The Nazis relied on a set of post-hoc rationalisations after casual, sanctioned murders, that combined elements of legal manipulation, propaganda, and let’s call it, moral inversion. The aim wasn’t just to excuse violence, but to redefine it as lawful, necessary and virtuous. For the Night of the Long Knives, Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt argued that […]
On Tuesday Jan 6 2026, seven European leaders issued a joint statement on Greenland that reads like a masterclass in how democracies should respond to authoritarian overreach. Clear principles. Unified front. No hedging. But within hours, the White House responded by raising the prospect of military force to get their way. So much for bullies […]
It feels as though 2025 has been another tough, ugly year and worse than the last. Empowered by Trump, Musk and a large portion of the media, racism, misogyny, environmental destruction, fascism, cruelty and greed proudly strut the world stage, trampling the vulnerable and attempting to silence opposition. It is tempting to disngage from this […]
Who is Christopher Harborne? Very little is publicly known about the reclusive, Thailand-based technology investor – except that he is now one of the biggest political donors in British history. His record £9m donation to Reform UK this September is only the latest in a long trail of donations to right-wing populists. Harborne previously poured more […]
The Armada Way tree-felling fiasco has certainly put Plymouth on the map. It was a disaster, not just for Plymouth’s canopy cover, but for our city’s reputation and the relationship between the public and the local authority, which wasn’t great to begin with. It was described as “environmental vandalism” by many, resulting in the then […]
It was Carl von Clausewitz, the early nineteenth century Prussian general, who said: “War is nothing but the continuation of policy with other means”. In other words, if a country goes to war, it should do so with a clear political objective, and the war itself should be fought in such a manner as to […]
Backbench rebels have made this a better budget than it would have been, but they have more to do to prevent the UK having the Biden experience Labour made several manifesto promises, none more important than tackling the cost-of-living crisis and rebuilding the NHS. And the Chancellor said last week, “Working families will be at the front […]
More than two hundred people packed the Civic Hall in Totnes to hear an outstanding line-up of panellists discuss the links between democratic systems and climate [and social] justice. George Monbiot, Klina Jordan, Anthea Simmons and Jonathon Porritt, all well-known for their work in different areas of political and environmental campaigning and journalism, started the […]
As some of you may know, I am one of the co-founders of the South Devon Primary, along with Simon Oldridge and Ben Long. Born out of frustration with an electoral system that threatened to see the Conservatives’ near hundred year rule in the Totnes/South Devon constituency because the opposition vote was split, the two […]
Activists in Exeter will be joining a national wave of protest against the banning of Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist organisation’ this Saturday, November 29. Around 25 protesters will defy the ban by sitting quietly outside Exeter Central Station from 1pm, holding placards stating “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. It’s part of what […]
The BBC may well need structural reform. It is too big and too unwieldy for one man like Tim Davie to control. But that has nothing to do with the current faked-up crisis over Panorama’s reporting of a speech by Donald Trump. Editing has a purpose. And all editing changes an original. It reduces the […]
On November 10, Nigel Farage told the press about his phone call with President Trump. “Is this how you treat your best ally?” Trump asked him, furious about BBC coverage. And what did Trump do the second he put the phone down? He wrote to the BBC to threaten legal action. Think about that for […]
Do we truly have the kind of democracy in our country which is fit for the challenges of the 21st Century? Does our government fairly represent the views and aspirations of voters? How can we best tackle and mitigate the effects of climate change? All these questions, and more, will be up for debate in […]
It’s a simple but effective trick, coined by former Conservative strategist Lynton Crosby, and used to devastating effect by Nigel Farage every day. Here’s how it works. When you’re losing a debate on the issues that matter – say the economy, the NHS, the cost of living – you throw something so shocking onto the […]
Rachel Reeves gave a speech yesterday that once again brought the cost of living to the fore in the national debate. Virtually all of the media commentary on the speech focused on the economic factors Reeves might be considering in the run-up to her Autumn Budget statement on 26 November. But the real – fundamental […]
