Latest news with #politicalbattle
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
UK voting age cut to 16 puts teens in political spotlight, sparks race for their votes
LONDON, July 26 — Britain's move to lower the voting age to 16 launches the political battle for teenagers' votes, with campaign groups warning no one should make assumptions about their allegiances and parties must address the issues that affect them. For decades, election trends and polls suggested younger voters tended to lean more to the left in Britain, but recent evidence from Europe shows young voters, particularly men, backing right-wing parties, including the far-right. 'Don't take them for granted. Don't assume that their vote has already been cast before an election,' Dan Lawes, co-CEO of youth-led charity My Life, My Say, said of young voters. 'Young people want to be sold policies. But politicians have to reach them.' A diverse new generation also wants their specific concerns to be heard and addressed. According to a tracker by pollsters YouGov, the economy is the most important issue concerning the 18-24 age group, followed by housing and immigration. Data for 16- 18-year-olds was not available. A poll of 500 16-and 17-year-olds last week found that 33 per cent said they would vote for the centre-left Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while 20 per cent would support the right-wing Reform UK Party led by Nigel Farage, which leads polls of the wider population. 'We are going to give this Labour government the shock of their lives. We're going to get 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for us,' Farage said following the move. The new cohort would add around 1.6 million potential voters to the roughly 48 million eligible to vote at the 2024 election. In last year's European Parliament elections, many young voters shifted toward far-right populist parties that used social media highly effectively to address their concerns. In Germany, where 16- to 18-year-olds voted for the first time in European elections in 2024, their support helped boost the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In Austria, where 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to vote since 2007, polls showed that most voters under 35 voted for the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) in a 2024 parliamentary election, helping it secure first place. 'It's quite scary how many... people (my age) are following him (Farage). He's not my favourite person,' said 17-year-old student Matilda Grace. However, Anki Deo, from campaign group Hope Not Hate, said follows on social media did not directly lead to votes. 'Many young people are mistrustful of the political system and politicians — it's going to take a lot more than funny TikToks for any political party to win them over,' she said. 'Reform UK can ramp up their social media efforts, but their policy platform is still far out of line with the attitudes of the majority of young people.' Boosting trust Labour pitched the reform as a way to boost participation and trust after the lowest turnout at the 2024 national election since 2001, hoping to encourage a lifelong habit of voting. Britain's democratic system has endured a turbulent decade, marked by the divisive Brexit vote and the political upheaval that followed, including an unprecedented turnover of prime ministers and ministers. Some critics say 16- and 17-year-olds lack the maturity to vote, and the main opposition Conservative Party called the plan inconsistent, noting the new cohort still can't buy a lottery ticket, drink alcohol, marry, or join the military. Younger voters have reacted to the announcement with excitement, but also with some caution. 'Young people can be very impressionable. Some people obviously can make their own decisions and they know what propaganda is, but I think education is the most important thing,' said Ana Fonseca, a 17-year-old student, who called for mandatory lessons on politics and democracy. Rita Patel, vice chair of Operation Black Vote, which advocates for greater political representation, said the reform needed to lead to meaningful democratic participation for groups like young Black voters, who face distinct challenges and want issues like racism tackled. 'Young Black people are politicised from birth because they have no choice in this world and in this country to navigate that system that is often hostile to their needs,' Patel said. — Reuters
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Michael Flatley could face Conor Mcgregor in battle for Irish presidency
