November 17: youth uprisings in Greece then and now
This authoritarian vision starts with education, an education promoted by the Minister of Education Niki Kerameos, based on religiosity, nationalism and hatred towards anyone different. In November 1973, thousands of Greek students occupied one of the largest universities of Athens, the National Polytechnic, demanding the end of the military dictatorship…
Shinzo Abe’s latest cabinet reshuffle could transform Japan
With just two years until he will likely step down, the time left to Shinzo Abe, Japan’s very soon-to-be longest serving postwar prime minister, is limited. But if his latest cabinet reshuffle is anything to go by, it seems Abe is bent on realising his goal of historic constitutional reform – whether as…
Mayors of 94 cities are taking the Green New Deal global, as states fail to act on climate crisis
At the seventh World Mayor’s Summit in Copenhagen, leaders of 94 cities embraced a global Green New Deal, in an attempt to make the 2020s the defining decade in the fight against climate change. The major new initiative commits to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, halving emissions by 2030.…
Ode to PSI
In the brave new world—excuse the pun—of the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies (PPL) it can be easy sometimes to lose a sense of what Politics at UEA is all about and the great academic traditions of Political, Social and International Studies (PSI). In this posting I…
Climate Change: Crisis or Opportunity?
Protesters like Greta Thunberg and the Extinction Rebellion group have changed the debate around climate change in the last year but how much impact can they have to really change public policy? As the United Nations announces country level climate targets we hear from UEA climate scientist Professor Corinne Le…
Iceland is mourning a dead glacier – how grieving over ecological destruction can help us face the climate crisis
Death certificates and commemorative plaques aren’t something you’d normally associate with a glacier. But that is exactly how Iceland recently mourned the loss of 700-year-old Okjökull, the first of its major glaciers to die. This is just one early example of events we will encounter more and more often as the hot new…
Is the UK ready for an election? Inside a system straining at the seams
Speculation has it that an early general election is around the corner for the UK. If it does come, it won’t be the country’s first unexpected election this year. The European parliamentary elections were not supposed to happen. But happen they did. And they didn’t go to plan. There were angry scenes…
Political Hegemony and Social Complexity Mechanisms of Power After Gramsci: An Interview with Alex Williams
Alex Williams is Lecturer in Politics at the University of East Anglia. He very kindly found some time in his diary to talk to us about his new book - Political Hegemony and Social Complexity: Mechanisms of Power After Gramsci. The book has just been published by Palgrave Macmillan. Q…
Labour must walk the tightrope on Brexit
Despite numerous calls for a ‘People’s vote’ on Brexit, Labour should persevere in resisting another referendum, if it is to win a majority at the next general election. There has been significant pressure in the last few months for Labour to fully back the ‘People’s vote’ campaign for a ‘final…
My experience working with Clive Lewis
It is more than fair to say that working in Westminster has been an invaluable experience that I will treasure greatly. I was warmly greeted by the lovely staff of Clive Lewis in Westminster which quickly calmed my nerves, as this is my first experience of Politics on the ground.…