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

A Reuters file photo of Imran Khan at the PTI dharna in 2014. After completing plan A and plan B of his Azadi March, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called an All-Party Conference on November 26, 2019, purportedly to chalk out plan C. Both the previous plans, according to Maulana had achieved their objectives, with a prediction to send packing the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ally, the Chaudhry brothers (CBs), had been appointed to persuade Maulana to end the dharna (sit-in). The CBs had denied having brokered any arrangement leading to Imran Khan’s resignation. Unlike the Imran-Qadri duo dharna of 2014 that lasted 126 days with a 24/7 media coverage, Maulana had none of the juggling to offer for political entertainment other than aping PTI’s uncouth rambling to malign the government and threatening to haul the Prime Minister out of his office by the scruff of the neck. … [Read more...] about The politics of dharnas

RAMESWARAM: Leading actor Kamal Haasan today began his political journey by visiting the house of A P J Abdul Kalam here, describing the former president as his "role model". Haasan, who is slated to launch his party in Madurai tonight, began the day with a visit to the residence of Kalam in this island and received the blessings of the late leader's centenarian brother Mohammed Muthumeeran Lebbai Maraikkayar. "Greatness can come from simple beginnings. Actually it will come only from simplicity. Glad to start my journey from a great man's simple abode," he said in a tweet on his visit to Kalam's residence where a large number of his supporters gathered. Earlier, he briefly interacted with Maraikkayar. Kalam's family presented a memento carrying an image of the former president to Haasan. He also paid homage at the memorial of the 'missile man' at Peikarumbu. However, Haasan's plans to visit a school where Kalam studied could not fructify as the local administration denied … [Read more...] about Kamal Haasan starts political journey from ‘role model’ APJ Abdul Kalam’s home