Michael Flatley and Conor McGregor are squaring up for a battle to become the next president of Ireland. In a one-on-one few would have predicted, the Lord of the Dance could challenge the MMA champion in presidential elections in October 2025. Flatley's ambitions for high office were inadvertently revealed during a High Court case about works carried out at his Castlehyde mansion in Co Cork. The man credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance notified the court of a 'material change in circumstances' – he was moving back to Ireland to run in their presidential elections. It raises the prospect of the man who once held the Guinness World Record for tap dancing 35 times per second facing off against McGregor. McGregor, 37, who recently lost a civil case accusing him of rape, declared his intention to run for president in March this year at the White House, where he gained the tacit endorsement of Donald Trump. Flatley, 67, who is eligible to run as an Irish citizen, hinted at the presidential bid last week in a radio interview, saying: 'Somebody has to speak for the Irish people.' The Riverdance star said that he did not believe the Irish people 'have a voice, not a true proper deep voice that speaks their language'. The 'average person on the street' is not 'happy right now', added a man whose feet were once insured for $57.6 million. Flatley was in Ireland to perform on a flute at a July 4 celebration at the residence of Edward Walsh, the US ambassador to Ireland. Mr Walsh was recently appointed by Donald Trump, the US president. In a breathtaking innovation, Flatley introduced upper body movements to a dance style famous for its blur of leggy stamping and rigid torsos. His dance spectaculars are said to have been seen by more than 60 million people in 60 countries and have grossed more than $1 billion. The choreographer and dancer, whose other shows include Celtic Tiger Live and Feet of Flames, has a potential rival in McGregor, who is also expected to launch a bid. McGregor has reinvented himself as an anti-immigrant populist who even suggested recently that Ireland should leave the EU rather than fight a trade war with his beloved Mr Trump. Sadly, this clash of Irish dance with Irish boxing may not happen. McGregor is expected to struggle to clear the threshold necessary to qualify for the race and it is unclear if Flatley will have sufficient support. Candidates need to be nominated by at least 20 members of the Irish parliament or at least four local authorities. A candidate must also be an Irish citizen who is 35 or older. They are not the only famous faces who could throw their hat in the ring. There has been speculation that Gerry Adams, the former Sinn Féin leader, could join the race after he successfully sued the BBC in a Dublin court. Mr Adams won £84,000 after he was accused of sanctioning the murder of a British agent. The role of president is largely ceremonial but carries symbolic weight. Some have mooted former boxer Barry McGuigan, the Catholic Ulsterman with a Protestant wife who did much to unite communities in Northern Ireland, as a possible candidate. The election must take place in the 60 days before outgoing President Michael D Higgins's term ends on Nov 11. The 84-year-old Mr Higgins, a Left-wing politician and a poet, has served since 2011. Two candidates have so far secured sufficient backing to enter the race. Catherine Connolly, a Left-wing independent and former Galway mayor, has received the backing of opposition parties and independents and former farming journalist and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness, who is the Fine Gael nominee. Ms McGuinness was also deputy speaker of the European Parliament and an outspoken critic of Brexit. She caused headlines after she cut off Nigel Farage in his final speech as an MEP before Brexit. She told Mr Farage and his party to stop waving their Union Jack flags, which breaks European Parliament rules. 'Put your flags away, you're leaving... and take them with you... goodbye,' she said in a widely viewed video clip from the session. At the High Court on Friday, defence barristers in Flatley's case argued against the affidavit being accepted by the court, and stated that it was an attempt to 'move the goalposts'. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC said Flatley had said before in 2024 that he intended to move to Paris and then Valencia. 'That didn't happen,' he told the court. He also said that if the court was prepared to admit the affidavit, it would undermine previous assertions that the reason he is living in Monaco and cannot return to Ireland is because of the condition of the Castlehyde. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts said that as Flatley's residence 'is so central to the issue of security of costs' in the case, she would allow the affidavit to be taken into account, but said she 'entirely' heard submissions about the characteristics of the affidavit and what weight it should be afforded. She said she expected the judgment in relation to the costs application to be delivered in a 'reasonably short period', and that it would be given 'shortly after' the end of the court's term.
