Refreshingly Independent Politics – smerconish.com is to create a clearinghouse for non-ideological thinking. We want to give people a chance to contribute to, and consume media that isn’t predicated on the usual, extreme talking points of the polarized media. Instead, we aim to promote independent thinking and diversity of thought.
Tag: politics
theintercept.com
The Intercept is an award-winning news organization dedicated to holding mainstream views and misinformation.
Trump Uses the Courts to Intimidate Critics. The Media Must Fight Back.
27 February 2026 @ 1:00 pm
Federal agencies are using investigations to stifle speech and chill the questioning of those in power.
The post Trump Uses the Courts to Intimidate Critics. The Media Must Fight Back. appeared first on The Intercept.
Democrats Finally Get Around to Forcing Iran War Powers Vote
26 February 2026 @ 9:16 pm
With Congress not reconvening until next week, there’s a chance the vote might come after attacks start.
The post Democrats Finally Get Around to Forcing Iran War Powers Vote appeared first on The Intercept.
Pro-Palestine International Students Have Won in Court. Why Hasn’t Mahmoud Khalil Won His Freedom?
26 February 2026 @ 7:47 pm
One of Trump’s tricks is to send people to Louisiana where they get harsher treatment. Mahmoud Khalil is pointing out the iniquity of it.
The post Pro-Palestine International Students Have Won in Court. Why Hasn’t Mahmoud Khalil Won His Freedom? appeared first on The Intercept.
Zohran Mamdani Kept Columbia Student in New York — Then Phoned With Trump to Secure Her Release
26 February 2026 @ 4:22 pm
ICE agents pretended to be New York Police Department officers to get into Columbia housing, a member of the New York city council said.
The post Zohran Mamdani Kept Columbia Student in New York — Then Phoned With Trump to Secure Her Release appeared first on The Intercept.
Private Prison Falsified Records in Detainee’s Death in ICE Custody
26 February 2026 @ 4:04 pm
Investigators found GEO Group staff falsely logged visits and failed to meet ICE standards on the morning of a detainee’s death in custody.
The post Private Prison Falsified Records in Detainee’s Death in ICE Custody appeared first on The Intercept.
Florida Might Make Its Own Spy Squad. Muslims Think They Have a Pretty Good Idea Who’ll Be Targeted.
26 February 2026 @ 10:56 am
An Israeli spyware firm is tracking the GOP legislation, according to lobbying disclosures.
The post Florida Might Make Its Own Spy Squad. Muslims Think They Have a Pretty Good Idea Who’ll Be Targeted. appeared first on The Intercept.
Cuban Border Guards Attacked by Florida Speedboat
25 February 2026 @ 10:17 pm
Eschewing a U.S.-style double-tap strike, the Cuban government rescued survivors.
The post Cuban Border Guards Attacked by Florida Speedboat appeared first on The Intercept.
Democrats Should Never Again Rise to Trump’s Anti-Trans Bait
25 February 2026 @ 8:15 pm
Democrats stayed seated as Trump attacked trans kids at the State of the Union. With midterms coming, there’s more where that came from.
The post Democrats Should Never Again Rise to Trump’s Anti-Trans Bait appeared first on The Intercept.
There's No "Progressive Foreign Policy" Without a Reckoning for Dems Who Supported Genocide
25 February 2026 @ 7:22 pm
Before Democrats can articulate a more humane foreign policy, they need to reckon with the mortal sin of the genocide in Gaza.
The post There’s No “Progressive Foreign Policy” Without a Reckoning for Dems Who Supported Genocide appeared first on The Intercept.
Rambling Man: Trump’s State of the Union
25 February 2026 @ 3:30 pm
Akela Lacy, Jessica Washington, and Jordan Uhl on Trump’s speech and the Democratic Party’s response.
