4 h. ago While Starmer struggles with a broken system in Westminster, real power keeps leaking elsewhere | Rafael Behr

Far from No 10, Nigel Farage has been amassing power in the sprawling, networked space where 21st-century politics happensSign 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 moreWith a buzz of activity in parliament and mandatory back-to-school metaphors, a new political season opens in Westminster, but is that where politics really happens? Yes, in terms of people making policy and law in buildings that are world-famous for that purpose, the SW1 postcode is where it is at.But the heart of the machine beats with a weak pulse. The UK state is heavily centralised by the standards of most democracies, yet the people at the centre don’t feel powerful. Ministers can’t enforce bin collections in remote areas or call a halt to Middle East wars but they are made to feel answerable for all that is ill in the world, from hyperlocal to geopolitical.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist ...

Politics

3 d. ago Mythmatch – taking on ancient Greek tech bros to rebuild a broken world

Low-budget puzzle game is also about building communities and challenging capitalism – while still looking cute and approachableOne of the most interesting trends in game design is the use of familiar mechanics and genres to explore real-world power systems and how to challenge them. Forthcoming deck-building game, All Will Rise, seeks to interest players in political activism, Compensation Not Guaranteed aims to educate players about south-east Asian politics, while MythMatch is ostensibly a puzzle game set in ancient Greece, but is also about building communities and challenging capitalism – while still looking cute and approachable.You play as Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, who is having to navigate the institutionalised sexism of Mount Olympus, here represented as a corporation infested with tech bros. In defiance, she decides to help the mortals of Ithaca build a new, more progressive world – and you do this by running around the little environments, merging items and animal...

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3 d. ago Before and after: Trump’s extreme goldening of the Oval Office

An extravagant – and ongoing – makeover of the White House’s decor has taken place during the president’s second term. One colour theme stands outIn just seven extraordinary months, Donald Trump’s administration has left an unprecedented mark on the United States. From rewriting the rules of free trade to upending the norms of due process and challenging scientific orthodoxy, no corner of the country has remained untouched, including the president’s own centre of power: the Oval Office.Leaning into his former career as a real estate developer and hotelier, the president has, in his own words, applied some “Trump touches” to the room’s decor. The results have split opinions, with some calling the revamped office a symbol of America’s new golden age, while other have compared it to a professional wrestler’s dressing room. Continue reading...

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1 week ago How 'real power' Melania Trump is trying to save her husband Donald's legacy

Melania Trump has quietly tried to use her husband's second presidency to save his legacy and have him remembered as a 'peacemaker' in the history books

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2 w. ago Premier League: 10 things to look out for on the opening weekend

Another new era at Tottenham, De Cuyper can shine for Brighton and Aston Villa remind us this is a businessA visit to an expectant Anfield, where Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké will be out to impress on their Premier League debuts, represents a daunting start for a Bournemouth team that have lost three-quarters of last season’s backline to the pulling power of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool this summer. Defensive issues are not exclusive to Andoni Iraola before the Premier League opener, however. Arne Slot voiced concern over the champions’ pre-season vulnerability before and after the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, when the absence of Ryan Gravenberch for family reasons was keenly felt. “Three times we lost the ball very simple in our midfield and three times they could counterattack us,” reflected the Liverpool head coach. Gravenberch will be missing again on Friday due to suspension but Slot expects the team with the second-best defensive record in the P...

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4 w. ago What’s the best thing world leaders could do now? 'Let go' and 'embrace uncertainty' | Fran Boait

Self-help homilies seem out out of place in this era of Starmer and Trump. In fact, applied to government, they can offer new solutions for global problemsIf there is one thing that has marked the first year of Keir Starmer’s premiership, it is a propensity for control – whether it’s managing his own party, cracking down on civil liberties and protest, or instilling fear and anxiety in marginalised groups. For a centre-left party, the authoritarian strain Starmer has shown isn’t exactly in line with the “change” from the Tories that was promised.Governments seek to control populations, politicians seek to control their parties: this is nothing new and has been explicitly promoted since Machiavelli’s The Prince was published in 1532. When leaders understand holding power as an end in itself, and see the method as controlling those they have power over, they block themselves from being able to bring about real change, because not “losing control” becomes more important than any change...

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