Reuters
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Cut to UK voting age puts new group in political spotlight
LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Britain's move to lower the voting age to 16 launches the political battle for teenagers' votes, with campaign groups warning no one should make assumptions about their allegiances and parties must address the issues that affect them. For decades, election trends and polls suggested younger voters tended to lean more to the left in Britain, but recent evidence from Europe shows young voters, particularly men, backing right-wing parties, including the far-right. "Don't take them for granted. Don't assume that their vote has already been cast before an election," Dan Lawes, co-CEO of youth-led charity My Life, My Say, said of young voters. "Young people want to be sold policies. But politicians have to reach them." A diverse new generation also wants their specific concerns to be heard and addressed. According to a tracker by pollsters YouGov, the economy is the most important issue concerning the 18-24 age group, followed by housing and immigration. Data for 16- 18-year-olds was not available. A poll of 500 16-and 17-year-olds last week found that 33% said they would vote for the centre-left Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while 20% would support the right-wing Reform UK Party led by Nigel Farage, which leads polls of the wider population. "We are going to give this Labour government the shock of their lives. We're going to get 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for us," Farage said following the move. The new cohort would add around 1.6 million potential voters to the roughly 48 million eligible to vote at the 2024 election. In last year's European Parliament elections, many young voters shifted toward far-right populist parties that used social media highly effectively to address their concerns. In Germany, where 16- to 18 year-olds voted for the first time in European elections in 2024, their support helped boost the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In Austria, where 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to vote since 2007, polls showed that most voters under 35 voted for the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) in a 2024 parliamentary election, helping it secure first place. "It's quite scary how many... people (my age) are following him (Farage). He's not my favourite person," said 17-year-old student Matilda Grace. However, Anki Deo, from campaign group Hope Not Hate, said follows on social media did not directly lead to votes. "Many young people are mistrustful of the political system and politicians - it's going to take a lot more than funny TikToks for any political party to win them over," she said. "Reform UK can ramp up their social media efforts, but their policy platform is still far out of line with the attitudes of the majority of young people." Labour pitched the reform as a way to boost participation and trust after the lowest turnout at the 2024 national election since 2001, hoping to encourage a lifelong habit of voting. Britain's democratic system has endured a turbulent decade, marked by the divisive Brexit vote and the political upheaval that followed, including an unprecedented turnover of prime ministers and ministers. Some critics say 16- and 17-year-olds lack the maturity to vote, and the main opposition Conservative Party called the plan inconsistent, noting the new cohort still can't buy a lottery ticket, drink alcohol, marry, or join the military. Younger voters have reacted to the announcement with excitement, but also with some caution. "Young people can be very impressionable. Some people obviously can make their own decisions and they know what propaganda is, but I think education is the most important thing," said Ana Fonseca, a 17-year-old student, who called for mandatory lessons on politics and democracy. Rita Patel, vice chair of Operation Black Vote, which advocates for greater political representation, said the reform needed to lead to meaningful democratic participation for groups like young Black voters, who face distinct challenges and want issues like racism tackled. "Young Black people are politicised from birth because they have no choice in this world and in this country to navigate that system that is often hostile to their needs," Patel said.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Republican leading probe into Biden's autopen use has digitally signed letters
A Kentucky Republican leading the Trump administration's probe into Joe Biden's mental capacities during his time in office, including Biden's reliance like many other presidents on an automatic signature machine, has been shown to have used a digital signature himself in the course of the probe. NBC reported that some letters and subpoena notices issued by James Comer, which were sent out in connection to his investigation into Biden's use of the so-called autopen, bore a digital signature. Comer has sent 16 letters to former Biden White House officials requesting transcribed interviews, NBC said. Metadata analysis showed that all appeared to be signed with a digitally inserted signature. Further letters requesting testimony from White House physician Dr Kevin O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden, were also signed with digital images, NBC said. The actual subpoenas were not shared by the committee, which just released a photo of them instead. The findings are likely to intensify the political battle over Biden's use of the autopen. Donald Trump has claimed that his predecessor had little knowledge of what he was signing, including pardons, clemencies and executive orders, and that the autopen was controlled by 'radical left' actors in the White House. On Monday Biden ridiculed those accusations, telling the New York Times in his first on-the record interview with the paper since he was elected president in 2020 that he 'made every decision' on his own. 'We're talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,' he said, explaining why autopen was used on the thousands of pardons that were issued. Trump himself has admitted using the autopen on some documents. Nevertheless, he attacked Biden again in the Oval Office during a meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, saying: 'I guarantee you he knew nothing about what he was signing, I guarantee you.' Trump has repeatedly pushed the autopen conspiracy theory to further the narrative that Biden was somehow not fully in command of his administration or its policies. Last month Trump ordered an investigation, calling it 'one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history'. Biden has maintained that the allegations are 'ridiculous and false'. Comer's apparent use of a digital signature now threatens to cloud Republicans' efforts. A spokesperson for the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the body Comer heads, said using a digital signature for correspondence is common practice. 'Chairman Comer has never hidden the fact that he uses a digital signature when appropriate, and he approves all official correspondence that is signed digitally,' a spokesperson for the committee told NBC News, but added that 'legally binding subpoenas issued by Chairman Comer always bear a wet signature and are never signed using an autopen or digital signature.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bongbong Marcos: The Philippine president battling the Dutertes
