SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Crypto Politics
Dark money, lobbying, regulatory capture, state institutions hollowed by donor factions, foreign interference, and the financialisation of political power.
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The Politics of Fear: White Voters and the Left
New data shows a quarter of white voters in the US are concerned about extreme left-wing groups – ignoring the reality of political violence
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Is Johnson’s Plan for the House of Lords the Greatest Attack on British Democracy?
Britain’s parliamentary democracy cannot allow one-party dominance in the way the Prime Minister intends for the upper chamber, says barrister Gareth Roberts
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A Lack of Oversight in the Tory Leadership Contest Damages Democracy
Rachel Morris responds to our recent reports on how people living abroad can pay to vote in the Conservative leadership contest, and install the next Prime Minister
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Sunak v Truss: The Post-Truth Revolution Eats Itself
Economist Anthony Yates looks at the different tax proposals of the two candidates vying to become Prime Minister and finds a common thread of fiscal fantasy and Brexit denial
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Johnson’s Visit to the Lebedevs: A Dire State Not A ‘Deep State’
There is no such thing as ‘private business’ when you’re Foreign Secretary, writes former diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall
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‘Do the Right Thing’: Trump Under Criminal Investigation
After months of public outcry, reports confirm Donald Trump is being investigated by the US Department of Justice for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election, reports Heidi Siegmund Cuda
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The Women of Grenfell
The inquiry into the Grenfell fire ended on 21 July, more than five years after the disaster. But for survivors and next of kin, the grief is still raw and questions remain unanswered. Sian Norris reports
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Truss’ Plans for EU Laws Follow a Pattern of Attacks on Women’s Economic Security
12 years of austerity, a lack of investment in care, and the rising cost of living have harmed women’s economic security – now Truss’ Brexit plans risk continuing that trend, argues Sian Norris
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A Bridge to Nowhere: Thatcherism Trumps Levelling Up
Despite the warm words of Truss and Sunak, Boris Johnson’s flagship policy is set for the scrapheap, contends Sam Bright
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Cruel Britannia and the ‘Global Britain’ Fallacy
The rhetoric and the reality of post-Brexit Britain are more distant than ever, notes Rachel Morris
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A ‘Cycle of Trauma’: Violence Against the Homeless Met with Institutional Inaction
The threat of abuse constantly lurks in the homeless community, with virtually no recourse for those affected
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Conservatives Posture About Foreign Enemies While Ignoring Own Membership Rules
Sam Bright digs further into the party’s permissive approach to foreign members, as the Conservatives stonewall questions about the risk of political interference
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Boris Johnson’s Golden Goodbyes
Byline Times and The Citizens explore the Conservative Party’s accelerated attempts to exploit the House of Lords
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How Should We Respond to the Conservative Party’s Authoritarian Turn?
David Lowther speaks to experts in national identity and authoritarianism, to shed light on how progressive forces should react to the debasement of democracy under this Government
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Climate and Corruption Concerns over ‘Rushed’ UK-India Trade Deal
Peers have expressed alarm about the Government’s approach to one of its flagship post-Brexit trade deals, reports David Hencke
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Kenya’s Pro-Choice Movement Faces Emboldened Threats in a Post-Roe World
Reporting from the ground in Nairobi, Kenya, Sian Norris meets the pro-abortion activists fighting for reproductive healthcare in East Africa – and exposes the forces determined to stop them
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The ‘Far-Righting’ of the Conservative Party
Martin Shaw considers how the Conservatives have incorporated radical right-wing politics since the onset of the great Brexit debate
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From Stagflation to Stagffluence: the Hollowing Out of the Rentier Economy
As the cost of living crisis mounts, Rowland Atkinson and Andrew Baker look at the stagnation of wages and the rising polarisation between renters and owners of assets
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Flagship Levelling Up Project Won’t Materialise for Decades, Report Warns
Overcrowded, unreliable services look set to plague the north for some time to come, writes David Hencke
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Vote Leave’s Immigration Hypocrisy
TJ Coles unpicks how Brexiters have approached immigration in office, after using it as a scare campaign for so many years
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Rishi Sunak’s Family Profiting from Ties to Oil Giant Shell