The post Rambling Man: Trump’s State of the Union appeared first on The Intercept.
questioneverything.io
To critically evaluate the global response to COVID-19 and present a series of responsible pandemic exit strategies to help ensure that total harms are minimised.
thefreedomcycle.com
THE PEOPLE’S UNION OF BRITAIN
Taking back sovereignty through common law.
goodlawproject.org
The Good Law Project is a not-for-profit campaign organisation that uses the law to protect the interests of the public. Also a bit woke, and does not protect womens sports.
whocanivotefor.co.uk
An updated list of candidates you can vote for the up and coming UK elections.
politics.co.uk
Politics news from the UK.
Governing by nostalgia: Reform’s crusade for ‘Christian values’ offers false comfort
26 February 2026 @ 8:30 am
The announcement by Reform UK that they will “restore Britain’s Christian heritage” and that the nation must “uphold its Christian values” captures the contradictory essence of modern populist politics. Politicians of various faiths and none scrambling to weaponise a religious identity that the British public themselves have left behind and show no sign of wanting... Read more »
The post Governing by nostalgia: Reform’s crusade for ‘Christian values’ offers false comfort appeared first on Pol
Olivia Blake: ‘Can climate adaptation strengthen UK national security?’
17 February 2026 @ 8:15 am
We are at a critical juncture marked by growing global uncertainty. The institutions and mechanisms that once sustained the post war era are being weakened or dismantled, with consequences that are no longer distant or abstract but increasingly felt by our constituents here at home. But responding to this upheaval means recognising that today’s national... Read more »
The post Olivia Blake: ‘Can climate adaptation strengthen UK national security?’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Reaction to Sarwar suggests Labour isn’t ready to depose Starmer
9 February 2026 @ 4:17 pm
The leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Anas Sarwar, has moved first. Declaring that he had to do “what is right for my country”, Sarwar called on the prime minister to resign in a scathing statement. In a press conference this afternoon, Sarwar proclaimed: “It is not easy and not without pain, but my first... Read more »
The post Reaction to Sarwar suggests Labour isn’t ready to depose Starmer appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
‘We go forward from here’, Starmer declares after two top aides resign in 24 hours
9 February 2026 @ 12:43 pm
Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on as prime minister following the resignations of two top aides. Morgan McSweeney, one of the prime minister’s longest-serving and closest lieutenants, resigned as Downing Street chief of staff on Sunday. In a statement, McSweeney said he took “full responsibility” after personally advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as... Read more »
The post ‘We go forward from here’, Starmer declares after two top aides resign in 24 hours appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Starmer leadership crisis will test the Labour herd
8 February 2026 @ 12:12 pm
Keir Starmer has entered the stay of execution phase of his premiership. On Wednesday, the prime minister instructed Labour MPs to support a government amendment to a humble address tabled by Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party. The official opposition called for the release of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the US;... Read more »
The post Starmer leadership crisis will test the Labour herd appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Blocking Burnham will not stop the psychodrama
25 January 2026 @ 7:50 pm
There are at least two ostensible explanations for the Labour national executive committee’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election. The official narrative was delivered in the form of a lengthy press notice this afternoon. The “statement from the Labour Party” explained that Burnham’s candidacy would have precipitated an... Read more »
The post Blocking Burnham will not stop the psychodrama appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Reform isn’t building a party of government. It’s building a retirement home
19 January 2026 @ 7:00 am
Reform’s decision to welcome Robert Jenrick tells us far more about what kind of political project it really is than any speech, slogan or rally ever could. This is not the behaviour of a serious insurgent movement preparing for government. It is the behaviour of a party more interested in Punch and Judy politics than... Read more »
The post Reform isn’t building a party of government. It’s building a retirement home appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Nadhim Zahawi and the pitfalls in Farage’s defection strategy
12 January 2026 @ 5:39 pm
The first reaction to Nadhim Zahawi’s defection to Reform UK revolves around the political baggage he brings with him. The former chancellor’s political career was inextricably intertwined with the Conservative Party’s spiral toward electoral disaster at the 2024 general election. Zahawi, whose prominence in the Conservative psychodrama elevated him to ‘big beast’ status, did not... Read more »
The post Nadhim Zahawi and the pitfalls in Farage’s defection strategy appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
The rush to panic tells us more about Westminster than Starmer
22 December 2025 @ 9:47 am
There is a particular kind of panic that takes hold in British politics roughly a year into a Parliament. It is the panic of people who have discovered that governing is harder than campaigning, and begun to wonder whether the problem might be the person at the top. We are there again now, and the... Read more »
The post The rush to panic tells us more about Westminster than Starmer appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Pippa Heylings MP: ‘Is the Treasury sabotaging Britain’s climate leadership?’