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, commonly known by his nickname Bongbong, has been gearing up for a battle that could decide his political future. Monday's midterm elections are, in effect, a showdown between Marcos and his Vice-President Sara Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The pair, who each represent the country's most powerful families, won the 2022 election together - but their alliance has since collapsed. They are now fighting for control of the senate, which would give Marcos the power to impeach Sara, and give Sara protection from such a move. It's a test for the presidency of 67-year-old Marcos, the son of an ousted dictator who rebranded his father's turbulent reign to make a startling comeback in the 2022 election. Born in 1957 to Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Bongbong was just eight years old when his father became president. He was the second of three children, and the only biological son. The couple later adopted a boy. Bongbong's father, a former lawyer, served in the Congress and Senate, while his mother was a singer and former beauty pageant winner. Both would achieve notoriety - as the family amassed enormous wealth under a brutal regime, they became synonymous with excess and corruption. During his first term between 1965 and 1969, Ferdinand Marcos Sr was fairly popular, and was re-elected by a landslide. But in 1972, a year before his second term was due to end, he declared martial law. What followed was more than a decade of dictatorship, during which the country's foreign debt grew, prices soared and ordinary Filipinos struggled to make ends meet. It was also a period of repression as opposition figures and critics were jailed, disappeared or killed. Through it all, Marcos Sr was grooming his son for leadership. Bongbong's childhood bedroom in llocos Norte, the family's stronghold in the north, which is now a museum, has a portrait of him wearing a golden crown and riding a white stallion. But the elder Marcos was also worried about whether his son would step up to the role. A diary entry from 1972 read: "Bongbong is our principal worry. He is too carefree and lazy". Marcos enrolled in Oxford University to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics, but it was later revealed that he did not graduate with a bachelor's degree as he claimed. Oxford said in 2021 that he was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978. That too, local media reports alleged, was the result of lobbying by Philippine diplomats in the UK after Marcos Jr failed his exams. He returned home and joined politics, becoming the vice-governor and then governor of Ilocos Norte. But the political career his parents had envisioned for him would be cut short by a revolution in 1986. An economic crisis had already triggered unrest - but the assassination of a prominent opposition leader brought tens of thousands onto the streets. A sustained campaign eventually convinced a significant faction of the army to withdraw its support for the Marcos regime, and hastened its downfall. The family fled to Hawaii with whatever valuables they could bring, but left behind enough proof of the lavish lives they had led. Protesters who stormed the presidential palace found fanciful oil portraits of the family, a jacuzzi with gold-plated fixtures and the now-infamous 3,000 pairs of designer shoes owned by Imelda Marcos. The family is accused of plundering an estimated $10bn of public money while in power. By the time Marcos Sr died in exile in 1989, his was a tarnished name. And yet, some three decades later, his son was able to whitewash that past enough to win the presidential election. After they returned to the Philippines in the 1990s, Marcos became a provincial governor, congressman and senator, before running - and winning - the presidential race in 2022. Social media was a big part of this rebranding, winning Marcos new supporters - especially among the younger generation in a country where the median age is around 25. On Facebook, the Marcos family legacy has been rewritten, with propaganda posts claiming that Marcos Sr's regime was actually a "golden period" for the country. On TikTok, a martial law anthem from the Marcos Sr era became the soundtrack to a cute challenge for Gen Z users, who would record older family members marching to the beat. As his popularity grew, Marcos launched his presidential bid with Sara Duterte running for vice-president. She vowed to work with Bongbong to unify the country and make it "rise again". They called themselves the "uniTeam", and combined the two families' powerful bases: the Dutertes in the south, and the Marcos's in the north. It paid off. Marcos won by a thumping 31 million votes, more than double the total of his closest rival. "Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions," Marcos said as victory became apparent, vowing to "be a president for all Filipinos". Three years into his presidency, Marcos has brought Manila closer to the US and increasingly confronted an assertive China in the South China Sea - a key departure from Duterte's presidency. That wasn't the only thing that caused a crack in his alliance with Sara Duterte, which eventually descended into an ugly, public spat. He gave her the Education portfolio, when she had openly sought the more powerful Defence portfolio. He initiated impeachment proceedings against her over alleged misuse of state funds. Sara Duterte then "joked" that she had hired assassins to kill Marcos, and he cleared the way for her father to be arrested and taken to the Hague for his role in a deadly war on drugs that killed thousands. Sara Duterte's impeachment, which has been approved by the lower house, now awaits a trial in the senate, making Monday's senate races possible game-changers. Whatever the outcome, the battle that has erupted between these former allies will not end on Saturday. It still remains to be seen if the Marcos comeback can weather the Dutertes. Who survives Bongbong Marcos' rewrite of history? What a Marcos revival means for the Philippines Why the Marcos family is so infamous The political power couple who cannot afford to break up