The campaign organisation HOPE not hate‘s Weekend of HOPE will see hundreds and thousands of leaflets delivered to houses in the UK and thousands of people will take to the streets with a simple message: communities are stronger together. We live in an era in which certain politicians and oligarchs are hellbent on dividing us […]
Something extraordinary happened in Russia this week, though much of the world may have missed it. In the centre of St Petersburg, eighteen-year-old singer Diana Loginova stood before a crowd of young people and began to sing. Her song mocked Vladimir Putin, describing an old man clinging to power, fearful of the world he created. […]
The 92-year-old Tory grandee’s comparison of Reform UK to 1930s fascists isn’t hyperbole – it’s a warning from someone who knows what happens when democracies ignore the danger until it’s too late. There are few figures more influential in the modern Conservative Party than Lord Michael Heseltine. Serving in governments under three Prime Ministers, Heseltine […]
The flags were out in London for Donald Trump’s second state visit last month. Most of them telling him to f*** off home. Some placards at the protest on September 17 expressed the idea more creatively: ‘Feed him to the corgis’ ‘In England, Trump means ‘fart’ ‘We don’t want this old fossil polluting our air’ […]
Across Britain, the rise of anti-immigration protests, the surge in far-right rhetoric online, and growing public support for exclusionary policies point to an alarming shift in perspective. Anti-immigration protests have grown louder, fuelled by far-right rhetoric both in public and online. In September 2025; over 100,000 people joined an anti-migrant protest in London while there […]
The bribery started the day Nathan Gill quit UKIP and continued under Farage’s leadership. The press have barely said a word… Nathan Gill, once Farage’s ally and Reform UK’s Welsh leader, has admitted to eight counts of bribery and is likely to serve jail time. Yet you probably haven’t heard about it, because most of the press […]
If I’m honest, it was hard to watch proceedings at yesterday’s UN General Assembly. I can remember several times when the world of international relations was in similar turmoil, but I can’t remember ever being as pessimistic as I am now about the prospects that our international institutions will be able to fix things. The […]
The Telegraph reported on September 22 that Nigel Farage’s Reform Party would expel hundreds of thousands of migrants if it gained power. Reform says it would scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain retrospectively, raise the Skilled Worker salary bar to £60,000 a year, require higher English, restrict access to most benefits and free NHS care for […]
A new independent review of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s weed management programme has raised serious concerns about the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The analysis carried out by local environmental researcher Steve Harper, found that 49 of the 51 chemicals used by the council in 2024 – […]
Let’s try and get a sense of proportion, but without getting complacent: fewer than one in 500 of us marched in London on Saturday; 499 didn’t – and that despite it being the most media-advertised march in years. Why the media wanted to give a fascist-organised march oxygen is a question that should be addressed […]
You know how an abuser punches someone in the face and then says, “Look what you made me do”? That logic of inversion, of projection, of impunity? It seems to me that this is now being played out on the world stage. When Donald Trump and his goon squad of squalid appointees lionise terrorising the […]
Without bold action by the government, British citizens could find ourselves living in a formerly-developed nation In the book 99%, which was published in 2019, I made what felt at the time like a bold prediction: if policy did not change significantly, neither the US nor the UK would see their civilisation remain intact to the […]
Political violence doesn’t stay contained. It cascades – and democracy pays the price Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah yesterday afternoon. The news started coming in as I was settling down for the evening, and it instantly felt surreal. Even typing this feels somewhat surreal. The BBC update that pinged on my phone felt like […]
We recently organised a free event for young people with activist and campaigner, Rob Hopkins, also of transition town fame and the author of many books, including the inspirational ‘How to Fall in Love with the Future‘. (You can read our review of the book here.) Held in Ashburton Arts Centre, which Andy Williamson generously […]
Dear Anna, I am increasingly concerned by the daily parroting of Farage’s far right immigration garbage by Keir Starmer and other senior Labour figures. This is a race to the bottom that Labour will not win. Everyone I talk to is either unimpressed by it because they are either left wing and it’s against traditional […]