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.
Netanyahu and Trump Are Trying to Have It All
14 June 2025 @ 3:08 pm
With Israel’s attack on Iran, Netanyahu can distract from his many crises at home. Trump can appease both his faux anti-war backers and the hawks.
The post Netanyahu and Trump Are Trying to Have It All appeared first on The Intercept.
How to Stay Safe Protesting ICE — and What to Expect From Cops in Your City
14 June 2025 @ 11:00 am
Do police in your city use tear gas or rubber bullets? Repression tactics from Seattle to Chicago, plus how to prepare.
The post How to Stay Safe Protesting ICE — and What to Expect From Cops in Your City appeared first on The Intercept.
Going Out to a Protest? Here’s How Not to Get Arrested.
14 June 2025 @ 10:30 am
Lawyer Isabella Salomão Nascimento on knowing your rights — and getting the cops to respect them.
The post Going Out to a Protest? Here’s How Not to Get Arrested. appeared first on The Intercept.
Virginia AG Hopeful Was Outraising His Rival — Then Dominion Energy Tipped the Scale
14 June 2025 @ 9:00 am
“The scale of these contributions appears to be unprecedented in Virginia Attorney General races.”
The post Virginia AG Hopeful Was Outraising His Rival — Then Dominion Energy Tipped the Scale appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump’s GI Joe-Cosplaying “Goon Squads” Sow Terror — and Solidarity
13 June 2025 @ 10:00 am
ICE agents are arresting day laborers and raiding businesses across the country. They didn’t expect community resistance.
The post Trump’s GI Joe-Cosplaying “Goon Squads” Sow Terror — and Solidarity appeared first on The Intercept.
ICE Agent Fled From Angry Residents Outside New York School — and Got in a Car Crash
13 June 2025 @ 9:30 am
Masked and unidentified ICE agents lurking near schools and homeless shelters spark fear and confusion in majority-Latino enclaves outside New York.
The post ICE Agent Fled From Angry Residents Outside New York School — and Got in a Car Crash appeared first on The Intercept.
Some Republicans Opposed Using Troops Against Protests in 2020. Now They’re Marching in Lockstep.
13 June 2025 @ 8:30 am
The near-unanimous chorus is a sign of how thoroughly Trump has consolidated his grip on Republicans.
The post Some Republicans Opposed Using Troops Against Protests in 2020. Now They’re Marching in Lockstep. appeared first on The Intercept.
Did Israel Just “Blow Up” Trump’s Bid for an Iran Nuclear Deal?
13 June 2025 @ 3:51 am
On Thursday, Trump said he worried a strike might sink negotiations — or maybe it would help! What Netanyahu wants seems obvious.
The post Did Israel Just “Blow Up” Trump’s Bid for an Iran Nuclear Deal? appeared first on The Intercept.
Josh Hawley Blames Nonprofits for “Bankrolling Civil Unrest” in LA Without Evidence
12 June 2025 @ 9:47 pm
The Republican senator accused groups supporting immigrant communities of planning “astroturf” protests.
The post Josh Hawley Blames Nonprofits for “Bankrolling Civil Unrest” in LA Without Evidence appeared first on The Intercept.
Palestinian Activists Came to Speak at California Synagogue — But Face Deportation at the Airport
12 June 2025 @ 8:49 pm
CBP revoked Eid and Awdah Hathaleen’s visas before detaining them on Wednesday. Local organizers haven’t heard from them since.
The post Palestinian Activists Came to Speak at California Synagogue — But Face Deportation at the Airport 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/pub/
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. The Good Law Project fight cases that defend, define or change the law and we use litigation to engage and educate. The Good Law Project challenge abuses of power, exploitation, inequality, and injustice.
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.