22 December 2025 @ 8:00 am
Although it may have been lost amid the doom-laden headlines emerging after COP30 in Brazil, something genuinely hopeful did emerge from the UN Climate Conference: a game-changing global plan to safeguard the planet’s remaining tropical forests. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility, or TFFF, is an innovative finance mechanism that would become one of the largest... Read more »
The post Pippa Heylings MP: ‘Is the Treasury sabotaging Britain’s climate leadership?’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
artsparty.org.uk
Introducing arts thinking into politics and promoting creative, scientific and evidence based ideas that improve the lives of as many people as possible, while mindful of the few.
Arts Party Conference 2019
16 August 2019 @ 9:30 am
The Arts Party welcomes it’s first party conference from the heart of where water meets dirt, Brighton. We will be hosting debates for purposes of socialising, conversation and recreation. Located in Camelford Street, Brighton, BN2 1TQ, United Kingdom. All are welcome to attend, please use the contact form below to register your interest. [Fully booked]
The post Arts Party Conference 2019 appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Dinner for few
9 June 2019 @ 12:41 pm
A short and stark reminder of the state of play in politics today/yesterday. Thanks to a Dinner for a few, award winner from Nassos Vakalis. DINNER FOR FEW from Nassos Vakalis on Vimeo.
The post Dinner for few appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Scotland takes steps to put culture at the forefront of policy-making
6 July 2018 @ 9:31 am
A CULTURE STRATEGY FOR SCOTLAND – reflecting the past, challenging the present, shaping the future . The strategy seeks to stimulate a step change that will bring about a shift in how society and government view and value culture. It aims to build collaborative alliances that will help to realise the full potential of culture …
Continue reading "Scotland takes steps to put culture at the forefront of policy-making"
The post Scotland takes steps to put culture at the forefront of policy-making appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Arts teachers in decline
5 July 2018 @ 9:35 am
As well as a fall in teaching hours, the arts has lost almost a quarter (9000) of teachers working in secondary schools in England since 2011. Sourced from https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/arts-teacher-numbers-plummet-almost-quarter
The post Arts teachers in decline appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Why the Arts Matter
12 May 2018 @ 7:11 am
We’ve come across a great graphic that really sums up why the Arts matter – enjoy!
The post Why the Arts Matter appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Creativity and politics
17 April 2018 @ 11:19 am
Heather McGhee talks about the influence that music, film, and other arts can have on social change. https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/heather-mcghee-on-creativity-and-politics/
The post Creativity and politics appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Why is creativity the most important political concept of the 21st century?
17 April 2018 @ 11:15 am
There is no concept more politically important today than creativity. I’ll give four reasons why but first a definition. ‘Creative’ has narrow, broader and even broader connotations in English. It’s the last of these we should be most interested in. The narrow meaning immediately leads one to think of activities directly associated with the arts. …
Continue reading "Why is creativity the most important political concept of the 21st century?"
The post Why is creativity the most important political concept of the 21st century? appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Arts can help children avoid a lifetime of gang crime
14 April 2018 @ 11:05 am
Andria Zafirakou, who won the $1million title in Dubai last month, said subjects such as art, music and drama can transform the lives of vulnerable young people and give them the confidence to walk away from gangs. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/arts-can-help-children-avoid-a-lifetime-of-gang-crime-says-1m-prizewinning-teacher-a3813071.html
The post Arts can help children avoid a lifetime of gang crime appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Creativity and the arts in decline
1 February 2018 @ 11:34 am
Creative arts subjects are being cut back in many secondary schools in England, a BBC survey suggests. More than 1,200 schools responded – over 40% of secondary schools. Of the schools that responded, nine in every 10 said they had cut back on lesson time, staff or facilities in at least one creative arts subject. …
Continue reading "Creativity and the arts in decline"
The post Creativity and the arts in decline appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
Drawing the Future
20 January 2018 @ 10:34 am
A report launched by Education and Employers and found that children’s career aspirations only marginally differ from age 7 to age 17. It also showed that some sectors vital for economic health look set to be badly under-resourced in future. In the biggest survey of its kind, primary school children aged seven to 11 were …
Continue reading "Drawing the Future"
The post Drawing the Future appeared first on ARTS PARTY.
