Shutterstock/rafapress In both the lead up to and the immediate aftermath of the US presidential election, President Donald Trump made claims of voter fraud and a rigged election, using all channels available to him, including Twitter. Despite the apparent lack of evidence for these accusations, they have arguably influenced theContinue Reading
Inspiring/Shutterstock For over two decades programmes like The Daily Show, a political news satire production, have positioned themselves as the antidote to a cable news landscape favouring partisan theatrics and politics served as entertainment. While their content isn’t news in the traditional sense, TV satire shows have had the freedomContinue Reading
If crises bring with them new opportunities to think afresh, then the combined impact of Brexit and COVID has been to focus attention on the capacity and structure of the British state. This rethinking is increasingly framed in terms of “smart government”. Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser, isContinue Reading
Such has been the drama of the 2020 US election and its aftermath that opportunities for reflection have been in short supply. The BBC’s Today programme tried gamely to fill the gap providing two minutes of space for James Naughtie to ruminate on the election. But how would veteran BBCContinue Reading
Russia’s reaction to the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory in the US elections has been very muted. Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has yet to officially congratulate the president-elect. Putin’s political opponent Alexei Navalny, on the other hand, was quick to tweet his congratulations, wryly observing that the free and fairContinue Reading
As in much of the developed world, the US media is in an existential crisis. For more than a decade, dwindling advertising revenue and threats to the authority and legitimacy exacerbated by the rise of digital and social platforms is putting relentless pressure on mainstream news organisations. As president, DonaldContinue Reading
Rupert Murdoch is famous for always wanting to back a winner. So, amid the frenzied atmosphere of the vote count, when his Fox News network started to refer to Donald Trump’s “unfounded fraud claims” with regard to the election, it was clear his chances of retaining the presidency were diminishingContinue Reading
In July 2018 Lucy McHugh, aged 13, was killed by her older “boyfriend” despite trying to let people know she was in danger. Her murder has recently been in the news again because of the release of a report (in which she is known by the pseudonym “Clare”). This independentContinue Reading
Hopes are high in the European Union that Joe Biden will rapidly get to work on a substantive global “to-do” list when he takes over as US president in January. This includes a renewed commitment to multilateralism and specific assurances on NATO and the UN – plus re-entry to theContinue Reading
Now Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the US presidential election, many analysts are looking ahead to what a Biden presidency might mean for America and the world. In the meantime, the US political system has entered a state of suspended animation. As we await the final voteContinue Reading
