1 hour ago Sweden sparks fury after excluding ABBA from new national heritage list

A government-funded 'cultural canon' list in Sweden –which includes Ikea but excludes ABBA –has been slammed as nationalist propaganda and an authoritarian tool

Politics

9 h. ago One by one, leaders learn that grovelling to Trump leads to disaster. When will it dawn on Starmer? | Simon Tisdall

As the US president’s state visit looms, he’s leaving a trail of broken promises across the globe. Britain can’t afford to look like a lackey stateSign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and moreSucking up to Donald Trump never works for long. Narendra Modi is the latest world leader to learn this lesson the hard way. Wooing his “true friend” in the White House, India’s authoritarian prime minister thought he’d conquered Trump’s inconstant heart. The two men hit peak pals in 2019, holding hands at a “Howdy Modi” rally in Texas. But it’s all gone pear-shaped thanks to Trump’s tariffs and dalliance with Pakistan. Like a jilted lover on the rebound, Modi shamelessly threw himself at Vladimir Putin in China last week. Don and Narendra! It’s over! Although, to be honest, it always felt a little shallow.Other suitors for Trump’s slippery hand have suffered similar heartbr...

Politics

50 h. ago The golden rule of Trump and Farage’s free speech crusade: they’re allowed to chat rubbish – you’re not | Marina Hyde

The Reform leader has been in the US, bemoaning Britain’s ‘awful authoritarian situation’. It’s a shame about his party’s own anti-media huff back homeSign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and morePop quiz. Of whom did Donald Trump say admiringly: “I also learned that he loves his country very much”? And: “He wrote me beautiful letters. And they are great letters. We fell in love”?If you answered “Nigel Farage”, then I’m sorry. The Reform UK leader might have spent this pre-party conference week in his happy place – lodged several feet up the US presidential colon – and rhetorically demanding of US lawmakers: “At what point did [the UK] become North Korea?” But those Trump compliments were in fact previously made about Kim Jong-un, the dictator of well, you know the rest.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago Authoritative to authoritarian: rightwing radicalisation is blurring the Conservatives’ political red lines | Andy Beckett

Listen to the inflammatory language around immigration, multiculturalism, press freedom – that old notion of British ‘moderation’ has gone for everSign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and moreWhile British rightwing politics has never been exactly a gentle pursuit, there is a longstanding assumption that its tone and content have limits. Enoch Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech, Oswald Mosley’s embrace of fascism, Keith Joseph’s 1974 speech apparently in favour of eugenics: each of these transgressions was punished and became infamous.According to believers in this country’s political moderation, the mainstream British right does not make overt appeals to prejudice, encourage political violence, form alliances with the far right, or advocate authoritarianism here or abroad. Unlike in other democracies, such as interwar Germany, our conservatism has always had red ...

Politics

3 d. ago Donald Trump is having a lovechild with Satan: South Park sets up future chaos

At times, the latest episode of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s comedy feels like it’s running out of ammo when tackling the US President. But might it just be sowing the seeds of what’s to come?So far, South Park’s 27th season has had one clear goal: to provoke Donald Trump into a tantrum. Every episode has managed to pick on a new and different facet of his authoritarian rule – the silencing of his media critics, his use of Ice agents as an intimidation tactic – while simultaneously telling everyone what a tiny penis he has.So the anticipation levels were off the charts for this week’s episode, entitled Wok Is Dead, which promised to take on Trump’s tariff policy. And in fairness it did do this, but only in a couple of scenes where a Chinese character with an uncomfortably Mickey Rooney-esque accent complained about them. The rest of the episode just settled for a bunch of jokes about Labubu dolls, as well as calling Donald Trump “Satan” as many times as it feasibly could. Continue r...

Politics

3 d. ago Nigel Farage meets Donald Trump in the Oval Office after hitting out at Keir Starmer's 'awful, authoritarian' UK over civil liberties

Nigel Farage has met with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office shortly after lambasting Sir Keir Starmer's online safety laws as 'awful' and 'authoritarian.'

Politics

3 d. ago 'At what point did we become North Korea?' Nigel Farage blasts Keir Starmer's 'awful, authoritarian' UK as Reform leader tells US politicians free speech is under threat

The Reform leader warned that Americans - including tech moguls - could face arrest at Heathrow over online content disliked by British authorities in the wake of the arrest of Graham Linehan.

Politics

4 d. ago Nigel Farage urges Trump to use 'diplomacy and trade' to pressure Britain on free speech ahead of appearance in front of US politicians TODAY

The Reform leader and MP is due to say Britain has become an 'authoritarian censorship regime' after the arrest of Irish writer Graham Linehan for posting trans-critical tweets.

Politics

4 d. ago Farage condemns UK’s ‘authoritarian censorship regime’ ahead of giving evidence at US congress

Reform UK leader to speak about Online Safety Act at House judiciary committee; government set to announce date of budget at PMQs later Good morning. It is the first PMQs, and with the government set to announce the date of the budget today (Wednesday 26 November, if HuffPost UK is right), you would expect Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch to get stuck into a debate about the economy, and taxation.But it might end up as a free speech day at Westminster, as a result of the conflation of two related issues.On the question of civil liberties, Britain has, unfortunately, now lost her way.I will do my part, as a participant in UK democracy, to help our country find its way back to the traditional freedoms which have long bound together our two countries in friendship. In the meantime, Congress should draw bright lines: British free speech rules, applicable to Britons, are made in Britain, and American speech rules, applicable to Americans, are made in America. Continue reading...

