openDemocracy

Free thinking for the world 🌍 We're an independent media organisation covering world affairs and ideas.

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Last Notes

2026-05-01 18:49:52 UTC

It’s hard to know who stands for what in elections. UK local election candidates have made various pledges and we’re tracking data from the London Jewish Forum, Council for the Preservation of Rural England, Vote Palestine, and Pledge to Oppose Austerity, with more to come – over at
https://candidask.opendemocracy.net
You can add info to our system and make the data useful for voters in your area.

2026-04-28 18:19:32 UTC

Our UK local elections tracker is getting more data daily.
In some areas it is already a useful tool for an at-a-glance overview of candidate opinions. We have reached out to more campaigns for their pledge data and welcome anyone to submit info on candidates – this is a crowd-sourced tool.
https://candidask.opendemocracy.net
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/483/684/901/920/447/original/645ddb4a898e084e.png

2026-04-17 15:52:39 UTC

Big Tech platforms under fire in inquiry into Southport mass stabbing: Amazon and X’s policies on age verification and content moderation criticised in report on murder of three children and stabbing of others https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/southport-murders-amazon-x-big-tech-criticised-age-verification-content-moderation/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-16 13:47:21 UTC

Defeating authoritarians: Notes from the Hungarian playbook: What can progressives everywhere learn from Magyar’s historic victory over Orbán’s anti-democratic regime? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/hungary-election-orban-defeat-peter-magyar-win-lessons-progressives/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-16 13:20:21 UTC

Orbán’s election defeat is a blow to the global anti-gender movement: Europe’s great replacement prime minister lost on Sunday, and so did the global anti-gender movement https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/orban-hungary-abortion-lgbtq-great-replacement/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-16 11:22:25 UTC

CandidAsk — openDemocracy’s new, reader-powered database designed to track what local candidates stand for. To make this tool really useful, we need your help.
We can't track everything, so we are asking you: What specific, measurable issues do you want your local candidates to answer for?
https://candidask.opendemocracy.net/

2026-04-15 15:25:07 UTC

“These massacres serve as a reminder that it was Netanyahu, not Trump, who started the war on Iran and that he continues to pull the strings. For as long as that’s true, the prospects of a lasting peace deal are very low.”⁠
⁠
Read the full op-ed here
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/iran-war-israel-trump-netanyahu-peace-unlikely/
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/409/412/593/680/450/original/b7d040d544992c80.jpg

2026-04-10 15:08:13 UTC

Netanyahu is behind Iran war, not Trump – and that makes peace unlikely: Israel’s strikes on Lebanon are a reminder that Netanyahu will do whatever he can to avoid a peace deal with Iran https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/iran-war-israel-trump-netanyahu-peace-unlikely/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-10 11:04:37 UTC

UK plans to tackle AI harms would bypass democratic process, experts warn: The government is seeking powers to allow ministers to rewrite significant portions of the Online Safety Act https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-online-safety-act-ai-harms-government-labour-grok-elon-musk/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-09 09:52:37 UTC

Labour to scrap time limit on investigating sexual misconduct by doctors: I first reported on abuse in the NHS in 2022. Labour has made the right call on the unfair ‘five-year rule’ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/doctors-sexual-abuse-nhs-gmc-five-year-justice-labour-general-medical-council/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-04-08 19:22:37 UTC

Having helped get Labour elected, Anacta Strategies now helps its clients get what they want from Starmer's government.⁠
⁠
Anacta describes itself as "the leading Labour-specialist advisory firm”. Among its clients is Pearson Engineering, an Israeli-owned defence firm which won a government contract worth £10m, its largest ever, with the Ministry of Defence last year.⁠
⁠
Read the full article here
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/url-anacta-strategies-labour-keir-starmer-company-accounts-lobbying-airbnb-visa-sky-pearson/
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/370/709/133/789/270/original/e32a72fe14588224.jpg

2026-04-03 11:40:07 UTC

‘Labour-specialist’ lobbying firm with close ties to No10 revs up business: Having helped get the party elected, Anacta Strategies now helps its clients get what they want from Starmer's Labour government https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/url-anacta-strategies-labour-keir-starmer-company-accounts-lobbying-airbnb-visa-sky-pearson/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-27 17:11:37 UTC

