Trudeau’s UN speech promised a new direction in Indigenous relations, but recent actions show that it may be hard to shake off old colonial habits… Read the rest
Cutting the cost of a degree by a few grand won’t turn young people Tory
What could the Conservative Party do to get young people voting for them? That was the question Nick Ferrari – a right-wing presenter on talk radio station LBC asked me this morning live on his show. I was invited on following speculation that the Tories are toying with the idea of cutting the tuition fee cap by up to £1750 a year, meaning graduates could potentially be spat out into the working world by universities with just over £5000 less of student debt.
With students from the lowest income families currently left with £57k to pay back, it would be far from a transformative policy; one that neglects to reinstate maintenance grants scrapped by the Tories that were a lifeline for students without families to support … Read the rest
The Rising Political Influence of the Catholic Right
How religious zealots are gaining traction among Canada’s new era of conservatives… Read the rest
Laura Pidcock is right, Tory MPs aren’t friendship material
Before I start this article properly, here’s the obligatory disclaimer: some of my best friends are Conservative voters. Well, maybe not best friends exactly, but acquaintances I’m happy spending time with. I sometimes find it hard to understand the assumptions underpinning their worldview, but I’ve spent enough time around Tories (including proper, paid-up party members) to know they aren’t all cruel and spiteful people.
Also, my ex-coalminer grandad votes UKIP. I think I actually do understand most of the assumptions underpinning his worldview and some of them aren’t particularly admirable. I still love him, though, because that’s just how it is with family, isn’t it? You don’t get to choose them.
Friends are different. Throughout your life you encounter people in a range of different situations: … Read the rest
Does Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron really hate gays?
When the Liberal Democrats last week launched their general election campaign, no doubt they had high hopes and expectations. Despite having just nine seats in the British Parliament since their poor show at the 2015 general election, it seemed that for the Lib Dems the tide might finally be turning.
As the only one of the main parties to be demanding Britain’s impending exit from the European Union be halted, their hope is to appeal to swathes of the remain-voting 48%. It’s a fairly sizeable chunk of the population.
But it seems that for Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, gay sex just keeps getting in the way.
He’s been asked countless times now whether as a deeply religious Christian he thinks gay sex is a sin, … Read the rest
Scientists Actually Did Some Science at the March for Science
A number of academics at the March for Science weren’t there to protest—they were there to research the composition and intention of the marchers. The post Scientists Actually Did Some Science at the March for Science appeared first on WIRED.… Read the rest
The liberal redneck killing stereotypes with humour
Trae Crowder uses comedy to disarm people on both sides of the Facebook News Feed. Growing up in a small town on the edge of Tennessee, he felt like a blue dot in a sea of red.
Today he plays a character called the Liberal Redneck who rallies against bigotry and hypocrisy in the South, while also challenging liberal stereotypes of the region.
Crowder had been doing standup comedy for six years before he decided to point a camera at himself, branching into porch rants about Southerners – racking up hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of views in the process.
The 30-year-old has exposed double standards in everything from the way ‘rednecks’ view Black Lives Matter – “This has been framed largely as Black Lives … Read the rest
Marching Brought Scientists Together—But What Do They Do Now?
Arguing for political activism may have been what science needed, but it could also make the fights ahead harder to win. The post Marching Brought Scientists Together—But What Do They Do Now? appeared first on WIRED.… Read the rest
On the ground in Washington at the March for Science
Thousands rallied and marched in the rain in the US capital to stand up for science and its place in politics… Read the rest
Why Memphis Has Two Marches for Science
The March for Science happening on Saturday has some big ideological problems. The post Why Memphis Has Two Marches for Science appeared first on WIRED.… Read the rest
Environment chief says US should exit Paris climate agreement
The US appears to be getting closer to quitting the Paris climate agreement, with Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, saying it’s a bad deal for the country… Read the rest
Fork in the River
KBAL ROMEAS, Cambodia—
Dam Samnang’s home will soon be submerged. But he isn’t budging.
Samnang knows that his village, Kbal Romeas, which sits on the banks of the Srepok River, a tributary of the Mekong River in northwest Cambodia, is going to be inundated by water from a downstream hydroelectric dam. But the 30-year-old fisherman has spurned compensation for his family’s relocation and is staying put.
“What we want is our village, our river. The river and forest are not for sale, and especially not our identity and dignity,” he explains.
To emphasize that point, Samnang’s home has a spray-painted slogan in bold letters on its side declaring “NO LSS2 DAM.”
The Lower Sesan 2 Dam is a 400-megawatt hydroelectric complex due to become operational in … Read the rest
A Tale of Four Cities
On April 16, voters in Turkey will say yes or no to a new constitution that could change the country’s parliamentary system to an executive presidency in a referendum that has been fiercely contested on both sides, sparking domestic turmoil and international incidents. Yes voters, or proponents of the presidential system, which is closely associated with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his increasingly authoritarian government, argue that the new system would be similar to the American and French model of government, while opponents say it will compromise the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. With a Yes vote, President Erdogan could rule Turkey until 2029. Polls show both sides are neck and neck.
A visit to four neighborhoods in Istanbul—liberal-secularist Beşiktaş; conservative … Read the rest