Category Archives: Politics

25Apr/23

The US reaction to President Joe Biden re-election bid.

April 25, 2023 /Politics/ — US President Joe Biden announced his re-election bid on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from the public. Some people were excited to see Biden run again, while others were disappointed.
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21Apr/23

Dominic Raab resigns in wake of bullying report

April 21, 2023 /Politics/ – Dominic Raab, the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, resigned on 21 April 2023 in the wake of a report that found he had bullied civil servants. The report, which was commissioned by the government, found that Raab had created a “toxic” and “intimidating” work environment.
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11Apr/23

‘It’s like you’re a criminal, but I am not a criminal.’ First-hand accounts of the trauma of being stuck in the UK asylum system

Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University

Warning: this story contains graphic descriptions of violence. Pseudonyms are used to protect the interviewees’ identities.

Angela had already been in the UK as an asylum seeker for nine years and four months when we interviewed her. She was still in a state of limbo, unsure whether asylum would be granted, and her story was disturbing to hear.

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10Apr/23

Good Friday Agreement: the early 1990s back-channel between the IRA and British government that made peace possible

Niall Ó Dochartaigh, University of Galway

In February 1990, in the midst of the Troubles, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness publicly invited the British government to reopen a back-channel used during previous phases of contact with the IRA in the 1970s and during the 1981 hunger strike.

If [the British government] think there is something to be lost by stating publicly how flexible they would be, or how imaginative, we are saying they should tell us privately … there is an avenue which they are aware of whereby they can make what imaginative steps they are thinking about known to the Republican movement.

It was a crucial early step on the road to the Good Friday Agreement.

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03Apr/23

Remarks by Vice President Harris and President Hichilema of Zambia in Joint Press Conference

State House
Lusaka, Zambia

3:37 P.M. CAT

ZAMBIAN OFFICIAL: Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia; Honorable Madam Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States of America; cabinet ministers present from both countries; members of the press; distinguished invited guests; ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the press conference being held here at State House this afternoon.

And to begin the process, I now have the singular honor and privilege to call upon the President of the Republic of Zambia to deliver his remarks.
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10Mar/23

NEW REPORT: Global Freedom Declines for 17th Consecutive Year, but May Be Approaching a Turning Point

Global freedom declined for a 17th consecutive year in 2022 as 35 countries suffered deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties, according to a new report released today by Freedom House. A total of 34 countries made improvements during the year, however, meaning the gap between the numbers of countries that improved and declined was the narrowest it has ever been since the negative pattern began. The report suggests that the struggle for democracy may be approaching a turning point, and offers recommendations on how democratic governments and societies should work together to roll back authoritarian gains. Continue reading

09Jan/23

Democracy under attack in Brazil: 5 questions about the storming of Congress and the role of the military

Rafael R. Ioris, University of Denver

Thousands of far-right supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Jan. 8, 2023.

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09Dec/22

What is the Reichsbürger movement accused of trying to overthrow the German government?

Claire Burchett, King’s College London

Police have arrested 25 people accused of planning to overthrow the German government in a series of raids across the country.

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01Nov/22

70 years of data suggest the Conservatives will suffer a big defeat at the next election – here’s how I worked it out

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex

With the UK’s new prime minister in office, it looks like the political turmoil of the last few months is likely to ease, at least for the time being. Rishi Sunak and his fellow MPs must put their political differences aside to focus on stabilising the economy and calming financial markets. But Sunak will of course have one eye on the next election, which he must call before January 2025.

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