Culture

4 d. ago Xi Jinping says world faces ‘peace or war’, as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong

Trump criticises victory day event as China caps off a week of diplomatic grandstanding seen as a rebuke to the westXi Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding seen as a rebuke to the west.Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, are among dozens of world leaders attending the parade, a massive display of military hardware and personnel, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the Japanese War of Aggression. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Xi Jinping says world faces ‘peace or war’, as Putin and Kim join him for military parade

Trump criticises victory day event as China caps off a week of diplomatic grandstanding seen as a rebuke to the westXi Jinping said the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade, joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in a show of defiance to the west.Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, were among dozens of world leaders who attended the parade, a massive display of military hardware and personnel, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Farage to say UK has ‘authoritarian censorship regimes’ after Linehan arrest

The Reform UK leader will give evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington on free speech in the UK.

Events

8 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump and the Fed: independence is no substitute for accountability | Editorial

The US president’s move against Lisa Cook shows his despotic bent, but the Fed was never democracy’s guardian. It’s time to rethink who really controls moneyDonald Trump’s attempt to sack the Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, is the familiar authoritarian trick of bending institutions to serve the leader’s immediate ends. The widespread condemnation is deserved. This is not some daring experiment in popular control of monetary policy. Yet what should follow censure is reflection. For the furore over Ms Cook has revealed a peculiar reflex: to defend the Fed’s independence as though it were synonymous with democracy itself.But is independence of the Fed, or central banks generally, really that? Eric Levitz at Vox thinks so, or at least that it is close enough. He argues that Congress sets the Fed’s objectives; independence applies only to the means. Without independence, politicians would be free to game rates for votes – as Richard Nixon did in 1972, leaning on the ...

Politics

8 d. ago Step back and take it in: the US is entering full authoritarian mode | Jonathan Freedland

Trump’s dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it’s time to call it what it isIf this were happening somewhere else – in Latin America, say – how might it be reported? Having secured his grip on the capital, the president is now set to send troops to several rebel-held cities, claiming he is wanted there to restore order. The move follows raids on the homes of leading dissidents and comes as armed men seen as loyal to the president, many of them masked, continue to pluck people off the streets Except this is happening in the United States of America and so we don’t quite talk about it that way. That’s not the only reason. It’s also because Donald Trump’s march towards authoritarianism is so steady, taking another step or two every day, that it’s easy to become inured to it: you can’t be in a state of shock permanently. And, besides, sober-minded people are wary of sounding hyperbolic or hysterical: their instinct is to play down...

Culture

9 d. ago The Cracker Barrel mess exposes the cynicism of the rightwing culture war | Sidney Blumenthal

The restaurant means little to activists – it’s simply a tool to bludgeon perceived enemies and flex conservative powerFirst they came for the Smithsonian. Then they came for Cracker Barrel.Whether it’s the museums or the corporations – or the universities, law firms, federal departments and agencies – the attack lines of the Trump culture war and its culture warriors are the same. The vicious full-scale assault on the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain after the company naively wandered on to the battle zone by altering its “Old Timer” logo exposes the cynicism of the whole operation and its ulterior motive to impose an authoritarian regime over every aspect of American society.Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago In Prabowo’s Indonesia, the military is quietly creeping back into civilian life

The retired general who is now president has established 100 new army battalions and plans more – and critics say the move has echoes of the country’s authoritarian past“A big nation like us,” Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto told the rank and file before him, “needs a strong military. No nation can be independent without having a strong military.”In a speech before inaugurating military troops in West Java this month, Prabowo – the former special forces commandant – proclaimed that Indonesia must strengthen its defences to protect the nation’s sovereignty and resources. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The Guardian view on Nigel Farage’s mass deportation plan: Trumpism in a union jack | Editorial

Reform UK’s leader isn’t offering border control. He’s dismantling democratic constraints and replacing them with fear and authoritarian fictionNigel Farage wants you to believe Britain could deport 288,000 people annually. That’s nearly 800 a day – 30 times the current rate of asylum-related returns. This is a fantasy concealing his real aim: to destroy public trust in democratic institutions, crush legal constraints and turn fear into power. Mr Farage isn’t trying to fix the asylum system. In fact, he wants to dismantle the political framework necessary to achieve that goal: the treaties, parliamentary conventions and centuries of legal protections. In their place, a Reform government would operate by executive fiat cloaked in nationalist rhetoric.“Operation Restoring Justice” is a louder, more extreme version of Rishi Sunak’s failed 2023 strategy to detain everyone, deport everyone and process no one. This led to a backlog of unheard asylum claims, spiralling hotel costs and publ...

Politics

1 week ago Donald Trump claims Americans 'would like a dictator' in chilling new statement

Donald Trump has been attacked for his federal clampdown on Washington DC by sending in National Guard troops to support law enforcement with critics calling it an "authoritarian takeover"

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on protests in Serbia: a battle for democracy that the EU must not ignore | Editorial

An authoritarian crackdown on mass demonstrations in an EU candidate country requires a stronger response from BrusselsDuring a summer in which European leaders have focused on shuttle diplomacy with Donald Trump over trade and Ukraine, they have maintained a discreet silence regarding another crisis in Europe’s east. For more than nine months, mass student-led protests in Serbia have been challenging the authoritarian rule of Aleksandar Vučić, who has been in office as prime minister and president for 11 years. Up to now, Brussels has largely opted to look away.The catalyst for some of the largest demonstrations in Serbia’s history was the collapse of a newly renovated railway station roof in the country’s second city, Novi Sad, leading to the deaths of 16 people. The disaster was widely attributed to entrenched fraud and corruption presided over by Mr Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive party, and swiftly became the spark for a movement for democratic reform. The students are deman...

Events

1 week ago Artist who fled to the UK after exhibition exposing authoritarian regimes was censored ‘does not feel safe at all’

Burmese artist Sai opens up about ongoing battle against global oppression after Chinese officials allegedly demand his show on authoritarian regimes be shut down

Culture