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Slow News Day

Tom Nicholas

Join Tom Nicholas for news updates and analysis from the UK and around the world.

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#47
Today · 24 min
Could the Democrats Kill the Electoral College?
Last week's midterm elections were an absolute disaster for the Republican Party. The Democrats managed to take control of both chambers of the US Congress: the House representatives and the Senate. Possibly more important though is that the Democrats now control enough state legislatures to possibly change how Americans vote forever. That's right! The Democrats now have the opportunity to effectively rid the United States of the Electoral College, without even needing a constitutional amendment. How? Find out on today's Slow News Day... The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor and Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#46
Wednesday · 22 min
This Week's OTHER Election
This week, the global press has been somewhat obsessed with the midterm elections, which have been happening over in America, including us! But America isn't the only country going to the polls this week. Down in the South Pacific, Aotearoa, or New Zealand, is also turfing out all its politicians and electing new ones in a general election which is currently on a knife edge. In some ways, the issues dominating the race in New Zealand are very similar to those which are dominating politics elsewhere in the world: a cost of living crisis, youth unemployment, an ever more splintered electorate. But there are also plenty of things which also make both New Zealand’s politics generally, and this election specifically unique. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor and Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#45
November 2 · 22 min
Trump’s Impending Electoral Car Crash
Tomorrow, the Americans go to the polls for the Midterms. And you’ve probably heard quite a bit about these elections already, either dripping through our media or via the internet in recent months. Such are the joys of living in the shadow of the global hegemon. We have all, regardless of where we are, spent 2026 watching fuel prices climb up and up because of Trump's war in Iran. We've all had to see Trump's Liberation Day tariffs be rolled out, which had as much of a knock-on impact around the rest of the world for both consumers and producers as they did in America itself. I wanted to take the opportunity of today's Slow News Day to try and do a bit of an explainer of what the American midterm elections actually are and what impact they might have on the US and the rest of the world. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#44
October 29 · 21 min
Will Britain Tax the Rich?
Yesterday, I went to 11 Downing Street (the office and home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer) to find out the details about John Healey and Andy Burnham's first Budget. Will they end the 40 years of neoliberalism like Burnham promised or do they fall short? Come along with me to find out on Slow News Day! (We also met Larry the Cat!) The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#43
October 27 · 34 min
The Online Right's Weirdest Conspiracy Yet
A new conspiracy theory is haunting the online right. They have found, in the clutches of this insidious group, an explanation for everything wrong with the world. This group controls every Labour Prime Minister ever elected, including Andy Burnham, and who knows how many other politicians, thinkers, business leaders, etc. This conspiracy has had an airing on Joe Rogan, as well as basically every other weird right-wing podcast at this point. Also, I ran into a purveyor of this conspiracy theory whilst on the way to interview the Prime Minister at Labour Party conference recently. It all centres on a group known as... The Fabian Society. Dun Dun Duuuun! Is this group really where the true power lies, or is it an absolutely nuts conspiracy theory? Let’s find out. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows Images Courtesy of Getty Images and Unsplash. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#42
October 19 · 18 min
The Gen Z Protests are Spreading...
So it's (still) all kicking off in France. Youth protests hit boiling point this weekend, with over 2,000 people arrested across the country. And yet, it’s not just France. Back in Spring, we saw, in India, the emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party. Originally nothing more than an online meme, the Cockroach movement soon grew into a thriving youth movement, which caused the resignation of the education minister and has genuinely threatened Narendra Modi’s grip on power… The housing protests in Spain have also caused the government to call a snap election amidst a general strike. All of this not long after youth-led protests in Nepal and Madagascar both brought down governments. It really is kicking off everywhere. And, while young people aren’t the only people protesting, they do appear to very much be at the front of the pack. Today, I want to look at why the kids aren’t okay and where this could all be going next. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor and Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows Images Courtesy of Getty Images and Unsplash. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#41
October 15 · 25 min
Right Wing Jesus Is Coming To Britain
A right-wing vision of Jesus is coming to Britain, if a few well-heeled and well-funded activists here in the UK have their way. A battle for the heart and soul of the Church of England is taking place and is being heavily funded by Paul Marshall, the fund manager turned media empire owner. Since the Church of England is both a state religion, and heavily involved in British politics, I felt like it would be useful to take a look at what's going on. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows and Jack Carter Image Courtesy of Getty Images. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#40
October 12 · 18 min
Can Russian Oil Save Donald Trump?
Has Donald Trump just negotiated a Russia/Ukraine ceasefire? Maybe? Probably not, though. Trump declared that there was an "energy ceasefire" in the Russia Ukraine War last night, which came as a surprise to both Russia and Ukraine. A few days beforehand, Trump made a deal with Putin for more diesel. So what's going down here? Is there a ceasefire either in place or in progress? Is America starting to go somewhat easier on sanctions on Russia? How does all this fold into Trump's electoral chances at home? The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows Image Courtesy of Getty. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#39
October 8 · 23 min
Who Will Win the Battle for Britain's Progressive Voters?
There's a big by-election in Britain today, and the outcome could decide the fate of Britain's duelling left-wing parties. So... can the Green Party keep its momentum, or will Labour strike back? The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Edit & Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#38
September 30 · 11 min
Can Andy Burnham Save Britain? | The PM Interview