For the US and Israel, the Iran war is exposing an uncomfortable new world order: With Tehran closer to achieving its war aims than Washington or Tel Aviv, the global economic balance of power is shifting https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/us-israel-iran-war-new-world-order-global-dominance-economic-gulf-trump-netanyahu/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-27 15:50:38 UTC

Landmark verdicts could unleash new legal playbook over social media harms: In two US states, twin verdicts find tech giants Meta and Google liable for harms to young users on their platforms https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/legal-verdict-social-media-harms-meta-google/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-27 15:23:36 UTC

What the research says about the UK’s proposed immigration reforms: Labour’s vision will lead to permanent insecurity, deepen destitution, and exclude a generation from full civic rights https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-immigration-reforms-shabana-mahmood-asylum-refugees-destitution-insecurity-labour-startmer/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-26 08:53:51 UTC

Survivors of sex trafficking offences similar to those committed by Jeffrey Epstein may be refused support under the UK’s modern slavery system due to immigration law changes introduced by the previous government, experts have warned.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/epstein-sex-trafficking-grooming-gangs-modern-slavery-home-office/

2026-03-25 14:47:38 UTC

Would Epstein victims have been denied help after changes to UK slavery system?: Policy change on modern slavery could block victims of Epstein-style trafficking from getting help, experts fear https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/epstein-sex-trafficking-grooming-gangs-modern-slavery-home-office/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-25 11:55:19 UTC

Use of force against women in English prisons more than doubled from 2021/2022 to 2024/2025.⁠
⁠
Women are being handcuffed, restrained or subjected to “pain-inducing techniques”. Force has even occured against pregnant women and during hospital examinations ⤵️⁠
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/handcuffs-restraint-women-prison-use-of-force-double-three-years-england-wales/
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2026-03-24 15:23:36 UTC

‘My heart is in pieces’: How UK government’s migration policy shatters lives: Behind the headlines and rhetoric, what do Labour’s immigration plans mean for those affected? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-immigration-leave-to-remain-shabana-mahmood-heart-broken-testimonials/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-20 11:55:36 UTC

The AI Panopticon: How Big Tech and the State are Watching You | With Jim Killock https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/ai-panopticon-surveillance-jim-killock-open-rights/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-20 09:13:38 UTC

Restrained, handcuffed and in pain: Use of force in women’s prisons doubles: Exclusive: Experts demand answers as we reveal prison staff increasingly use force to deal with mental health https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/handcuffs-restraint-women-prison-use-of-force-double-three-years-england-wales/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-13 17:01:41 UTC

For Trump and Netanyahu, the Iran war is a problem of their own making: The US president’s claim that the war is ‘very complete’ was little more than wishful thinking https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/trump-netanyahu-iran-problem-own-making-us-israel-oil-strait-of-hormuz/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-13 16:07:40 UTC

Oil, Inflation, Unrest: The Global Fallout of the US-Israeli War on Iran: “The only coordinated mechanism that most policy makers across the global South are indulging in right now is prayer.” https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/iran-trump-israel-oil-iran-india/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-13 15:40:39 UTC

Top civil servant boomeranged between government and Tony Blair Institute: Exclusive: Tech firms such as TBI are embedding staff in government, sparking fears AI policy is being ‘outsourced’ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/dsit-civil-servant-revolving-door-between-government-and-tony-blair-institute/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-05 15:08:18 UTC

The "Danish Model" of Asylum Explained: Cruelty by Design? | With Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen: How anti-rights groups are targeting the next generation https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/danish-model-asylum-immigration-explained/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-03-03 17:04:18 UTC

Are anti-rights movements infiltrating high schools? We uncover the deliberate, decades-old strategy the far-right is using to target young people, weaponise their insecurities, and build a pipeline of extremist power.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/far-right-radicalising-gen-z-jamie-vernaelde-ipas/

