Political commentators both inside Russia and around the world are comparing Aleksey Navalny’s return to Moscow with Vladimir Lenin’s “sealed train” journey from Switzerland to St Petersburg in April 1917. It was eight-day journey that, as Winston Churchill wrote, “turned upon Russia the most grisly of all weapons. They transportedContinue Reading
Forty-eight hours before Ugandan voters went to the polls the country’s Communications Commission (UCC) imposed a social media blackout. It had been a bitter and violent election campaign pitting the 76-year-old veteran president, Yoweri Museveni against Robert Kyagulanyi – better known as Bobi Wine – a 38-year-old pop-star-turned-politician. Museveni hasContinue Reading
Washington DC’s Capitol building has been placed under extremely tight security since supporters of Donald Trump overran its halls. Their actions forced members of congress and staff to take shelter and barricade doors. A police officer lost his life as well as four other people. In the days that followed,Continue Reading
shutterstock Aphelleon There are countless different species on the surface of this planet. One of these is the human race, which has over seven billion members. In one sense, there are no nations, just groups of humans inhabiting different areas of the planet. In some cases, there are natural bordersContinue Reading
Important Scottish parliament elections are scheduled for May 2021 and the expectation is that the Scottish National Party will emerge as the biggest party, potentially even with enough votes to form a majority government, after ruling as a minority since 2016. However, it has been argued by former first ministerContinue Reading
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Debate over the provision of free school meals in England – which has erupted at several points during the past year – resurfaced once again this week. Parents reported that £30 vouchers, intended for the purchase of school lunches for two weeks, had been replaced with foodContinue Reading
Amid all the sound and fury accompanying US domestic politics – and particularly the recent attack on the Capitol in Washington, two developments in the Persian Gulf have highlighted one of the major foreign policy issues facing president-elect, Joe Biden, when he takes office on January 20: how to dealContinue Reading
Governments face pressure in the years ahead to ramp up social security payments to help people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. However, in the UK, it has historically been voters who support the parties of government who get the money. My research, outlined in a paper awaiting full review, showsContinue Reading
In the wake of the attack on the US Capitol, there has been a lot of discussion of the role of the 35-year-old US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was one of the five people killed during the violence that day. Right-wing posters on social media platforms took littleContinue Reading
Arrested: the far-right 'Nordic Shaman' has been identified as QAnon follower Jake Angeli. Alex Gakos via Shutterstock The defining image of the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 was undoubtedly that of a bare-chested man posing resplendent in a horned fur hat and face paint. Images of himContinue Reading
