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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A Very British Coup? Former Royal Navy Trident Submarine Commander Assesses
Dr Andrew Corbett, of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, delves into evidence that the Government is actively undermining British democracy
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Lifestyle Company with No Employees or Trading History Handed £25 Million PPE Contract
Stephen Delahunty reports on another case of a private company with no expertise or experience providing personal protective equipment being engaged by the Government to do so
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Did Trump Cover-Up a Russian Conspiracy with the Taliban to Kill US Troops?
Kseniya Kirillova talks to intelligence experts about the likelihood the US President ignored evidence of GRU bounties paid to target troops in Afghanistan
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UK’s Rival to Galileo: A Brexit Farce
In space, as in so many policy areas, no one can hear you scream. Alex Andreou on another multi-million-pound fiasco driven by narrow nationalism
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‘A Hard Rain’: Johnson, Gove and Cummings Drive Britain Towards Elective Dictatorship
David Hencke reports on the radical moves to undermine parliamentary democracy by Boris Johnson’s chief advisor and the Cabinet Office Minister
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‘Betrayal’ and Intrigue: A Russian Politician’s Life in Exile
Kseniya Kirillova hears warnings from a dissident former Russian politician, whose father is a close friend of Vladimir Putin, of renewed attempts to subvert democracy.
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Secondary Infektion: How a Russian Operation Subverted British Politics
Stephen Komarnyckyj reports on a Kremlin-friendly online operation that tried to sow division between the UK and its allies remained undetected for years
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Jeux Sans Frontieres – Boris Johnson Gives Up Controlling the UK Border
Though it made much of controlling the borders, Mike Buckley reports how the Vote Leave Government is abandoning the principle at great cost to business and the NHS
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Another Great British World-Beating Fiasco
David Hencke reports on how much money has been wasted on the Government’s NHSX tracing app, which it has now ditched to follow one being used by other countries for some time
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Qanon in Georgia — The Conspiracy Theory that has Become an Article of Faith
Graham Williamson reports on how the bizarre American satanic myth is now going mainstream in the Republican Party
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Ruling by Decree: Boris Johnson and his Henry VIII Powers
David Hencke reports on new analysis from the House of Lords that reveals an extensive power grab by the Prime Minister and his Government
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How the Kremlin Tries to Play US Protests
Kseniya Kirillova reports on how Putin’s propaganda experts are trying to use Black Lives Matter to intervene abroad and bolster support at home
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Whitehall Analytica: Dominic Cummings’ Shake-Up of the British State Gathers Pace
David Hencke reports on how, having survived the scandal of breaking the COVID-19 lockdown, Boris Johnson’s chief advisor is not letting the Coronavirus crisis go to waste
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COVID-19 has Brought Our Slow-Moving Democratic Crisis Front and Centre
Kyle Taylor shares the recommendations of a new report focused on solutions to keep democratic processes going during crises such as the Coronavirus outbreak.
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Blackstone, Private Equity and the Future of Public Education
Tom White, Ben Jacob and Crystal Ma look at how private firms and billionaire donors could benefit from the radical restructuring of universities during the Coronavirus pandemic
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Why is the Guardian Accepting a Dodgy Subsidy from this Dodgy Government?
Brian Cathcart reveals how the paper that exposed phone hacking has joined the cosy newspaper cartel that publishes Government advertorial in return for a bung from Michael Gove
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Defending the Kremlin and British Business Ties with Russia
Sarah Hurst talks to the British businessman Roger Munnings about his business interests with Russian companies and his vocal support for Vladimir Putin
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Dutch Intelligence Report Underestimates Extent of Russian Influence in the Netherlands
Stephen Komarnyckyj reports on the Kremlin’s effective disinformation campaign around the shooting down of Flight MH17 with the loss of nearly two hundred Dutch lives
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PROPAGANDA BACKFIRE: The Kremlin’s Conspiracy Theories Undermine its Own Authority
By supporting theories aimed at destabilising the US during the Coronavirus pandemic, Kseniya Kirillova reports on how Putin has opened up a Pandora’s Box at home
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Dominic Cummings’ Whitehall Revolution is Underway
David Hencke reports on how the scandal-hit No. 10 chief advisor has already begun his long-term promise to use Big Tech models to disrupt the British state.
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Five Things Dominic Cummings Could Have Over Boris Johnson
With the Government mounting an unprecedented defence of the unelected chief advisor, Peter Jukes tries to work out what makes him so indispensable.