2026-02-27 19:09:36 UTC

Nothing to see here: Ex-Amazon UK boss to lead competition watchdog: Experts described the decision to appoint Doug Gurr as the head of the CMA as “very positive” if you are Big Tech https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/cma-chair-doug-gurr-amazon-competition-monopoly-big-tech-anti-trust/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-27 18:42:40 UTC

Why the Green Party Just Broke Labour's "Filthy Rich" Orthodoxy: The 25‑point swing away from Labour shows voters want people‑centred solutions rather than cautious managerialism https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-greens-reform-gorton-denton-by-election/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-27 16:00:38 UTC

Revolution begins with care: Confronting the polycrisis: We’re living through a series of interlinked disasters, confounded by the rise of surveillance. How do we fight back? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/surveillance-tech-facial-recognition-revolution-begins-with-care-confronting-polycrisis/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-27 16:00:37 UTC

The Greens’ real fight has begun – and the establishment will be out for blood: After a stunning victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, Green activists are preparing for a major establishment backlash https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/the-greens-real-fight-has-begun-and-the-establishment-will-be-out-for-blood/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-20 16:08:19 UTC

Meet our new tech reporting fellow: Jade-Ruyu Yan: Investigative journalist Jade-Ruyu joins openDemocracy to follow the UK’s rapidly evolving tech and society beat https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/tech-reporting-fellow-jade-ruyu-yan-tech-policy-press/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-20 15:41:19 UTC

AI bots may lead to the end of the internet as we know it: In recent weeks, openDemocracy’s website has been repeatedly brought down by an army of bots. We’re not the only ones https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/ai-chatbots-scraper-bots-chatgpt-website-offline-change-internet/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-20 12:32:22 UTC

Gaza's Illusionary Ceasefire: With Jamil Sawalmeh: The ceasefire hasn't ended, because it never began https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/gaza-palestine-israel-ceasefire-genocide-jamil-sawalmeh-action-aid/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-20 11:38:18 UTC

Protests, proscription and the power of the jury: As jurors acquit Palestine Action and a court overturns their proscription, is the government fighting a losing battle? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/palestine-action-protest-jury-history-non-violent-direct-action-suffragettes-colonialism-civil-rights/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-19 12:46:43 UTC

Money is power, and oil is a commodity – one that was once solely reliant on the dollar. The US knows that’s shifting...
Read this story and more like it in our weekly newsletter ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=weekly_campaign
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2026-02-18 17:43:16 UTC

As Israel attempts to push the US into war with Iran, it’s worth considering how Tehran could retaliate
Read this story and more like it in our weekly newsletter ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=weekly_campaign
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2026-02-12 15:03:42 UTC

The far right blames the left for attacking democracy. But the Epstein files tell a very different story.
Read more ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/far-right-trump-epstein-national-security-free-speech-pnfv/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=post
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2026-02-11 12:38:11 UTC

Inside the summit uniting the world’s most successful far-right activists: In Brussels, the far right blamed the left for attacking democracy. The Epstein files told a very different story. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/far-right-trump-epstein-national-security-free-speech-pnfv/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-02-10 16:01:03 UTC

In Hebron, the largest city in the occupied West Bank, where my family has lived for generations, the presence of the Israeli state is everywhere. For the 215,000 or so Palestinians here, there is no such thing as privacy.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/special-issue-fluid-technology/

2026-02-10 12:59:34 UTC

The technologies tested at borders do not stay there. Systems like biometric databases, predictive policing, and mass surveillance are first deployed on mobile communities and then become normalised and expanded across societies. What happens at the margins becomes the blueprint for the rest.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/migration-technology-monitor-manifesto-fellowship-nairobi-reclaiming-power-borders/

2026-02-06 10:41:35 UTC

Israeli border tech is not about security, it’s a tool for ethnic cleansing: In the West Bank, we are the unwilling test subjects for digital advancements in methods of population control https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-border-tech-ethnic-cleansing-palestine-west-bank-hebron-wolf-pack/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-01-29 15:45:16 UTC

A Labour-linked lobbying firm is selling access to government officials, including tech secretary Liz Kendall, for tens of thousands of pounds 💸
Read this story and more like it in our weekly newsletter ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=weekly_campaign
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2026-01-29 15:27:15 UTC