Nafeez Ahmed reveals how every one of the four hopefuls battling to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader is tied to fossil fuels and climate science denial
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Boris Johnson is Leaving Downing Street and Bringing All of Us Down with Him
The Prime Minister’s disgraceful long exit from Government is damaging both his own party and the country, reports Adam Bienkov
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Conservative Anti-Strike Laws Condemned by Lords
Senior peers have slammed the Government’s attempts to sabotage strike action, reports David Hencke
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Spending on Early Years Support Halved Under Successive Conservative Led Governments
New research published by a coalition of children’s charities reveals the impact of austerity measures on looked-after children, reports Sian Norris
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Tory MP Takes £46,000 a-Year Second Job With Energy Company
Amid a cost of living and climate crisis, one Conservative MP has accepted a £2,600 a-day role at an American energy firm, reveals Sam Bright
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How Russia’s Western Propagandists are Undermining Justice for War Crime Victims
Chris York looks at the Kremlin’s increasingly reliance on foreign ‘influencers’ to sow doubt and disinformation about the regime’s war crimes in Ukraine
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Conservative Cost of Living Inertia
The absence of credible solutions to the economic crisis is one of the most galling features of the Tory leadership contest, says James Meadway
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Dorries’ Dinner with Lord Evgeny Lebedev
The Culture Secretary enjoyed the hospitality of the British-Russian newspaper proprietor weeks before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
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The Perils of a Renewed Age of Austerity
Sascha Lavin explores why tax-cuts promised by the Conservative leadership hopefuls are even more dangerous after 12 years of austerity
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Werleman’s Worldview: Donald Trump has Left American Democracy in Limbo
The decision to prosecute the former President, or to absolve his crimes, will shape US politics for generations, says CJ Werleman
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A Graceless Fall: The Dangers That Remain in the Twilight of Johnson’s Reign
Chaotic, self-centred and unpredictable, Boris Johnson is still a constitutional conundrum, says Rachel Morris
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Rescuing Democracy: Lessons from American Progressives
As British politics continue to implode, Anthony Barnett explains how the US is also facing the threat of modern fascism, and the lessons we can learn from their new alliances
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The Tory Leadership Election Epitomises the British Class Divide
The race to be Prime Minister has been laced with social snobbery and active hostility toward the poor, says Taj Ali
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The Party of Oligarchs: How Big Money Came Back to Rule British Politics
Sascha Lavin examines whether millionaire politicians are bad for democracy
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Autocracy, Brexit, COVID: What the Tory Candidates Aren’t Talking About
From cleaning up Londongrad to the economic fallout of Brexit, the Conservative Party is in a state of intentional denial, says Sam Bright
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Concierge Capitalism: The Conservative Free Market Myth
In politics and economics, the Conservative Party has rigged the system in favour of an entrenched elite, contends Sam Bright
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The Next Conservative Leader: a High-Austerity Prime Minister
Conservative candidates are making increasingly wild tax cut pledges, which can only be paid for by drastically cutting public services, reports Adam Bienkov
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Boris Johnson’s Only Legacy Will be Failed Vanity Projects and a Large Bill
For a man so obsessed with his own image, the outgoing Prime Minister will leave few relics behind him, reports Adam Bienkov
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Boris Johnson: The Naked Emperor Exposed
The Prime Minister resigned in much the same fashion as he had ruled over the country, with lies and self-delusion, observes Otto English
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Conservative Leadership Contest: Another Populist Pageant?
They’re off! As candidates vie to replace Boris Johnson, Sam Bright predicts they’ll all appeal to the three Conservative commandments of nationalism, Brexit, and Thatcherism
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How Boris Johnson Caused the Death of his Own Government
The Prime Minister’s complete lack of shame ultimately led his Government to destruction, reports Adam Bienkov
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Benefit Claimants Paying Government Debt Deductions Struggle to Buy Essentials
The policy of the Government taking debt deductions out of people’s Universal Credit payments is exacerbating the cost of living crisis for most vulnerable, Sian Norris reports
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Boris Johnson Will Try to ‘Burn Everything to the Ground’ – Because He Can
As the Prime Minister’s actions have repeatedly shown, elaborate conventions and procedures mask the features that fundamentally undermine democracy in British politics, says Sam Bright
