58 h. ago Satisfaction with democracy below 50% in eight out of nine western countries, poll finds

Ipsos survey reveals fake news, lack of accountability, extremism and corruption seen as biggest threatsSatisfaction with democracy is below 50% in eight out of nine western countries surveyed in a poll, and majorities in all but one fear for its future, with fake news, lack of political accountability, extremism and corruption seen as the biggest threats.An Ipsos survey of almost 10,000 people in Croatia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US found satisfaction with democracy low in all except Sweden, with deep concerns about the future state of electoral politics. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Keir Starmer under pressure over future of Morgan McSweeney amid briefing row

Ministers and Labour MPs point finger at PM’s chief of staff over No 10 operation that targeted Wes StreetingUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer is facing intense pressure over the future of Morgan McSweeney after the prime minister’s chief of staff was blamed for No 10’s pushback against a possible leadership challenge.After Starmer dodged a question from Kemi Badenoch at prime minister’s questions about whether he had full confidence in his key aide, Downing Street later clarified that he did. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘It shows such a laziness’: why I refuse to date someone who uses ChatGPT

It’s the ultimate ick: trying to form a deep, lasting connection with a person who outsources original thoughtIt was a setting fit for a Nancy Meyers film. We were in Oregon wine country, in a rustic-chic barn that reeked of stealth wealth, for a friend’s rehearsal dinner. “This venue is perfect,” I told the groom-to-be. He leaned in as if to tell me a secret: “I found it on ChatGPT.”I smiled tightly as this man described using generative AI for the initial stages of planning the wedding. (They also hired a human wedding planner.) I responded politely. Inside, however, I resolved: if my future spouse came to me with wedding input courtesy of ChatGPT, there would be no wedding. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago God ‘Stress’ America: 76% are worried sick over state of the union as 2/3 of young adults look to flee, study reveals

Stress and anxiety over the future of the country are rife, with political divide and loneliness taking a toll on Americans, according to the research

Politics

1 week ago UK lawyers warn of ‘race to the bottom’ after Tory MP issues deportation threat

Top lawyers call for change in rhetoric that has left minority ethnic Britons fearful as politicians target migrantsUK politics live – latest updatesLeading British lawyers have warned of a political “race to the bottom”, after a Conservative MP tipped as future party leader said large numbers of legally settled families must be deported.Katie Lam, a shadow Home Office minister and a Tory whip, said people with legal status in the UK should have their right to stay revoked, to ensure the UK is mostly “culturally coherent”. The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, rowed back on Lam’s statement last Thursday, weeks later. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago ‘She’s out’: Nancy Pelosi expected to quit politics after California votes on redistricting this week: report

The former House Speaker has not made any public announcements about her political future and says her top focus is on helping Democrats retake the House of Representatives in 2026

Politics

2 w. ago Who decides how we adapt to climate change? | Leah Aronowsky

The question is not whether we will reshape our institutions to manage climate impacts, but howFor decades, “stopping climate change” has been the singular goal of climate politics. Across the political spectrum, from grassroots climate campaigners to elite UN negotiators, reducing carbon emissions to avoid future catastrophe has been the organizing logic of climate policies.Yet climate change has arrived and its material impacts are already being felt. This means that climate politics can no longer focus only on preventing future catastrophes. It must now also encompass struggles over how society manages climate impacts already reshaping economic and social life. Insurance markets, housing, water and land use policies, national labor markets, and local economies – all will need to be radically remade as we adapt to a changed and increasingly volatile climate.Leah Aronowsky is a historian of science and assistant professor at the Columbia Climate School Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago No shame, no opprobrium: racism is priced in now. Of all the right’s victories, this one has been critical | Jason Okundaye

In this age of Tory nativism and Faragist populism, the question isn’t ‘is this person a bigot?’ Now it is ‘does that matter at all?’Cast your mind back to the furore when the shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, was revealed to have said that he “didn’t see another white face” in the Handsworth area of Birmingham. It was reported as if it would be of real consequence to his political future – but enough time has passed, I figure, to confirm that it was not. Why did some seriously consider this a turning point? Because Jenrick had said something genuinely explicit and unambiguous – no dog whistle, no gesture, no disguise, no metaphor. Though he claimed “it’s not about skin colour”, it was a naked reference to race and an evident rebuke to British communities where there was a predominance of people of colour.The lack of consequence, however, was unsurprising, because within the public sphere the question of racism has been rigged for quite some time and the rules around who get...

Events

3 w. ago What we misunderstand in the debate over free speech | Avram Alpert

Freedom of speech requires freedom of thought – and the American political climate poses a serious threat to itFor all the opinions about free speech and censorship that rage around us, there is remarkably little argument about what the “free” in free speech means. Most defenders of “free speech” only seem to care about the freedom to express themselves. They fight for the right to say anything, not whether the speech itself comes from a position of freedom.Focusing on what makes free speech free is fundamental to our moral and political futures. Because free speech, properly conceived, is not just about the right to say what one wants. It is also about being the kind of person who has been so conscientious in their thinking, learning and discussion that they have become a free subject whose speech is directed toward the pursuit of truth. And there are serious threats today against the freedom of thought on which free speech relies. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Henry McLeish: What happened to the debate on Scotland's political and constitutional future?

What happened to the debate on Scotland’s political and constitutional future? It is time to rethink Scotland, and create a new conversation, a sense of national purpose and embrace the long view

Politics

3 w. ago Jess Phillips on getting teary at Pride of Britain and hope for the future of politics

Speaking exclusively with the Mirror at tonight's star-studded Pride of Britain Awards, Jess Phillips MP about why the very special ceremony always leaves her in floods

Politics