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SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Democracy in Danger
The newspaper’s extensive reporting and analysis of the various threats to democracy from populism, oligarchy, dark money and online disinformation.
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Revealed: Former MPs Used Parliament Access Passes Over 3,000 times
This is the last time you’ll ever know about ex-MPs who lobby for nuclear, gambling and energy industries visiting Parliament – because Jacob Rees Mogg had all the data destroyed
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Fears of a ‘Progressive Tragedy’ in Mid Beds as Labour and Lib Dems Fight It Out
Compass director Neal Lawson described the situation in Nadine Dorries’ seat as “madness”.
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Voter ID, Big Party Bungs, and Payouts to Shamed MPs Would Be Scrapped Under Lib Dem Plans
The Liberal Democrats have set out proposals for overhauling UK democracy, our Chief Reporter writes from Bournemouth.
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‘Government Stonewalling on Transparency on Foreign Influence Undermines its Tough Rhetoric on Chinese Spying’
An approach to foreign influence that relies on identifying particular state threats risks shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, writes Tom Griffin
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Campaigners Risk Prison by Standing Outside Courts Telling Jurors of ‘Right to Acquit’
Trudi Warner faces up to two years in prison for contempt of court. Now activists across the country are copying her action in solidarity
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Welsh Government Throws Down the Gauntlet in Bid to Stop Controversial ‘Anti-Boycott’ Bill
Opponents of the bill say it is designed to undermine the freedom of speech of those critical of the Israeli Government
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Government Rejects Call For Voters To Boot Out No-Show MPs Like Nadine Dorries
Nadine Dorries has prompted a debate over whether MPs should be forced to attend Parliament – rather than attend their lucrative TV gigs.
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One Alleged Chinese Spy Simply Means There Are Many More
China has emerged as a greater threat than Russia, despite Ukraine. In the New Cold War, China is richer, more populous, and the dominant power pitted against the West
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Voter ID Made it Harder for Young, Poor and Ethnic Minorities to Vote, Official Study Finds
The study suggests that those groups less likely to vote Conservative were more likely to be turned away
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Westminster’s Two-Party ‘Duopoly’ Leaves Voters with ‘Little Choice’ and Lacking ‘Meaningful Voice’, Study Finds
Political distrust has often “been the first step in a sequence of autocratisation, resulting in the breakdown of democracy itself” the report notes.
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Press Watchdog Writes to Conservatives and Party Chairs Over ‘Misleading’ Fake Newspapers
The party is “misleading voters into believing what they are reading is the work of local journalists from independent publications”
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‘Britain and the US: How the Oligarchies Posing as Democracies have Been Exposed’
Something even worse than government run by politicians is government run by politics, writes AC Grayling
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‘If Our Government Turns on its Own People, We Will Need the ECHR to Protect Us’
The European Court of Human Rights is there to safeguard us against our own worst impulses – calls to leave its jurisdiction are deeply troubling, writes Alexandra Hall Hall
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‘The Modern Conservative Party Holds the ‘Will of the People’ in Contempt’
In Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, the ethos of public service is being replaced by self-service
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Fake Newspapers Sent by Political Parties Should be Banned, Voters Say
Two thirds of Conservative voters also want the tactic currently being pushed by Rishi Sunak’s party to be outlawed
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Rishi Sunak’s Many Failures to Fully Declare his Conflicts of Interests
The claim that the PM’s failure to declare his wife’s investment in a childcare company subsidised by his Government was ‘inadvertent’ is open to question
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Gambling Firms Hit With Huge Increase in Fines as Industry Splashes out on MPs
Gambling companies received 31,500% more in fines than in the same period a decade ago, Byline Times’ analysis reveals
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Voters are Posting the Conservative Party’s Fake Newspapers Back in Bid to Cost Them a Fortune
There has been a major backlash to the party’s attempts to pass off campaign leaflets as independent local newspapers
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Tufton Street-Linked Trans-Exclusionary Charity Receives Surge in Funding
The LGB Alliance has received a surge in donations amid ongoing calls for it to lose its charitable status
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Revealed: The Scandal of the Fake Newspapers Pushed by Conservatives in ‘Dirty Tricks’ Campaign
The elections watchdog has said the fake newspapers from local Conservative parties appear to be within the rules
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‘Code of Conduct’ Review: A Brave and Important Work – With a Few Omissions
The proposals set out by Labour MP Chris Bryant to clean-up Parliament should be adopted by his party’s leader for its next manifesto, writes Peter Oborne
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Anger as Nadine Dorries’ Year-Long Silence in Parliament is Deemed ‘Within the Rules’ By Standards Watchdog
Despite failing to speak in Parliament for over a year, Tory MP Nadine Dorries has made time for her lucrative TalkTV job
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‘Nothing But a Ruse’: The Cambodian Elections are Another Assault on Democracy
The appointment of the current leader’s son is another example of how oligarchy and autocracy is turning the tide against democracy
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The UK and US’ Turbulent Times: A Race to the Bottom
Former British diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall, who now lives in the US, explores which country has been on the bigger self-destruct mission
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‘Who or What to Blame? Education, Education, Education’
Too many voters are insufficiently informed and reflective to vote other than tribally or self-interestedly in exploitable ways due to failings in how we conceive of ‘education’, writes AC Grayling
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‘We Must Defend Our Democratic Space Before It’s Too Late’
Caroline Slocock – director of think tank Civil Exchange – explores how politicians’ respect for our democratic institutions has shifted since she was the first female private secretary at No. 10 under Margaret Thatcher
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Ministers Block Calls for Overhaul of Lobbying Rules Despite Slew of Sleaze Scandals
Westminster’s top ethics watchdog will remain under the Prime Minister’s thumb, raising questions about impartiality.
