Today [July 17 2025] marks a historic moment for British democracy. The Government has published its long-awaited Strategy for Elections, announcing the most significant package of democratic reforms in a generation. There’s genuine progress to celebrate, but also a glaring omission that we cannot ignore. The good news: democracy getting a 21st century upgrade The […]
Let me start by saying straight off that I think everyone should read this book. If you are feeling bleak and despairing about the future of the planet, or utterly disgusted about the seemingly inexorable rise of the far right or just plain fed up with the way things are, then you definitely need this […]
You may well have seen that a large number of MPs abstained on the vote to proscribe Palestine Action – a vote which the government nonetheless won. A colleague wrote to their LibDem MP, asking why he had abstained. In fact, all 72 LibDems abstained, with six abstaining ‘actively’ by voting both ways. (This is […]
Standing aside candidates works against the far-right. The vast majority of voters don’t want them in power, and so will go along with whatever actions are suggested to keep them out. Proof of concept: In France in 2022, the left, centre-left and Greens formed an electoral alliance, and reformed an alliance under a different name […]
On Friday July 4, one year on from the last general election, Totnes Make Votes Matter (MVM) group were joined by the Mayor, Tim Bennett, at the Guildhall to mark the first anniversary of the most disproportionate general election in UK history. At that election the party that got a huge majority in Parliament and, […]
As I’ve said many times before on Ugly Politix, the outcome of the 2024 general election exposed the stark inadequacies of the First Past the Post system, the engine that drives our politics. Labour won 63 per cent of seats with just 33.7 per cent of the vote, Reform UK won 0.8 per cent of seats […]
Twice this week, I found myself wrestling with the same uncomfortable question about use of the label “fascist”. First, it came up in a WhatsApp group with fellow democracy campaigners. Then, listening to the latest episode of ‘The Rest is Politics US‘, I heard hosts Katty Kay and Antony Scaramucci clash over the same issue: […]
To really appreciate the importance of Exeter’s Respect Festival, just imagine some of the reactions if a two-day celebration of anti-racism, equality and diversity in the city was proposed for the first time today. It would prove divisive. Many people would love the idea, but you can bet there’d be some pushback, with the word […]
Dear Editor, Please can you reassure me? I was reading Alastair Campbell’s diary this week in the New European (now re-named the New World) and I came across this snippet concerning the BBC; “The refrain of a very senior BBC executive is that the Beeb must ‘shed its woke image and reflect the populist anger […]
Democracy’s slow-and-stable safeguards are features, not bugs. Silicon Valley’s defining mantra – “move fast and break things” – emerged from Facebook’s early culture, celebrating rapid iteration, aggressive risk-taking, and a willingness to disrupt in the name of innovation. It revolutionised tech, enabling energetic start-ups with fresh ideas to topple established giants who had grown stale […]
I launched Reform Watch because I’ve seen what happens when movements like Reform UK are allowed to expand without challenge. Across Europe and beyond [most notably in the USA], we’ve witnessed populist parties rise by distorting the truth, attacking democratic safeguards, and presenting themselves as the sole voice of “ordinary people”. What begins as anti-establishment […]
The review commissioned by Plymouth City Council (PCC) in order for them to learn lessons from the Armada Way tree felling fiasco is complete and the report has been published. It is damning. The Armada Way Independent Learning Review (AWILR) panel was tasked with looking into the decision to approve the development of Armada Way […]
Not enough people are linking Reform & MAGA. It’s time to correct that by talking about Nigel Farage, MAGA money, and a US PR firm with direct ties to Bannon. It’s not patriotism and pints. it’s a shared plan and international far-right coordination. Grab a cup of tea and strap in… Farage received logistical, media […]
On June 2, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections held a joint event with Transparency International UK and the APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax. The message was clear: it’s time for anonymous billionaires and oligarchs to stop buying up politics. Britain is long overdue for campaign finance reform: In 2023, the UK reached […]
It is yet another time when I turned out to be right, but it does not bring me any joy. Donald Tusk’s party’s candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, lost the presidential elections to his opponent, Karol Nawrocki, an “independent” candidate supported by PiS. Why did that happen, what do The Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska – PO) make […]
