In this week's issue
- Investigation: The inside story of Reform UK’s first year in power across England
- Why voters should be wary of Nigel Farage’s promises
- After a tragic death, Nigeria’s queer community is taking action to protect itself
- Paul Rogers: Don’t be surprised if US/Israeli war in Iran drags on for months
- An NHS children’s doctor reveals devastating impact of UK’s sky-high private rents
- Danny Sriskandarajah: As AI disrupts jobs, the future of work needs rethinking, not just reducing
- Betty Kabari examines hypocrisy of ‘pro-life’ Kenyans as court overturns right to abortion
- Book review: No Second Chances: The Inside Story of the Campaign for a Second EU Referendum by Morgan Jones
If you live in the UK, I’ll bet you’ve encountered a pothole or two in recent months. They’re annoying wherever you are, but perhaps even more so if you live in one of the ten English councils that Reform has controlled for the past year.
Fixing broken roads was a key promise from Nigel Farage’s party ahead of last year’s local elections. Twelve months on, our senior reporter Sian Norris has investigated how Reform’s first year in office has played out. Spoiler alert: commutes in the likes of West Northants are no less bumpy than this time last year – and things are worsening for residents in other ways, too.
And with voters in Scotland, Wales and much of England preparing to go to the polls next week, Harry Shukman of HOPE not hate is also reflecting on Reform’s year in power – and the scandals that have plagued it.
For many, the NHS and housing will be priorities as they cast ballots. But the two are more closely linked than you might think, writes children’s doctor Amaran Uthayakumar-Cumarasamy, who says “scribbling ‘unaffordable housing costs’ in a patient’s medical notes is now as customary as ordering blood tests”. His piece is a chilling reminder of the ways our record-high rents are already affecting our youngest generations.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Tiléwa Kazeem reports on the growing use of “kito” attacks – where queer men are entrapped, assaulted and extorted – and how, in the absence of state protection, some survivors are endangering themselves further in an effort to fight back.
Elsewhere, openDemocracy’s defence correspondent, Paul Rogers, warns that the stalemate in Iran points to many more months of war on the horizon, and as a Kenyan appeals court overturns a right to abortion, lawyer Betty Kabari considers the hypocrisy of the country’s ‘pro-lifers’.
What connects these stories is not just politics, but people – those navigating broken systems or attacks on their rights. The headlines may move on, but their realities don’t – and we’re determined to keep reporting on them. Any support you can offer to allow us to keep doing this work is greatly appreciated.
In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely weekend, particularly if it’s a long one for you. If you’re in the UK or US, did you know it’s the hundredth anniversary of the weekend? That’s a pretty good time for us all to consider the future of work in the age of AI, writes Danny Sriskandarajah.
As ever, thanks for reading.
Indra Warnes, Editor
Sian Norris
Political spin thrives in the dark. We shine a light on it.
Whether it’s broken promises on council tax, the gutting of vital local services, or the quiet scaling back of environmental pledges, politicians count on you not paying attention. openDemocracy doesn't look away. Our reporters spend months digging through FOI requests and tracking local data to hold those in power accountable. We don't have billionaire backers, so we rely entirely on readers like you to fund this work.
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Harry Shukman
Tiléwa Kazeem
Paul Rogers
Amaran Uthayakumar-Cumarasamy
Danny Sriskandarajah
Betty Kabari
Weekly Poll
This week in history
The Haymarket Affair and the Birth of International Workers' Day
On 1 May 1886, 300,000 workers across the US went on strike demanding the eight-hour working day. Days later, a bomb at a Chicago Haymarket rally led to a wave of repression; eight anarchist organisers were executed or imprisoned in a widely condemned miscarriage of justice. In 1889, the Socialist International declared 1 May International Workers' Day in their memory. May Day became the annual festival of the global labour movement — rooted in the blood of Chicago workers.
Luke Cooper
What we're reading
No Second Chances: The Inside Story of the Campaign for a Second EU Referendum - Morgan Jones
In a strange way, reading a book about the campaign for a second Brexit referendum, which really ended just over six years ago, feels like reading a missive from the ancient past or outer space – the world has changed so much and so dramatically since the era of indicative votes, endless discussions on the backstop, and “get Brexit done”. And yet, the rows over Brexit have shaped our political reality today in such a profound way, we barely even stop to notice or discuss it anymore. Jones’ book focuses on the failed attempt to secure a second referendum, and in doing so it offers a fascinating insight into British class politics, tribalism, how (not) to do political campaigning, social media and celebrity, how the campaign influences politics today, and so much more. On top of that, it’s laugh out loud funny, which is not what you expect from a book about Brexit!
Sian Norris, senior investigations reporter