Irene Campbell: ‘It’s time to modernise research — that means leaving animals out of it’
13 June 2025 @ 7:00 am
Exiting Westminster Station recently to attend parliament, I, and hundreds of others, were confronted with a heartbreaking People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) billboard featuring a mournful, defeated beagle, trapped in a barren cage inside a laboratory. The image is disturbing, but what it depicts is routine. In 2023, animals were used in... Read more »
The post Irene Campbell: ‘It’s time to modernise research — that means leaving animals out of it’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Fabian Hamilton: ‘The UK’s vital partnership with Morocco is delivering results’
13 June 2025 @ 7:00 am
Morocco and the UK already had strong ties. A million British tourists are expected to visit the country this year, and our educational partnerships are growing rapidly. In practical security terms, Morocco is a vital partner in the fight against the growing influence of Russia, its proxies in the Sahel, terrorism, and people trafficking. In... Read more »
The post Fabian Hamilton: ‘The UK’s vital partnership with Morocco is delivering results’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
From ‘tough choices’ to ‘Labour choices’: spending review marks major strategic shift
11 June 2025 @ 2:40 pm
From “tough choices” to “Labour choices”. The spending review delivered by Rachel Reeves in the House of Commons this afternoon marks a tangible tone shift. Apportioning £2.24 trillion of public cash across Whitehall departments, Reeves announced significant funding increases for the NHS, defence and schools, as well as tens of billions for major infrastructure projects.... Read more »
The post From ‘tough choices’ to ‘Labour choices’: spending review marks major strategic shift appeared first on P
Olivia Blake: ‘Migrant children living in poverty is a hidden crisis’
11 June 2025 @ 7:30 am
As MPs gather in Westminster for today’s spending review, I will be holding a debate on child poverty and No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The discussion could not be more urgent. The debate comes as the government announces its spending envelope for the next few years, with questions over its ability to deliver its... Read more »
The post Olivia Blake: ‘Migrant children living in poverty is a hidden crisis’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Rachel Reeves: Reform UK ‘tough on workers, tough on patients but soft on Putin’
10 June 2025 @ 10:24 am
The chancellor has claimed Reform UK is “tough on workers, tough on patients but soft on Putin”. Delivering a speech to the GMB union conference in Brighton on Tuesday, Rachel Reeves said that Nigel Farage is “not on the side of the heroic people of Ukraine”. The attack came as the chancellor unveiled a £14.2... Read more »
The post Rachel Reeves: Reform UK ‘tough on workers, tough on patients but soft on Putin’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Winter fuel payment cut was not a mistake, insists Ed Miliband
10 June 2025 @ 8:03 am
Cutting the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners last July was not a “mistake”, Ed Miliband has insisted, despite the government now having set out the details of its U-turn on the policy. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, Miliband was asked repeatedly about chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to change... Read more »
The post Winter fuel payment cut was not a mistake, insists Ed Miliband appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Ian Lavery: ‘The damage caused by bank branch closures must end’
10 June 2025 @ 7:00 am
On 5 June 2025, a debate I initiated was held in the House of Commons designed to bring to the government’s attention the continuing problems being caused to many people in the UK as a consequence of the major banks’ wholesale closure of local branch offices. This is a matter of great concern as the banks... Read more »
The post Ian Lavery: ‘The damage caused by bank branch closures must end’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Will the Green Party embrace a populist turn?
10 June 2025 @ 6:30 am
Zack Polanski has campaigned as he intends to lead: with regular appearances at mass rallies and by making adroit use of social media.
