J.N. PAQUET

Long-Read

The rise and rise of national populism

— National populism, fuelled by media-backed disinformation, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and libertarian ideologies, threatens democracies globally by eroding institutions, fostering fear, and exploiting divisions.

OPINION

Reimagining democracy: A blueprint for a new parliamentary system

— In the face of political upheaval and waning public trust, a new selfless parliamentary system aims to restore trust by prioritising selfless leadership, offering a potential antidote to the rise of populism and revitalising democracy for a more empowered and accountable future.

Petition

From subpostmaster to public champion: Why Alan Bates deserves a seat in the House of Lords

— A petition urges Rishi Sunak to grant Alan Bates a life peerage for his fight against Post Office injustices and impact on justice and public service reform.

Anti-Net Zero Populism

Sunak’s Net Zero policy shift sparks controversy

— Rishi Sunak’s decision to slow down the UK’s shift to electric vehicles, postpone climate targets and scrap other plans have stirred up strong reactions from various quarters, including his own party. Does it make him a strong leader?

Investigation

Sunak’s erasable ink pens raise big questions about transparency

— Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s use of pens with erasable ink has sparked concerns over government transparency. Critics suggest these pens could enable the removal of important notes from official documents, challenging historical accountability.

8 January Attack

Never take Democracy for granted

— The January 8 riot attack on Brazil’s National Congress shows the consequences of choosing corrupt, populist, and fearmongering leaders.

Fact-Check

Context matters – How a teabag went viral for the wrong reasons.

— When they saw a video on social media showing how a hospital sent a single teabag to their staff to thank them for their work, people naturally took it at face value and started commenting and sharing it without knowing the context.

Fact-Check

Tories: Displacement of responsibility as a golden rule.

— An uncomfortable Chancellor Rishi Sunak finds himself in the middle of a storm because of his family business links to Russia.

COMMENT

PM resignation – A show of hypocrisy.

— Tory MP tweets her indignation at the thought that Senior Conservatives such as John Major or Theresa May dare to publicly call for Boris Johnson’s resignation... forgetting she, herself, tweeted about Theresa May being toasted back in 2019 and having voted her out.

Downing Street Parties

Nobody told me this was against the rules – Boris Johnson.

— We’ve got a Prime Minister who set the rules on COVID-19, then repeatedly reminded the public what those rules were and why they had to be followed, now telling us that nobody actually told him what the very rules were.

Latest COVID 🦠

— We publish the latest COVID data available every day using the data from the ZOE COVID Study, the ONS Infection Survey, and the UKHSA to understand what is still happening with the pandemic.