Niki Seth-Smith - openDemocracy (Page 4)

Risk and revelations: on leaving OurKingdom

After two and a half years as Co-Editor of openDemocracy's British section, Niki Seth-Smith is leaving OurKingdom. Through intimate reflections, she gives an insight into the project, Britain's landscape of power, and the struggle against neoliberalism to come.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 29 Apr 2013

Thatcher was not the answer but a new direction was needed

Before advocating a return to a pre-Thatcher era of socialism and solidarity, remember the suffocating Labour years preceding her ascension. This House, playing at The National, takes us back to the last hurrah of a failing post-war consensus.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 8 Apr 2013

Can we trust the BBC? Audio from Cafe Oto event

Late last year, at the tail end of the Savile-McAlpine crisis, OurKingdom held a discussion on the BBC. Kicked off by panellists Peter Oborne, Jacky Davis, Omar El Khairy and Anthony Barnett, it was an intense public debate at a turning point for the Corporation. Here is the complete audio.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 22 Jan 2013

OurKingdom Best of 2012: have your say

Help us pick out the writing and the moments worth remembering from the last year.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 14 Dec 2012

Lobbyists and the Day of Rage

On the day that millions of anti-austerity demonstrators took to the streets across Europe, an official EU event took place on ‘engaging Europe’s citizens’. A troubled participant tells her story.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 22 Nov 2012

Occupy and its ally in the Bank of England

Last night, as part of the New Putney Debates, senior Bank official Andy Haldane said Occupy is "right" about the economic crisis. What kind of friend is he?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 30 Oct 2012

Who are the Conservatives now? The One Nation debate

Ed Miliband’s confident evocation of the Tory mantra ‘One Nation’ speaks volumes about the Conservative Party's failure to conserve its ideological roots. But who will benefit from the land grab?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 16 Oct 2012

The end of the 'Great British Summer'

'The Great British Summer' of 2012 is well and truly over. OurKingdom takes a rollercoaster journey back through the season to close its series.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 10 Oct 2012

Capture parliament to renew democracy: will Whittam Smith’s strategy work?

Andreas Whittam Smith’s radical call to seize the UK Parliament from career politicians resonates with the anger of a disenfranchised public. While it is increasingly clear that getting ‘the right people’ into ‘the right seats’ is not enough to stimulate meaningful democratic reform, these proposa

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 10 Sep 2012

Festivals, nu-folk and the allure of the 'temporary community'

Intimate 'boutique' festivals are mushrooming across the English countryside. Their biggest selling point: a sense of belonging. Is this a rejection of individualistic hedonism? Or the return of the pastoral, manufactured by the urban elite? One thing is certain - they are a sign of things to come

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 26 Jul 2012

A job seeker sets himself on fire: how will Cameron respond?

An unemployed man set himself alight outside a job centre in Birmingham this morning, allegedly over a claim. This, days after the Prime Minister prepared Britain for more welfare cuts with a speech denouncing our 'something for nothing' culture. So what is the job seeker owed, if anything? What w

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 29 Jun 2012

Labour should talk about England (but no action, please): Ed Miliband on the Union

The Labour leader has set out his defence of the Union in a speech that appealed to his party to recognise England and show pride in the English. But is this enough, with Scotland considering independence and the English question waiting to explode?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 8 Jun 2012