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 […]
In the last week of August 2025, Nigel Farage learned what he must have long suspected: that there is nothing so disgusting that he can’t say for fear of being challenged by the Prime Minister. For this was the week that Nigel Farage finally said out loud what it’s long been obvious he believes. It’s […]
This week brought us yet another example of Nigel Farage’s signature move: transforming a routine court ruling into a culture-war weapon soaked in lies. His response to the Epping court decision reveals something much darker than mere political opportunism. It reveals the systematic poisoning of public discourse by a man who treats truth as an […]
Those who remember the 1960s and 70s may recall a Soviet leader called Leonid Brezhnev. He began with the iron fist that was expected of Soviet rulers, but his grip on power began to slip after he suffered a heart attack in 1975, and his health progressively deteriorated until his death in 1982. By the […]
There is no simple, agreed definition of far-right, but we urgently need one: We know what ‘right-wing’ means – and we have many examples of people we know are right-wing but who draw the line at extremist policies; A reasonable definition of far-right can draw on that distinction; and We need to be clear about this now, because […]
Are we experiencing “collective outrage”? Not the sort that’s farmed by media barons and algo-savvy modern day shock-jocks. The kind that feels like system failure. The moral compass spinning. With more race riots looming and extreme weather, slop summer cooking our brains… A few thoughts. On the right, there are daily grievance spreaders, but usually […]
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 […]
July 4 is traditionally celebrated as Independence Day in the United States, to commemorate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress, to establish the United States of America. 249 years ago, the formal vote, taken on July 2 by delegates of the 13 colonies, established the United States as a […]
As Trump implements Project 2025 at pace, can Americans and the rest of the world count on the USA remaining a democracy in other than name? Many people have grave reservations about Donald Trump’s policies – for example the Budget, which the US Congressional Budget Office says will cost the poorest families around $1,600 per year over the years […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 […]
I used to work in an environment in which the attitude of some senior colleagues was to disrespect and undervalue the knowledge and skills of those who worked for them, on the basis, apparently, that “I didn’t need it to get to where I am!”. That seems to describe a certain US president. It is […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]