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Party strategists struggle to woo voters

There is a deep sense of frustration about how to stop and reverse the breakdown of understanding between ordinary people and the political leaders and decision makers who serve them, writes Geoff…

Gilets jaunes : yellow is the new red

“It’s not a matter of the end of the world, it’s the end of the month that counts.” A grassroots quasi-revolutionary uprising is shaking the foundations of the French political establishment, writes…


Climate of division, even in the Lucky Country

Australia was once dubbed ‘the lucky country’. The difficult and divisive issue of climate change may just have put paid to that, writes Geoff Kitney. Travelling through Europe over the past month,…


Will May put country or party first?

Slowly but surely public opinion is turning against Brexit. Should we drop the whole idea or are we moving towards a second referendum on the terms? Murray Ritchie takes a look. Brexit…


Where charity stops and exploitation begins

Aid agencies and NGOs working in some of the most challenging social environments are having to face the problem of child grooming among their own ranks, reports James Fitzgerald. Being charitable is…



Barclays eyes Scotland as post-Brexit base

Glasgow is cost-friendly, has a good workforce – and might be in the EU when independent, staff reporters are told. Barclays’ headquarters in London could be in name only in a post-Brexit…


Italian storms darken European horizon

A new “anti-system” political coalition in Italy is stirring up the relative tranquillity of the Eurozone economy. Banks and businesses are fastening their seatbelts and preparing for a bumpy ride, John Egan…


Riverford farms plants idea of staff ownership

James Fitzgerald  talks to the man who championed seasonal vegetables well before they became fashionable. Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Farmers, is thinking outside the box once again as he prepares…