I sat down with Prime Minister Andy Burnham to chat about his plans to change Britain, including the abolition of the pension triple lock, electoral reform and whether he can win young, progressive voters back to Labour. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producers: Rosie Stevenson and Jack Carter Edit: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#37
September 24 · 26 min
Are We Giving Up on Climate Change?
Are we giving up on action to combat climate change? The idea that we should at least slowing down our efforts to decarbonize energy production has been gaining a lot of traction in political discourse lately. On the international stage, there is, of course, the Trump of it all. But even here in the UK, where we've been far more climate-forward, something has shifted. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Edit & Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#36
September 21 · 20 min
Mark Zuckerberg vs Online Safety Act
Meta is taking the UK government to court in the latest of several global legal challenges, which have seen the beleaguered social media company try to stave off efforts to place it under greater regulation and oversight. The legal action here in the UK focuses on the Online Safety Act, which primarily gave the UK government much greater powers to limit the types of content and services which could be accessed by children online. Whether this was a belated attempt to protect children or an egregious act of mass censorship is still very much up for debate. Given we've touched upon several stories of social media regulation in recent months, I want to dive into the ways that politicians are effectively redefining what a social media platform is, as, across the world, they continue to attempt to regulate these big tech beasts. The Slow News Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer and Editor: Jack Carter Thumbnail: Georgia Burrows Images Courtesy of Getty and Unsplash. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#35
September 14 · 19 min
Could the United Kingdom Break Up?
Is the UK about to break up? The first ministers of Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland met today in Cardiff to sign a "memorandum of understanding" declaring each nation's desire to separate from both one another and England. This is just days after Donald Trump claimed over the weekend that a united Ireland would be “fantastic”, Not long after, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham had explicitly shut down prospects of a referendum on reunification. Could we be viewing the possibility of the UK breaking up? And, as ever when we’re talking about matters of devolution, can I manage to shoe a horn in a bit about Cornwall at the very end? Find out, on today's Slow News Day. The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#34
September 10 · 21 min
The UK Just Sanctioned Israel
The UK government announced sanctions on Israel earlier this week in a move which was closely coordinated with allies in eleven other countries. On Monday, British foreign secretary Ed Miliband delivered a statement to Parliament in which he announced a significant change in the UK’s relationship with Israel. It is now the official position of the UK government that the Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and that their government is supporting settler terrorists in their mission to remove Palestinians from their homes. What will the impact of these sanctions be? Why has it taken the UK government so long to act, and what will the reaction from Israel as well as the US be? The Slow Newsroom Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows Image Courtesy of Getty Images See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#33
September 8 · 16 min
How Germany Learned To Love The Far Right (Again)
The far right look to be on their way back to government in Germany. Sunday's election saw a thumping victory for Alternative for Deutschland, the country's populist far-right party which is led at the federal level by Alice Weidel. This represents the best result for a far-right party in Germany since the Second World War. All of which was supposed to be impossible. What does this mean for Germany? Is the country retreating back to fascism, and what does it mean for far-right parties elsewhere in Europe and across the world? The Slow News Day Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#32
September 3 · 31 min
Why Just Stop Oil Are Back | EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Just Stop Oil are back! Perhaps the world’s most controversial activist group, JSO were rarely out of the headlines a couple of years ago. From their throwing of soup over a Van Gogh painting to the smashing of the glass around the Magna Carta (which we just so happened to be in the room for), Just Stop Oil were masters at attracting controversy. That is, until they hanged up their buckets of orange paint last year. However, yesterday they returned during Andy Burnham's first PMQs, supergluing their hands to the road outside Parliament. I've had a chat with Just Stop Oil spokesperson Gill Tavner to find out why they've come back on today's SND. The Slow News Day Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#31
September 1 · 28 min
The Plan to Make Democracy Impossible
The global right wants to stop you from voting. Right wingers in both the US and the UK are currently pushing forward with plans to heavily restrict the right to vote. Both claim they are trying to stamp out various forms of electoral fraud, despite independent experts saying there is little to no evidence of that fraud actually existing. So what exactly are their plans and will they succeed? Find out on Slow News Day. The SND Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#30
August 20 · 26 min
Mark Zuckerberg's Addiction Problem*
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are currently in the legal battle of their lives, as a jury trial which started this week sees them facing-off against a coalition of 29 US states. Those states are seeking $200 billion in damages from the company as well as to enforce changes in the way their social media products, specifically Facebook and Instagram, work to keep children engaged. This case could turn out to be incredibly consequential for how Meta's apps are and aren't allowed to work. The Slow News Day Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#29
August 18 · 21 min
Nigel Farage’s Empty Victory
Nigel Farage won a stonking by-election victory last Thursday, beating 33 rival candidates of varying degrees of oddness to take back his seat as Member of Parliament for Clacton. On the surface, Farage's decision to resign his own MP seat in order to distract from accusations of financial misconduct by proving people love him regardless, appears to have paid off. But, has it really? The Slow News Day Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#28
August 6 · 22 min
Should Meta Glasses Be Banned?
Smart glasses are facing a backlash. Whilst the privacy-eroding spectacles had been on a good run, the sheer amount of weirdos using them to covertly film other people has resulted in the Meta Glasses receiving a nickname: "pervert glasses". Is there a chance that governments could ban them or regulate them out of existence or will Meta fight back? The Slow News Day Team Creator and Host: Tom Nicholas Producer: Jack Carter Editor: Georgia Burrows See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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