The post Will the Green Party embrace a populist turn? appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Keir Starmer unveils AI tool to ‘transform’ planning system and speed up housebuilding
9 June 2025 @ 9:06 am
The prime minister has unveiled a new AI-powered tool designed to slash planning delays by digitising England’s “outdated”, paper-reliant system and help accelerate the building of 1.5 million new homes. Speaking at the start of London Tech Week on Monday, Keir Starmer announced the launch of “Extract”, an AI assistant developed by the government with... Read more »
The post Keir Starmer unveils AI tool to ‘transform’ planning system and speed up housebuilding appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
Green Party cannot ‘outshout Reform UK’, say leadership candidates Chowns and Ramsay
9 June 2025 @ 8:22 am
The Green Party will never be able to “outshout” Reform UK, joint leadership candidates Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay have said. The MPs, both elected to the commons at the 2024 general election, said the Greens could shape the next government in the event of a hung parliament, which would see no party possess an... Read more »
The post Green Party cannot ‘outshout Reform UK’, say leadership candidates Chowns and Ramsay 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. …
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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
Giving evidence on second jobs
5 June 2025 @ 9:58 am
A few weeks ago, I was part of a panel giving evidence to the House of Commons’ Standards Committee on ‘outside employment and interests’ (second jobs). Here’s the video, or the transcript. My evidence was based on our findings and recommendations from our WhoFundsThem project and our Beyond Transparency report. We worked with volunteers to…
Improving transparency from the outside
5 June 2025 @ 9:56 am
As part of our WhoFundsThem project, we released a big report detailing what we learned while working with volunteers to explore the MPs’ Register of Members Financial Interests (RMFI). Many of our recommendations are for changes Parliament should make, but we always want to think about what we can do from the outside to keep…
Tackling the Climate Crisis with Access to Information rights
28 May 2025 @ 2:17 pm
Our hour-long webinar brought together investigative journalist Lucas Amin of Democracy for Sale; Anne Friel, Head of Just Societies at Client Earth; and Joschi Wolf of the German transparency project Frag Den Staat
Introducing TheyWorkForYou Votes
19 May 2025 @ 8:02 am
Today we’re launching TheyWorkForYou Votes – our new vote information platform. Our goal with this service is to create and support better analysis of decisions taken in the UK’s Parliaments. We want this service to both be directly helpful to the general public, and indirectly by providing new tools and data to specialists. We ran…
Norfolk County Council: “Scorecards have helped us strive for greater transparency and accessibility in our climate action efforts”
15 May 2025 @ 8:01 am
The Council Climate Action Scorecards are helping climate officers across the UK to understand which elements of their path to Net Zero are working well, and which areas need improvement. Marina Ebbage, Procurement Policy Officer at Norfolk County Council, explained the many ways in which Scorecards have helped the authority’s Climate Hub team in their…
TheyWorkForYou: how you can help
14 May 2025 @ 10:14 am
Here’s an update on some upcoming TheyWorkForYou projects, and how you can help us make them better. TheyWorkForYou has also joined Bluesky – so follow us there! Come to the launch of TheyWorkForYou Votes TheyWorkForYou Votes is mySociety’s new platform that provides more information than ever about how MPs (and other elected representatives) have voted. …
APPGs – new stuff we’re releasing and new stuff we need your help with
13 May 2025 @ 10:53 am
We’ve built a tool that helps us release a lot more useful information about All Party Parliamentary Groups, but we need humans to help us with membership lists. The new stuff For each new APPG register (which are released approximately every six weeks), we now produce lists of new APPGs, removed APPGs and updated APPGs.…
TheyWorkForYou has a new votes platform, and we want to tell you about it!
7 May 2025 @ 3:44 pm
TheyWorkForYou Votes is mySociety’s new platform that provides more information than ever about how MPs (and other elected representatives) have voted. It’s launching on Monday 19th May, and we’re running an event where you can learn all about it. Votes in the UK’s Parliaments determine the laws that we all live by, and we want…
News from the ATI Network – March 2025
3 April 2025 @ 1:05 pm
Here is our monthly round-up of news from the transparency organisations in the ATI Network. This month, we have updates from Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary, Greece, South Africa and Latin America. What a global hum of transparency activity! Access Info Europe have brought a joint legal challenge against the European Commission’s new…
Legal reform of FOI laws in France
2 April 2025 @ 2:18 pm
These are notes from a recent ‘fireside chat’ held by the ATI Network. For the sake of frank conversation and knowledge exchange, the session was not recorded, but you can read on for the main points. Laurent and Xavier from the French Alaveteli site MaDada were talking about their learning process from working with Access…