MagnaCartaPolitics

Tom Watkins, Contributor     Hana Syed, Political Editor The stage was set for Environment Secretary Steve Reed to announce his grand plans for  transforming the water industry. Ofwat would be slashed, and sewage in the waters would  be cut by 50% by 2030. Of course, no one could watch these bold assertions - the  government had decided not to live stream it, leaving only the hacks to report back – a  tragic indictment of the government’s communication strategy. Reed’s bold claims gained traction, and the state of the country’s water has become a  lightning rod for a population that sees its country as broken. On the surface, it should be  applauded. Yet therein lies the problem: cabinet members and ministers view the applause  as job done. A few days later, the party put out a Facebook post that looked like it was  designed by a 10-year-old, with 13 words crammed together in different sizes, stating,  ‘Labour is cracking down ...

Zuzana Moscakova, Chief Reporter   Vanesa Zackova, Political Editor As President Trump arrives in Scotland, is this five-day visit a peaceful homecoming or a  controversial mix of politics, business and protests? From tee-offs at Turnberry to tariff  tensions with the EU, this trip has it all. Donald Trump landed at Prestwick Airport on July 25, marking the start of a five-day visit focused on  his Scottish golf properties and a rare meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.  While billed as a “working visit,” it mixes leisure, business and political manoeuvring. Trump’s itinerary includes time at Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Trump  International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, where he is set to inaugurate a new 18-hole course  named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis. He’s also  expected to host a dinner with Starmer and engage in talks on refining the UK-US trade deal.  A meeting w...

Charlie Temple, Political Commentator Culture wars make a lot of noise, but nothing is louder than the silence left by economic decline.  Many question the common pattern emerging amongst the Western world - the rise of the  populist right: the AfD in Germany, Trump in America, Le Pen in France, the list goes on. The  most widely accepted explanation for this phenomenon rests on accusations of inherent bigotry  and xenophobia within our societies; however, this is a superficial answer, one that is too  simplistic and binary. To truly understand the rise of the populist right, we must look beyond  identity politics and examine the economic determinants that have created fertile ground for their  rhetoric to resonate with the masses. The populist right isn’t winning because of their divisive  views on identity, but because they are tapping into a deeper frustration, one that has accumulated over  years of economic stagnation and decline. While ...

Editor-in-Chief, Billy Merrin On July 24th, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announced the creation of a new left-wing party. While the party does not have an official name yet, it is referred to as 'Your Party' temporarily. In a statement by the two MPs, they announced that the parties' policies include higher taxes for the rich, public ownership of energy and water and unconditional support for Palestine.  'Your Party' has gained 400,000 members in just two days. Support for this new party led by Corbyn is likely to come from disillusioned socialist-leaning Labour voters seeking a different option. A poll taken on the 16th July, before Corbyn announced his new party (but had announced one was coming), showed Corbyn would pick up 47 seats, which, even to my total shock, would make him the leader of the opposition. In this poll, Reform would smash the election, picking up over 400 seats and seeing the two giant political parties of the last century, the Conservatives...

Chief Reporter, Zuzana Moscakova  Edited by Vanesa Zackova With Brits living longer but saving less, the government has initiated an early review of the  state pension age, setting the stage for tough decisions on when we can finally stop  working. The UK government has launched an early review of the state pension age, speeding up a  process initially set for 2029. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed the move,  citing growing concerns that the current retirement model is unsustainable. Currently, the  pension age is rising from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and 68 between 2044 and 2046.  But this timeline could shift as policymakers respond to changing demographics and  economic pressures. The context is clear: people live longer, but many aren’t saving enough for retirement. Over  45% of working-age adults in the UK aren’t paying into any private pension. Among the self-employed , around three million are even worse off, wit...

Gabriel Levine, Lead Political Commentator This Afghan migrant scandal should not shock you. Failure in the MoD –  one of the worst-run departments in Whitehall – should not be a cause of  surprise. It is a symptom of our theoretical democracy that fails everyone  and serves only the functionaries at the top. A seven billion pound cost to the taxpayer to complete the returns of tens of  thousands of Afghans to the UK, I am sceptical of it. When the maximum  deployment of British  service personnel in Afghanistan was around 9,500, 30,000 ‘interpreters’ seems to stretch plausibility. O h, and that number increases when the majority of these people have  multiple children and spouses (all of which are not included in the totals or  cost). Many are unvetted, we have no idea who they are, and we won’t  do it because the state does not care, as long as we are on the right side  of ‘international law’. In so doing, in many cases, we are ac...

Chief Reporter, Zuzana Moscakova                                   Editor - Vanesa Zackova  Deep in the Everglades, migrants are being held in a site so extreme it’s been dubbed  “Alligator Alcatraz.” What’s happening behind the fences, and why are so many people  trying to shut it down? A remote detention centre hidden in the Florida Everglades has become the focus of  national outrage. Known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” the camp holds thousands of migrants in  extreme, isolated conditions, raising urgent questions about human rights, state secrecy,  and the future of immigration enforcement in the U.S. Set up in early July on an abandoned airfield near Ochopee, the facility was established  under emergency powers by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The site was chosen for its  remoteness, surrounded by gators, swamps, and jungle, and built in under two weeks. But...

Joe Patey, Lead Economics Writer For decades, globalisation was a major driving force of the modern  economy. It led to lower costs through offshoring and outsourcing  production to countries that had  a comparative advantage, expanded markets by lowering tariffs, and connected the world at an  unprecedented level. From the 1990s through the early 2010s, firms  built sprawling supply chains, trade barriers fell, and consumers  enjoyed cheaper goods and rapid innovation. But today, this era of  hyper-globalisation appears to be shifting. The warning signs first began after the 2008 financial crisis, which  highlighted the problems of being too interconnected. Economic  nationalism began to rise, with movements like Brexit and the US-China  trade war signalling a growing backlash. But it wasn’t until the  COVID-19 pandemic that the vulnerabilities of globalisation were truly  exposed. The pandemic triggered huge supply chain...

Chief Reporter, Zuzana Moscakova As deadly temperatures sweep across Europe, hopes that this summer’s extreme weather might  prompt stronger climate policies are fading. Instead, political leaders are retreating from green  goals, swayed by public fatigue and rising populism. Europe is once again experiencing intense summer heat waves. Temperatures have soared above  40°C in parts of Spain, Italy, and France, with Germany and the UK not far behind. Fires have raged  across the Mediterranean, heat-related deaths have climbed, and transport systems have buckled  under pressure. However, despite the increasingly perilous conditions, the political momentum for climate  action is slowing. This summer’s crisis is part of a worrying trend. Climate scientists warn that extreme heat, worsened  by global warming, is becoming more frequent and more intense. In theory, the impact should push  governments to act faster and more decisively. In reality, the oppo...