit it still divides Leave and Remain voters (whatever they now feel about membership per se)
Can national populism be challenged effectively without a coherent, alternative, story of the nation?
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 30, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Can national populism be challenged effectively without a coherent, alternative, story of the nation?
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
The ideological flexibility of national populism often surprises those who think it’s a front for neo-liberalism
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 30, 2025 at 9:01 AM
The ideological flexibility of national populism often surprises those who think it’s a front for neo-liberalism
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
National populism rests on exclusive ideas of who can belong to the nation, but it frames its appeal much more widely than that.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
National populism rests on exclusive ideas of who can belong to the nation, but it frames its appeal much more widely than that.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
National populism doesn’t just offer traditional history but pride to people and places that were once central to the life of the nation.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 AM
National populism doesn’t just offer traditional history but pride to people and places that were once central to the life of the nation.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
At the level of the nation, ‘the people’ and ‘the elites’ are not abstract ideas, but real people and those with power and influence.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 28, 2025 at 2:01 PM
At the level of the nation, ‘the people’ and ‘the elites’ are not abstract ideas, but real people and those with power and influence.
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
National Populism may be an international phenomenon but frames its appeal nation by nation
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
October 28, 2025 at 9:45 AM
National Populism may be an international phenomenon but frames its appeal nation by nation
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
nationstateandpolitics.substack.com/p/national-p...
Explore how the rise of sovereigntism is shaping the dilemma facing Europe's nation states:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
October 24, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Explore how the rise of sovereigntism is shaping the dilemma facing Europe's nation states:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The rise of sovereigntism is disrupting Europe's politics, but is it also a 'legitimate democratic demand'? Read more here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
October 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The rise of sovereigntism is disrupting Europe's politics, but is it also a 'legitimate democratic demand'? Read more here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Stronger economies, energy security, controlled migration, defence and security, and challenging borderless digital power effective international cooperation. But sovereigntism is a demand to bring all issues of concern within the scope of national democracy.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
October 22, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Stronger economies, energy security, controlled migration, defence and security, and challenging borderless digital power effective international cooperation. But sovereigntism is a demand to bring all issues of concern within the scope of national democracy.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The rise of national populism shifted politics from debates about policy to which institutions best represent the people. Sovereigntism sees legitimate authority resting with the people and their national institutions.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
October 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
The rise of national populism shifted politics from debates about policy to which institutions best represent the people. Sovereigntism sees legitimate authority resting with the people and their national institutions.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The chronic, systemic, morbidity of many European nation states is the background to the rise of sovereigntism and national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
October 20, 2025 at 12:51 PM
The chronic, systemic, morbidity of many European nation states is the background to the rise of sovereigntism and national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Thanks for reading. If governments took nationhood seriously instead of letting national populists make the running it would help change the conversation. Stick with the Substack - I’ll get to how to do this before too
long!
long!
October 13, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Thanks for reading. If governments took nationhood seriously instead of letting national populists make the running it would help change the conversation. Stick with the Substack - I’ll get to how to do this before too
long!
long!
A lot around about Starmer and patriotism today. Some thoughts on progressive patriotism from me, with link to main article open.substack.com/pub/nationst...
September 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
A lot around about Starmer and patriotism today. Some thoughts on progressive patriotism from me, with link to main article open.substack.com/pub/nationst...
Tories allow record levels of legal immigration and let small boats become established as a migrant route. Keir Starmer knows it was Labour’s fault. (Happy to delete if someone can explain why this is, in fact, brilliant comms)
September 26, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Tories allow record levels of legal immigration and let small boats become established as a migrant route. Keir Starmer knows it was Labour’s fault. (Happy to delete if someone can explain why this is, in fact, brilliant comms)