Politics

By Darragh Roche What ever happened to Thomas Dewey? If you've never heard of him,  it might be useful to look into him. His name will probably start cropping up in the next few months.  Mitt Romney, the man who lost the 2012 US presidential election to Barack Obama, looks like he's planning to pull a Dewey and run a second time. Moderate Republicans have rejoiced at the news. Romney, former Massachusetts governor and America's most famous Mormon, told some...

By Elsa Buchanan,  Less than 48 hours after the violent attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo left 12 dead, a macabre business around "Je Suis Charlie" has been emerging on the internet. Phone cases and personalised T-shirts vendors are using the tragedy to make money. You can now buy your personalised "Je Suis Charlie" T-shirt for €20, or perhaps you fancy a "Je Suis Charlie" Iphone cover instead? Less than 48 hours after the violent attack on France's satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo left...

By Elsa Buchanan,  Russia says drivers must not have 'sex disorders', and has listed transsexual and transgender people as those who will no longer qualify for driving licences.  Russia has banned transsexuals and people with "disorders" involving sexual preference and gender identity, including exhibitionists and fetishists, from obtaining driver's licenses. The new law, aimed at "promoting public health" by reducing traffic deaths, extends Russia's legal campaign against homosexuality. The decree, signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, empowers officials to ban...

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By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Moments before PMQs began the news reported that twelve journalists and policemen had been shot, due to their controversial cartoon satire. The PM condemned the attack, as did Ed. Prior to the terrorist atrocity the only story leading the news was the NHS crisis and Ed would not let the Cameron bury bad news today. Almost every Labour (and Lib) question focused on the problems in our health service. In the early exchanges there was...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Fanatically 'anti' fans are making non-league clubs in London increasingly political. London is no stranger to the inexplicable mix of politics and football. Class warfare, religious differences, industrial disputes; the terraces of London’s football clubs are the people’s benches of Westminster. But of late, the once concealed relationship between football and politics has come to the fore in the shape of left-leaning Ultra fans. Ultras are typically the type of sports fans...

By Elsa Buchanan, International Politics reporter How a Brazilian sporting event company went from being FIFA’s darling to its backbiter They had hired men dressed as Amazon trees, indigenous canoes and R&B singer Jennifer Lopez. On the night of the 12 June, excitement must have reached fever pitch at Team Spirit, the go-to company responsible for organising the opening and closing ceremonies at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. But the elation was short-lived for the Brazilian sport marketing and events...

By Darragh Roche Schoolchildren are the latest to ridicule UKIP, and the parody keeps on coming. Nigel Farage now has a virtual alter ego as violent racist Nicholas Fromage, star of  a new mobile game. 'UKik' invites players to kick foreigners out of the UK (literally) and send racial stereotypes flying over the decidedly white cliffs of Dover. The Android app was developed by sixth form pupils, but its description page would make any newspaper satirist proud: "Do foreign voices...

 By Andy Irwin Immigration is once again set to be a key theme in the run up to this year’s general election. Backbench Conservatives want a tougher line in order to combat UKIP and Labour is attempting to position itself bizarrely as the ‘natural’ party of resistance against mass immigration. Toxic political narratives and campaigns of misinformation have propped up a profoundly negative way of looking at immigration in this country, particularly outside of London. All the while, families are suffering...