Nigel Farage is making big promises – lower taxes, higher benefits, and sweeping cuts. But behind the soundbites lies a financial black hole. Let’s take a closer look. Last week, the country got to watch a livestream of Farage, leader of a party with only five MPs, telling us about his plans for the future. He […]
Hi there, my name is May and I’m a 17-year-old from East Devon who’s passionate about finding solutions to the climate crisis. Although local elections can seem less important than general elections, in reality they have a significant effect on setting the agenda for local policy, including on issues surrounding the environment and climate change. […]
George Monbiot’s article in The Guardian (27 May 2025) will resonate with many on the progressive side of politics, and especially with those who are involved in street campaigns to counter the alarming rise of the far-right. When we talk to people on the streets of south Devon’s towns, we consistently pick up a growing […]
Trump’s Budget has similarities with Truss’s – will his fate be the same? This article is by Mark E Thomas and Vincent Gomez of the 99% Organisation, a former investment banker and member of the Bank of England’s Citizens’ Forum. Liz Truss was UK Prime Minister from 6 September-25 October 2022. At 50 days, this is the shortest […]
Someone commented: “Farage is committing political suicide by aligning with Trump. He needs to distance himself from the ‘orange aubergine’ if he wants British votes.” 𝗠𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿: That’s the paradox. 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 – because his brand is built on the Trump playbook. Nationalism, scapegoating, culture wars, anti-media attacks, climate denial – it’s all […]
The preliminary exit polls published just minutes after the first round of presidential elections surely gave some people in Poland a proper scare. As for me: being a pessimist again paid off. My prediction turned out to be correct again. The most stressed must be those who believed that those elections were to be just […]
It may not look like a major uprising , but this is part of something huge. This was Exeter’s first Tesla Takedown protest against Elon Musk’s assault on democracy and human rights in the US, and his wider support for the far right. On Saturday, 3 May, local activists including Devon-based Americans demonstrated outside the […]
I am writing to express deep alarm and disappointment at your recent announcements opposing a youth mobility scheme and cancelling care worker visas. These decisions are not only irresponsible and damaging — they represent a political miscalculation of staggering proportions. They are accelerating the breakdown of our health and care system in an extremely dangerous […]
My father, a political journalist who spent more hours of his life in Westminster than is good for you, always told us not to be too cynical about politicians. For every bad apple, he would imply, there were five good ones. You might not share their politics, but you knew that most of them were […]
Nigel Farage put potholes at the centre of the recent local elections – and he had a point. Potholes are a pain. We’ve all felt it. That jolt as your car hits yet another hole in the tarmac. The grimace that inevitably follows. It’s a tangible irritation, a daily reminder that things aren’t working as […]
May 1 elections brought bad news for Britain’s main political parties but good news for the far-right. As the Financial Times reported, “Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Friday claimed he now leads Britain’s main opposition to Sir Keir Starmer’s government after his party won the Runcorn & Helsby by-election, ousting Labour by just six votes.” Of […]
Reform UK’s boast that they’re ‘the voice of the people’ is quite a claim. Are they performing a combination of mind-reading and ventriloquism? That would bring to mind those unconvincing magicians on 1970s TV variety shows – probably not the image Nigel Farage and his crew are aiming for. No – they mean their party […]
Trump’s Cards Everyone seems to have been shocked by the disgusting, disgraceful conduct of Trump, Vance and their political and journalist cronies in the Oval Office on 28 February; it has been referred to as an ambush, a mugging, an invective-laden attack. I have yet to meet or hear of anyone who disagrees with this […]
Last month, I wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons asking for confirmation that Trump would not be given the honour of addressing Parliament during any upcoming State Visit. The Speaker replied, confirming that no such request had been received – at that time. Since then, however, Donald Trump has announced that he expects to return to […]
Dear Anna I am deeply concerned about the announcement this week that Derriford Hospital is expected to save £67m recurrently from its budget. The trust has taken away staff cups of tea and raised staff parking fees, but this is a drop in the ocean. The only way these cuts are truly possible is to […]