Revealed: Lobbying firm selling access to ministers for £30,000: Firms can get direct access to tech minister and No 10 advisers in exchange for sponorsing tech event, brochure says https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/arden-strategies-cash-for-access-future-labour-ministers-tech-summit-liz-kendall-jim-murphy/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-01-28 19:41:37 UTC

“What we need is UK tech firms to have the opportunity to bid for and provide sovereign solutions to sovereign problems. What happens when Trump has another tantrum?”
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/palantir-ministry-defence-hire-four-officials-2025-record-defence-contract-240-million

2026-01-28 13:36:57 UTC

Zarah Sultana: From ICE to Gaza, Palantir is complicit in violent US hegemony. Why do we keep giving it contracts?
Read this story and more like it in our weekly newsletter ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=weekly_campaign
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2026-01-28 11:19:43 UTC

Palantir hired four Ministry of Defence officials last year. Then it won its biggest ever contract with the department
Read this story and more like it in our weekly newsletter ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=weekly_campaign
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2026-01-26 11:34:29 UTC

- reply

"Since then, this government has only tightened its embrace. Building on ties established under the Conservatives, Labour is embedding a company accused by campaigners of facilitating human-rights violations deeper and deeper into our public life"

2026-01-26 11:34:11 UTC

- reply

"Whatever Karp had in mind, Keir Starmer did not appear troubled. Later that month, he flew to Palantir’s Washington headquarters to kiss the ring of a corporation deeply embedded in the US military and intelligence infrastructure"

2026-01-26 11:34:02 UTC

- reply

"On an investor call last February, Palantir’s CEO, Alex Karp, said he was “super proud” of what his company does. Perhaps he was referring to Palantir’s role in enabling ICE to target migrant communities and tear families apart"

2026-01-26 11:33:53 UTC

- reply

"Palantir is not a normal software company. It was founded with an explicit mission which remains at the heart of its operations today: to maintain US global domination"

2026-01-26 11:33:36 UTC

From ICE to Gaza, Palantir is complicit in violent US hegemony. Why do we keep giving it contracts? From MP Zarah Sultana ⤵️
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/zarah-sutlana-palantir-no-place-uk-public-services-ministry-of-defence/

2026-01-24 06:25:37 UTC

Zarah Sultana: Palantir has no place in UK public services: From ICE to Gaza, Palantir is complicit in violent US hegemony. Why do we keep giving it contracts? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/zarah-sutlana-palantir-no-place-uk-public-services-ministry-of-defence/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-01-23 16:53:08 UTC

Trump’s recent actions point to a turbulent year for the world: The White House is putting itself in a position to fight more wars overseas while controlling dissent at home https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/trump-actions-troubled-year-ahead-war-greenland-middle-east/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-01-20 15:03:03 UTC

How did Nigel Farage’s ‘anti-establishment’ party begin a love affair with Big Business?
Read this story and more like it by signing up for our weekly newsletter
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/sign-weekly-opendemocracy-newsletter/
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2026-01-19 08:47:34 UTC

To voters up and down the country, Reform has sought to cast itself as an anti-establishment party. At the same time, it has been quietly building relationships with financial giants in the City of London and some of the UK’s most influential lobbying agencies.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/reform-nigel-farage-business-lobbying-be-in-cabinet-policies-deregulation-finance/

2026-01-16 16:45:10 UTC

‘Could I be in their cabinet?’: Big Business eyes up Reform: How Nigel Farage’s ‘anti-establishment’ party began a love affair with lobbyists and industry leaders https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/reform-nigel-farage-business-lobbying-be-in-cabinet-policies-deregulation-finance/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2026-01-15 19:42:06 UTC

“The costs of increased militarisation to our planet - environmentally, socially and otherwise - far outweigh any supposed “investment opportunity” this presents. We need investment instead in socially useful sectors that make all of our lives better, and to stand against the corporate capture of our politics.”
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/ministry-of-defence-official-seconded-rothschild-bank-private-finance-military/