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Johnson’s Mystery Peers: The Questions Charlotte Owen and Ross Kempsell Should Answer Over their New Peerages
What do you do to get a seat in the Lords?
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The Conservatives Skirted Close to the Limits of Electoral Law to Keep Uxbridge and South Ruislip Tory
Why was the governing party so shy in Uxbridge?
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More Donations to Politicians to Go Hidden from Public Eye as Michael Gove Quietly Changes the Rules Ahead of Election
Elections watchdog raises concerns as party spending limits could rise by 52% – while ministers keep donations to under £11,000 anonymous.
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Farage and Coutts: It’s Not McCarthyism – It’s Customer Due Diligence
But was the bank’s research into Farage diligent enough? asks Tom Scott.
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The Tory donor, Soviet-born Billionaire and Fossil Fuel Interests Bankrolling British Politics
Policy Exchange, Institute for Economic Affairs, Global Warming Policy Foundation and co refuse to name their donors. But Peter Geoghegan has found recently published US tax documents that reveal important new details about who funds these secretive think tanks
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Fake News: Conservatives Slammed for Party By-Election Leaflets Pretending to Be Local Newspapers
Tories are using “fake” local newspapers in all three by-elections
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The Covid Inquiry Has Still Not Been Given All of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps
A spokesperson for the Covid Inquiry told Byline Times they still did not know when they would be given access to the messages on the former Prime Minister’s phone
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Westminster’s Winner-Takes-All Voting System Skewed Britain Towards a Hard Brexit, Report Suggests
The Democratic Unionist Party had an outsized voice in Westminster during Britain’s Brexit negotiations.
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‘While “the Government” is a Thing Political Parties Fight to Own and Control, Real Government Will Remain a Dream’
Governments are run by political parties and for political interests – but they shouldn’t be, argues philosopher AC Grayling
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‘A Deeply Concerning Precedent in a Democratic Society’: Council of Europe Shares Criticism Over Charging Journalists to Cover Party Conference
The move from the governing party has sparked concerns over press freedom
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Privacy Battle Rages Over Government Plans which ‘Could End’ Encrypted Messaging Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram
A global coalition is urging ministers and lords to protect end-to-end encryption in the Online Safety Bill
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Labour and ‘The Purge’: Leadership’s Direction Sparks Revolt Among MPs and Activists
Concerns are increasing that Labour Leader Keir Starmer risks creating a stifling monoculture in the party
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Hypocrisy and Tribalism: The Dangers of Our ‘So What?’ Political Culture
Renowned weapons expert Dan Kaszeta, who was blacklisted by the Government over his tweets, explores how ‘amoral familism’ has come to penetrate our public life
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Fears of Discrimination as Scale of Voters Denied a Vote by Lack of Photo ID in By-Elections to Remain ‘Unknown’
The Electoral Commission has highlighted a black-hole in its research on the impact of voter ID ahead of the next General Election
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‘The Case for PR Rests on Arguments Around Socio-Economic and Political Justice’
Changing the voting system would be a driver of achieving greater equality of income and wealth, argues a Labour peer
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Public Overwhelmingly Opposed to Liz Truss Dishing Out Gongs and Peerages in Resignation Honours
Exclusive polling for Byline Times suggests that the public rejects the short-lived Prime Minister being able to create new peers in the Lords