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A ‘Rollout’ for the US Elections: Ukraine Launches Court Case against Joe Biden
Stephen Komarnyckyj debunks the claims made against the Democratic US Presidential Candidate with the release of a new tape
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‘Without Freedom and Democracy What’s the Point in Living?’ – The New Law Presenting a Grave Threat to Hong Kong
Beijing has today approved plans for a new national security law to bring Hong Kong further under its control. What does this mean for the future of democracy on the island? Steve Shaw reports.
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The Cummings Scandal Shows Us Just How Dependent the Billionaire Press is on Boris Johnson
Brian Cathcart explains why Britain’s right-wing newspapers will try their best to support the Government in its attempts to ‘move on’ from the scandal of the Prime Minister’s chief advisor.
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Dominic Cummings’ Billion-Dollar Brainchild
David Hencke reveals up to £940 million in funding towards the No. 10 chief advisor’s pet project of a US-style research agency — ARPA.
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Poison and Dark Money: Putin’s Strategy Extends Further Across Europe
Kseniya Kirillova reports on the Ricin Plot in Prague and how the Czech Republic — like the UK — has its problems with Kremlin gold and terror
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£8bn NHS Health Data Plan: Tech Arm Set Up Without Oversight Official Watchdog Reveals
David Hencke reports on revelations from the National Audit Office over massive IT spending and the unaccountable role of NHSX.
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WHITEHALL ANALYTICA – THE AI SUPERSTATE: Part 2 – Is COVID-19 Fast-Tracking a Eugenics-Inspired Genomics Programme in the NHS?
Nafeez Ahmed explores the troubling implications and assumptions of the Government’s AI-driven gene programme
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WHITEHALL ANALYTICA – THE AI SUPERSTATE: Part 1 – The Corporate Money Behind Health Surveillance
The first part of Nafeez Ahmed’s major investigation into the money, men and motivation behind a massive move into medical data.
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The Coronavirus Crisis: Beware the Hawks and Vultures Cashing In On Public Health
Azfar Shafi examines how the conflation of security and public health, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, has the potential to hollow out our public services to an extent not seen before.
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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS: We Are Not All In This Together
Stephen Colegrave reports on how COVID-19 only intensifies the disparity of wealth, health and opportunity that is driving the UK apart.
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Nigel Farage’s End of the Pier Show
Otto English delves into how the Brexit Party leader is keeping himself relevant now that we have taken back control and his American dreams have not come to fruition.
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Czech Authorities Allege Russia involved in Ricin Poisoning Plot
Kseniya Kirollova points out that, given Putin’s habit for assassination, security agencies have no choice but to take new terror threats seriously.
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A Year On from the Scandal of the European Elections, Democracy is Still in Danger
Maike Bohn, co-founder of the 3Million Campaign, explains how thousands were disenfranchised last year and their plan to take the Government to court over a dangerous precedent.
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WHITEHALL ANALYTICA: NHSX Contact Tracing App — Management Outsourced to Private Company and to be Accessed Overseas
David Hencke explores COVID-19 contracts worth £8m handed out by the UK Government for its controversial centralisation of personal data.
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WHITEHALL ANALYTICA: Vote Leave Firm Tied to Cambridge Analytica ‘Configured’ NHSX Contact Tracing App
Nafeez Ahmed reveals how concerns around privacy and trust in the UK Government’s centralised COVID-19 tracing system are matched by doubts about its effectiveness.
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Putin’s Pandemic Double Talk: How the Kremlin Betrays Russians at Home and Abroad
Kseniya Kirillova reports on how, from prison conditions to repatriating citizens, officials are a major threat to Russians during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Parliament’s Standards Committee Demands Apologies from Two Government Trade Ministers
As one minister resigns, David Hencke reports on a rare dual rebuke to two members of Boris Johnson’s Government.
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UK Imposes Sanctions on Trump
David Hencke reveals that to abide with World Trade Organisation and EU rules, Britain is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on the US.
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Moscow Transforms Occupied Territories into Anti-Western Coalitions
Kseniya Kirillova on how Kremlin-controlled statelets in Ukrainian occupied territory are creating an international ‘anti-globalism’ alliance.
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Palantir Coronavirus Contract Did Not Go to Competitive Tender
David Hencke reveals that the UK Government’s COVID-19 contract with the data surveillance firm owned by Donald Trump-backer Peter Thiel was approved under an obscure statutory instrument.
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Russian Radicals Turn Trump into a Hero of the “Holy War”
Kseniya Kirollova explores the more extreme Coronavirus conspiracy theories emanating from Russia are created for export to US Ultra Conservatives
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Six Important Facts About Coronavirus Disinformation
Samantha North reveals on how COVID-19 propaganda is being monetised and exploited to promote political polarisation.