2026-01-14 17:11:39 UTC

Anita Bhadani, media manager at campaign group Global Justice Now said: “The revolving door between those who run our country and private finance threatens our democracy. We would expect our government to place the interests of people above the profit margins of corporations, but with officials and members of the House of Lords taking up positions with private capital there is a real risk of conflict of interest.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/ministry-of-defence-official-seconded-rothschild-bank-private-finance-military/

2026-01-09 16:29:09 UTC

Trump’s $1.5trn gamble: Will endless conflict win midterm votes?: While eyes were on Caracas, US forces launched attacks across three continents. This is a war presidency https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/trump-military-war-budget-venezuela-caracas/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-12-11 09:57:33 UTC

Israel is acting with impunity. Is it overconfident in Trump’s support?: Horrified by IDF war crimes in Gaza, more Americans are said to support Palestine than Israel for the first time ever https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-act-impunity-trump-support-palestine-gaza-ceasefire-peace-plan-american-opinion/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-12-05 15:22:17 UTC

With UK politics in flux, Your Party may well surprise you yet: Last weekend, two very different Your Party conferences took place: the one reported on in the press, and the real one https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/your-party-general-election-2029-conference-jeremy-corbyn-zarah-sultana/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-12-05 13:33:34 UTC

Hope amid chaos: Inside Your Party’s inaugural conference: The event was a messy, fractious and, at times, tense display of the kind of true democracy missing from UK politics https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/hope-amid-chaos-inside-your-partys-inaugural-conference/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-28 10:06:14 UTC

This budget shows Labour government is still stuck in short-termism: Labour has tied itself in knots with its fiscal plans and spending cuts – and neither will grow the economy https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/rachel-reeves-budget-short-termism-labour-government-fiscal-rules/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-27 09:48:13 UTC

Yet another government has failed to deliver for Disabled people: Like her Conservative predecessors, Labour’s Reeves has blamed Disabled people for the state’s problems https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/rachel-reeves-budget-fails-disabled-people-labour-party/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-25 16:24:14 UTC

Israel increasing violence in Palestine despite Trump’s ‘peace’ deal: Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu appears to have free rein to do as he pleases, as UN Security Council backs Gaza plan https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-gaza-donald-trump-peace-deal-attacks-kill-palestinians-hezbollah/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-14 09:53:34 UTC

The most dangerous ‘school’ in the UK: Army must end child recruitment: British Army is putting 16- and 17-year-olds at risk of abuse in desperate drive to increase troops. That must change https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/british-army-must-end-child-recruitment-afc-harrogate-abuse-revealed/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-13 17:41:35 UTC

Climate finance calls for a new economy: OPINION: The idea that developing countries are merely at earlier stages of a universal path to prosperity is misleading https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/cop30-climate-crisis-finance-development-debt-brazil-neoliberalism/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-07 09:35:34 UTC

One month into Gaza ceasefire, what does Palestinians’ future look like?: Israel is still launching deadly strikes on Gaza, as Netanyahu seeks to cling to power until next year’s elections https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/one-month-gaza-israel-ceasefire-palestinians-future-binyamin-netanyahu-hamas-donald-trump/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-11-05 11:14:34 UTC

Even shots on British nationals won’t stop UK’s border expansion: It seems that shootings at sea are just par for the course in Starmer’s longstanding strategy to outsource borders https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/even-shots-on-british-nationals-wont-stop-uks-border-expansion/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-30 11:41:33 UTC

LGBTQ+ migrants at risk in UK detention centres due to poor staff training: Charity calls for an end to LGBTQ+ immigration detention, as poor quality staff training is revealed https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/migrant-rights-lgbt-edi-dei-immigration-detention-centres-training-serco-mitie/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-24 15:17:45 UTC

How Labour is reducing consumer protections | With Ethan Shone: What can we learn about the future of consumer rights from the merger between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/podcast-in-solidarity-ethan-shone-labour-cma-activsion-blizzard/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-24 14:50:36 UTC

