Politics

Dr Philip Lee has voted for cuts in benefits, more climate change, and the culling of badgers. Chuka Umunna has voted for more benefits, reducing climate change, and in badgers' best interests. These two MPs are in the same political party. They have now been joined by Luciana Berger, who voted twice for a Brexit referendum and twice against. Umunna voted for Article 50 and then against leaving the EU, while Lee has consistently voted against the EU in all its forms. The party they have all joined is campaigning to Remain. Confused? Try writing an election manifesto for the Tories, 39% of whose voters backed Remain, or Labour, whose official policy is to get a new Brexit deal and then tell people to vote agin it. The above politicians are criticised by opponents because they can't pick a team. Berger and Umunna have both been members of 3 parties in the space of 6 months. But in this they are ahead of the curve. For all of Westminster, the party is over. The government is led by a … [Read more...] about Brexit has killed the British political system – we’re going to need a new way of doing things

Story highlights The rise of activism in the Trump age is reminiscent of the 60s A broader cultural shift in sports has encouraged athletes to speak out Washington (CNN)When Beyoncé got political and paid tribute to the "Black Lives Matter" movement at the Super Bowl last year, many sports fans were up in arms, accusing the star of violating what some consider to be an unspoken rule: Keep politics out of sports. But in an America that is still reeling from a divisive presidential election cycle, where the rise of President Donald Trump catapulted heated debates over race and social issues into the mainstream, many athletes are becoming politically active in a way not seen in decades. And not everyone is happy about it. "Sports is really no longer an escape from the real world that it used to be. Sports is a mirror of our society," CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan said. "I think because Trump is so controversial and because the things he's saying and doing run counter to … [Read more...] about Why athletes are getting more political in the age of Trump

The elections watchdog has warned that it may be an offence to share information obtained at postal vote opening sessions after the BBC's political editor said she had been told that ballot papers already in painted a "grim" picture for Labour . Laura Kuenssberg said that while parties are not supposed to look at voting papers when they are verified - but not counted - at opening sessions, they do "get a hint" of how they are doing. A video of her remarks, made during an interview on the BBC's Politics Live programme, was widely shared on social media and appeared to provoke a response from the Electoral Commission. The BBC said in a statement that it did not believe Kuenssberg had broken electoral law in her comments. In a statement on Twitter , the watchdog said: "It may be an offence to communicate any information obtained at postal vote opening sessions, including about votes cast, before a poll has closed. "Anyone with information to suggest this has happened should report it … [Read more...] about Election watchdog issues postal votes warning after BBC political editor’s remarks

When I was 10 years old, it mattered to me that Britain had a female prime minister. I had no concept of her political affiliations, her party’s policies or any other party’s policies. In 1979 I was blissfully ignorant of all but the fact that Margaret Thatcher was a woman. Until that time, the only women that I was aware of doing jobs as important or as fun as the jobs I saw men doing were Virginia Wade and the Queen. So it was a seminal moment in my career education: If Margaret Thatcher could be the prime minister, I could be the prime minister. It was a childish, simplistic and overly optimistic conclusion; but I believed it. Fast-forward 37 years, and now Britain is to have another female prime minister (May takes fast track to No 10, 12 July). She is no more likely to achieve social equality or tackle gender discrimination and sexual violence, hate crime, the refugee crisis, corporate corruption or exploitation of vulnerable workers than her male predecessors. … [Read more...] about Theresa May, gender politics, equality and the EU

It’s Thursday, December 12. House Judiciary Committee continued to spar over final tweaks to the articles of impeachment, moving closer to a final vote.In today’s newsletter: To the left of the left. Plus, Anne Applebaum on the false romance of Russia.*« TODAY IN POLITICS »(JOSE LUIS MAGANA / AP)To the Left of the LeftThe left knows it wants to kick President Donald Trump out of the White House come Election Day. Beyond that, agreement ends. My colleague Derek Thompson has argued that the ideological split within the Democratic Party is generational: Younger voters lean far to the left of their older counterparts.These younger Americans—facing student debt and dreary prospects when it comes to home ownership—are driving a surge in socialism*. (The number of dues-paying members of the Democratic Socialists of America has increased more than ten-fold since 2016; my colleague Elaine Godfrey has a great profile of the flourishing DSA in Iowa.)The food … [Read more...] about Politics Daily: What Separates the Left From the Left