theyworkforyou.com
Keeping tabs on the UK’s parliaments & assemblies
FOI Fest 2026
26 February 2026 @ 10:00 am
Last Thursday, a diverse set of people with a common interest came together at Birkbeck College in London for FOI Fest — a one day conference examining the successes, challenges and future of the Freedom of Information Act. We heard from a wide range of perspectives: those who use FOI, those who process requests, those…
Mapping energy data to help community spaces take part in electricity network flexibility
17 February 2026 @ 3:36 pm
While the mapping services we’re most well known for are FixMyStreet, MapIt, and the Local Intelligence Hub, we do occasionally get the opportunity to collaborate with other organisations that share our ethos and could benefit from our expertise building flexible, easy-to-use data maps, for their internal teams or external supporters to use. One such example…
AI self-governance: it’s a continuous process
12 February 2026 @ 9:04 am
In July 2024, we published our AI Framework, a first attempt at setting guidelines on how we utilise AI in our work at mySociety. The basic principles running through that framework can be summed up as “Use AI responsibly, and only when, all things considered, it is the best tool for the job”. That position…
Improving the Written Questions system
11 February 2026 @ 9:42 am
Submitting evidence to Parliamentary inquiries is one of the ways in which we can have an effect on the way things work in this country. As you may recall, we recently contributed to the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee on Freedom of Information reform, and now we’ve submitted written evidence to the UK…
When you have a big Freedom of Information project, many hands make light work
2 February 2026 @ 11:12 am
WhatDoTheyKnow Pro, our Freedom of Information service for users such as journalists, researchers and campaigners, now comes with Projects bundled in at no extra cost. That means that, as well as sending batch requests more easily, you can also bring in colleagues or volunteers to help you refine and analyse the data you receive in…
How to get active with the Council Climate Action Scorecards
30 January 2026 @ 10:08 am
As we’ve seen in our recent case studies, the Council Climate Action Scorecards — a joint project between Climate Emergency UK (CE UK) and mySociety — rely on the power and energy of volunteers. Most volunteers get their start when they help to mark councils’ climate action for the Scorecards; and then some, it seems,…
New report: Shifting landscapes
29 January 2026 @ 10:24 am
Today we’re launching a new report: Shifting Landscapes: A practical guide to pro democratic tech. This report builds on the conferences, seminars and conversations we’ve been having in our TICTeC programme over the last few years, to present a comprehensive picture of where pro democratic tech is now. We explore how technology can strengthen and…
Faster reporting on FixMyStreet: start your report with a photo
22 January 2026 @ 4:56 pm
A new feature has been released for FixMyStreet giving users the option to start their reports with a photo, the data from which can be extracted to speed up the reporting process. As well as making the reporting process quicker, this new functionality should also increase the accuracy of reports, removing the need for users…
A tribute to Mark Longair
15 January 2026 @ 4:15 pm
It was with immense sadness that the mySociety team learned of the death of our much loved ex-colleague Mark Longair. Mark first came to mySociety as a volunteer, contributing his time and coding knowledge to build scrapers and parsers that brought Scottish Parliament data into TheyWorkForYou. Knowing a good developer when we saw one, we…
Leaky Pipes: What’s wrong with donations data
15 January 2026 @ 9:00 am
As part of our WhoFundsThem work we want to make better information available about money in politics. Last year we released a report Beyond Transparency – looking at the UK Parliament’s register of financial interests, and wider arguments about how we fund politics. Today we’re releasing a follow-up report: Leaky Pipes (read online or download…