Keir Starmer’s Labour is a lost cause. But there’s still hope for the left: In choosing big business over ordinary people, the PM has sacrificed the heart of the Labour Party. So what next? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/keir-starmer-labour-jeremy-corbyn-zarah-sultana-zack-polanski-your-party-greens-big-business/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-24 14:50:35 UTC

The hidden agenda behind Labour’s desperate efforts to woo big business: The party is steamrolling ahead with deregulation that will benefit big businesses at the expense of consumers. Why? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-deregulation-pro-business-why-reform-uk-nigel-farage-competition-and-markets-defanging/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-24 14:50:34 UTC

Inside Labour’s pro-business push to ‘defang’ competitions watchdog: How Keir Starmer’s government prioritised tech firms and the finance industry over British consumers https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-competitions-and-markets-authority-pro-business-deregulate-corporate-capture-keir-starmer/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-09 10:50:33 UTC

Daring to dream after two years under fire: Life in Gaza: For two years, our lives have been on hold amid constant air strikes and fighting. Now, we finally have reason to hope https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/gaza-ceasefire-israel-hamas-daring-to-dream-life-in-camp-palestine/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-08 07:23:11 UTC

Online Safety Act: 'Protect the kids’ is pretext for rights erosions: We all want accountability for Big Tech, but the OSA’s moralising aims are hurting LGBTQ+ people and sex workers https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/online-safety-act-protect-the-children-is-pretext-for-rights-erosions/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-07 10:14:08 UTC

Israel’s biggest security threat has never been Hamas. It’s Netanyahu: The catastrophic war inflicted on Gaza over the past two years has left Israel less secure than ever https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/gaza-war-israel-biggest-security-threat-netanyahu-trump-peace-plan-unlikely-ceasefire-tony-blair/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-03 15:47:15 UTC

Digital ID cards will put the UK on a dangerous path – just ask India: I spent years reporting on digital IDs like the Brit Card. This is what I found https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/digital-id-brit-card-uk-dangerous-india-aadhar-surveillance-corruption-data-breach-keir-starmer/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-10-03 12:11:12 UTC

Now that we have to say genocide | With Lila Hassan: Did Western media manufacture consent for Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/lila-hassan-israel-palestine-gaza-genocide/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-30 13:05:08 UTC

Inside the many, many Labour Party Conferences taking place in Liverpool: So disjointed is Labour’s annual meet, the messaging differs from room to room. Attendees agree only on fear of Reform https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-party-conference-keir-starmer-fear-of-reform-uk-mixed-messaging/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-19 18:47:08 UTC

Israel’s growing pariah status is Gaza’s best hope after UN confirms genocide: Netanyahu’s finance minister this week described the development opportunities in Gaza as a ‘bonanza’ for Israel https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-plan-gaza-genocide-un-palestine-west-bank-development/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-18 10:50:10 UTC

How to stop anti-rights actors? Fund Black feminists: Black Feminist Fund co-founder Hakima Abass discusses how philanthropic groups can fight global attack on human rights https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/how-to-stop-anti-rights-actors-fund-black-feminists/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-17 09:11:13 UTC

Prison labour: the last stronghold of slavery in the US: Black Americans are disproportionately incarcerated and exploited with prison labour. It’s time to finish abolition https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/prison-labour-the-last-stronghold-of-slavery-in-the-us/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-12 10:23:07 UTC

Join the conversation: Can Jeremy Corbyn’s new party disrupt UK politics? Readers discuss: Readers share their thoughts on whether a new left-wing party will shake-up the political status quo https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/readers-thoughts-jeremy-corbyn-new-party-disrupt-uk-politics/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-11 10:32:13 UTC

Israel is killing Gazans and endangering its own citizens: Israel doesn’t want peace, but ‘hard security’ can’t work. Israelis must wake up to that fact to end the deaths in Gaza https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-doesnt-want-peace-endanger-own-citizens-gaza-hard-security-wont-work/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-05 13:40:34 UTC

Join the conversation: British politics and a Ukraine-style visa for Gaza: Readers discuss UK politics and whether they will support Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new left-wing party https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/readers-thoughts-jeremy-corbyn-uk-politics-reform-ukraine-style-visa-gaza/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-04 10:13:13 UTC

