Our broken politics needs a major shake-up, from PR voting to citizens’ assemblies Letters: Readers respond to Rafael Behr’s article about fixing a sclerotic political system The Guardian - UK · Feb 25, 2024
‘Get the Tories out’ will carry the election, but it won’t fix the faultlines of a broken politics The duopoly at the centre of our electoral system promises stability, yet delivers anything but. Labour must be ready for that, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Feb 21, 2024
Europe and the US are drifting further apart – and Britain will be left to flounder For decades, UK foreign policy had two pillars: the EU and Washington. Who would be our allies in a Trump 2.0 world, asks Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Feb 14, 2024
Keir Starmer’s method has worked so far – now begins his toughest test Election campaigns are about making the political weather. And on that crucial test, Labour is struggling, says the Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Feb 7, 2024
Tories fret about a nanny state – but with decay all around, voters want politicians who step in The prime minister’s anti-smoking crusade is panicking his party, even as it meets with enthusiasm among the public, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Jan 31, 2024
The Trump revival will force Starmer to acknowledge the sheer folly of Brexit It’s hard to imagine the vindictive despot and the former human rights lawyer enjoying a ‘special relationship’, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Jan 24, 2024
Nigel Farage is circling. His aim? To pick apart the carcass of a withered Tory party The prospect of a parliamentary run may entice him when the prize is a chance to hollow out the party and occupy its shell, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Jan 16, 2024
Keir Starmer dodging Tory traps is a sign of good judgment, not timidity It is wise to hold back in a political culture that treats even dysfunctional Conservative rule as a benchmark of credibility, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Jan 10, 2024
In Britain and the US, elections signify democracy. They also mask its decline Ballots in the UK are free by global standards, but that system alone is no bulwark against tyranny, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Jan 3, 2024
Britain needs rescuing from the Tory cult of immaculate sovereignty Rishi Sunak is a fool if he thinks he can govern in partnership with ideological fanatics who want him to fail, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Dec 12, 2023
Why does the spirit of Remain survive? Because it is about so much more than Brexit Long after the referendum, it describes an allegiance to a liberalism felt by many – but rarely reflected in our party politics, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Dec 6, 2023
Rwanda is a proxy in the war for the Tory soul. It’s a war Rishi Sunak is losing A brave leader would admit he is cornered and set out a new direction to his party and the public. He’s not that guy, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Nov 29, 2023
Hunt’s budget may be economic fantasy, but he’s set a political trap for Labour Rishi Sunak’s small-state ideology misjudges the needs of the economy and the mood of the country, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Nov 22, 2023
David Cameron’s Tory party is dead – and its ghost can’t save Rishi Sunak Bringing the former prime minister into the cabinet is an admission that the incumbent’s strategy has failed completely, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr The Guardian - UK · Nov 15, 2023
The Guardian - UK · Nov 7, 2023 In his speech, King Charles spoke of ‘my government’. Well, it certainly isn’t ours The shabby state of British democracy was made plain by a king’s speech tailored not for the country’s needs, but the Tories’ own grubby ends, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Nov 1, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s vanity jamboree on AI safety lays bare the UK’s Brexit dilemmas At a table where democratic accountability should dominate, a diminished nation is trading in Silicon Valley celebrity, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Oct 19, 2023 Mired in trivia, British political discourse is utterly unfit for times of war Wise heads choose their words painstakingly and experts feel speechless, but here the void is filled with ignorant chatter, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Oct 10, 2023 Starmer’s vision silenced Labour sceptics – but disillusioned voters will be a much tougher crowd To win a mandate for meaningful change, the Labour leader knows he must cut through deep layers of apathy and cynicism, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Oct 4, 2023 Mad, bad and dangerous to know: we are witnessing the Tories’ final descent into absurdity This spectacle shows how politics is degraded when power is wielded by a party that is no longer serious about government, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Sep 28, 2023 Sunak says he is making decisions for the long term, but that’s his vanity talking. He’s failing and he knows it The PM is rebranding himself as the man thinking far into the strategic future, because he can do nothing about the present, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Sep 20, 2023 Getting a better Brexit deal means making Britain European again An improvement on the Johnson model will be available only to a PM who can counter decades of Eurosceptic mythology, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Sep 14, 2023 Can careful Keir Starmer win the trust of younger voters? Letters: Tepid policies and promises to balance the books will have little appeal to those already suffering, writes Derrick Joad. Plus letters from Bee Hepworth, Lyn A Dade and Archie Lauchlan
The Guardian - UK · Sep 13, 2023 Keir Starmer’s caution may be frustrating, but it’s right. Voters no longer trust big promises The Labour leader’s method of quiet but ruthless opposition appears to be in tune with this cynical age, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Sep 6, 2023 The Tory mission has failed: British people don’t want a smaller state Despite their campaign victories, the Conservatives have made surprisingly few converts to their biggest idea. Now they have nothing left to say, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
The Guardian - UK · Aug 30, 2023 The Tories are suffering from Dorries syndrome: paranoia steeped in denial A party that is out of ideas and afraid to admit its mistakes finds comfort in pursuit of traitors, scapegoats and in conspiracy theory, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr