Richard Bellamy Knihy

Michael Lord is the second son in a wealthy family where the father believes in primogeniture. Set in 1990 on the Lord family estate in Somerset where the family manages their forests and Brainware, their software development company, the story describes Michael's strategies at age twenty to become the inheritor of the Lord family fortune by his twenty-first birthday. In a family brought up to ride, to sail and to rock climb Michael manages to demonstrate how he is a survivor and an opportunist where his future is concerned. Michael manages to merge studies, business opportunities, women, drugs, sex, plagiarism and family affairs in a variety of ways to advance his own future. Around this character of Michael, an intelligent but self-centred young man, the story describes the concerns and efforts of Anthony and Sylvia Lord, Michael's parents to understand their son as well as their three other children. The challenge of the second child in the Lord dynasty has been repeated in each previous generation. Just after Michael's twenty-first birthday, when he partially achieves his annual objective the story concludes with Michael being pressured to find a supposed lost or hidden part of the Lord family inheritance. In his efforts to find this at all costs Michael ends up paying a high price.

Combining extracts from political classics with original essays, this book presents a fresh perspective on social and political theory. The insightful commentaries provide context and analysis, encouraging readers to engage deeply with the foundational texts while exploring contemporary interpretations and implications. This innovative approach aims to enhance understanding and stimulate critical thinking in the field.

Richard Bellamy questions the effectiveness and legitimacy of judicial review by constitutional courts, suggesting that existing democratic systems actually offer superior and sufficient methods for protecting and promoting rights. He argues that judicial review lacks popular accountability and is thus a form of arbitrary rule.

Focusing on the democratic legitimacy of international organizations, this book critiques the European Union for its democratic disconnect. It introduces the concept of 'demoicracy' as a potential solution, advocating for a republican perspective on governance that emphasizes participatory democracy and accountability. Through this lens, it explores how international institutions can better align with democratic principles and enhance their legitimacy.

A valuable collection of articles by prominent legal and political philosophers on aspects of recent liber-al theory. The contributors examine the attempts of contemporary writers such as Rawls, Nozick, Dworkin, Raz and Gewirth to develop and extend the ideas of classic liberal thinkers of the past such as Locke, Mill and Kant. The topics covered range from an examination of the place of property rights in the liberal tradition, to debates on the nature of liberal neutrality and the role of contract in legitimising sexual as well as economic and political relations.