Is a shift quietly underway in British politics?: As Nigel Farage dominates headlines, Jeremy Corbyn is being overlooked by the media – just as he was in 2017 https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-politics-shifting-corbyn-your-party-starmer-labour-zarah-sultana-reform-farage/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-09-03 13:39:43 UTC

As Spain’s prime Minister says that Europe has failed on Gaza, and a global coalition of citizens act to break the siege again, ordinary citizens are stepping up to confront Israel’s genocide and famine.
🗣️ We want to hear from you, what do you think are the most effective peoples’ actions for Gaza? Select responses will be included in an up-coming piece.

2025-09-02 11:25:06 UTC

As US far-right attacks marriage equality, UK must not be complacent: It’s easy to view the attempted rollback of rights as an American problem. But LGBTQ rights are at risk here, too https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/us-far-right-same-sex-marriage-under-attack-uk-trans-rights-lgbtq/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-29 14:16:07 UTC

‘Where are the protests?’: openDemocracy readers slam abuse by British troops: Readers highlight inconsistency of protesters outside asylum hotels after we reveal army paid out £8m for child abuse https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/readers-thoughts-british-army-child-abuse-protesters-asylum-hotels/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-28 10:22:07 UTC

How Nigel Farage’s biopolitics captured Westminster: Reform UK’s migration proposals prove that the party hasn’t just joined the debate – it owns it https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/reform-uk-nigel-farage-biopolitics-migration-captured-westminster-labour-keir-starmer/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-28 08:07:13 UTC

Seasonal workers: no halt to exploitation as visa scheme expands: Migrant workers’ legal precarity reveals incompatibility of Labour’s policies on worker’s rights and immigration https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/seasonal-workers-no-halt-to-exploitation-as-visa-scheme-expands-migrants-uk-farms/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-27 11:25:06 UTC

Breakthrough on Gaza still seems unlikely despite growing Israeli discontent: Hopes of ceasefire fade again as Israel intensifies bombardment, despite indications that IDF officers admit war is unwinnable https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/end-to-war-on-gaza-still-unlikely-despite-israeli-discontent/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-22 09:27:34 UTC

‘Financialisation is killing the economy’: Readers debate Labour’s plan: As openDemocracy readers discuss whether we need a stronger financial sector, we’d love to hear your thoughts https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/readers-thoughts-financialisation-killing-economy-labour-keir-starmer-rachel-reeves/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-21 09:36:33 UTC

What has Labour done for women? With Penny East: A year into the Labour government's tenure how have they lived up to their pledges to tackle misogyny and improve the lives of women across the country? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/in-solidarity-podcast/penny-east-labour-women-podcast/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-21 08:42:34 UTC

Government spends £8m compensating children sexually abused by British troops: Taxpayer payouts for historic child sex abuse paint ‘stark and worrying picture’ for Ministry of Defence, lawyers say https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/armed-forces-child-sex-offence-compensation/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-21 08:15:35 UTC

Outdated laws and benefit cuts: Why women can’t leave sex work: Poverty and cautions trap women in sex work – good policies could resolve this. But politicians don't want to know https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/outdated-laws-and-benefit-cuts-why-women-cant-leave-sex-work-decriminalisation/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-14 17:08:06 UTC

Join the conversation: Would compulsory voting strengthen democracy?: As openDemocracy readers debate the case for and against making voting mandatory, we’d love to hear your thoughts https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-compulsory-voting-strengthen-democracy/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-14 16:14:14 UTC

Global leaders must finally stand up to Israel before it’s too late for Gaza: It’s clear that Netanyahu’s ‘messianic fantasy’ is full control of the territory. Staying silent is complicity https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/gaza-israel-netanyahu-palestine-messianic-fantasy-full-control/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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2025-08-14 12:11:05 UTC

The UK finance lobby’s growing influence is threatening all our interests: The government is overlooking the lessons of history – and the financial sector’s tendency to cause harm https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-finance-lobby-growing-influence-government-threatens-public-interests-labour-government/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=mastodon&utm_campaign=RSS
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