For political parties judging this year’s local election results it’s all about the baseline

The polls will be first electoral test for Labour government, while Reform is standing candidates in almost every contest

It’s all about the bass – well at least the baseline. With all political parties likely to win in some places it can be hard to judge what a good night looks like for any party when it comes to local elections.

One way to judge this is to compare with how parties did the last time these contests took place: the baseline. For the seats up for election next week that was 2021 – though many of the places that voted then will not be doing so in 2025. Those elections included places where elections were held over from 2020 because of Covid restrictions; these seats returned to their normal schedule last year.

Continue reading...

For political parties judging this year’s local election results it’s all about the baseline

The polls will be first electoral test for Labour government, while Reform is standing candidates in almost every contest

It’s all about the bass – well at least the baseline. With all political parties likely to win in some places it can be hard to judge what a good night looks like for any party when it comes to local elections.

One way to judge this is to compare with how parties did the last time these contests took place: the baseline. For the seats up for election next week that was 2021 – though many of the places that voted then will not be doing so in 2025. Those elections included places where elections were held over from 2020 because of Covid restrictions; these seats returned to their normal schedule last year.

Continue reading...

More than 100 landfills in England may be leaching ‘highly hazardous’ waste

Inadequate record keeping means councils do not know whether former waste sites contain toxic substances

More than 100 old landfills in England that may be contaminated with toxic substances have flooded since 2000, potentially posing a serious safety risk, it can be revealed.

Some of these former dumps containing possibly hazardous materials sit directly next to public parks and housing estates with hundreds of households, the analysis by the Greenpeace-funded journalism website Unearthed , in partnership with the Guardian, found.

Continue reading...

Peter Dutton urges respect for welcome to country but reaffirms stance on ‘one flag’ only

Opposition leader repeats condemnation of dawn service interruptions but says if he wins election he won’t display Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags at press conferences

Peter Dutton says he wants welcome to country ceremonies respected even as he reaffirms his push to unite Australians under “one flag”.

Dutton made the comments after disruptions at Anzac Day services and the sudden cancellation of a welcome to country ceremony at a major NRL match in Melbourne.

Continue reading...

Peter Dutton urges respect for welcome to country but reaffirms stance on ‘one flag’ only

Opposition leader repeats condemnation of dawn service interruptions but says if he wins election he won’t display Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags at press conferences

Peter Dutton says he wants welcome to country ceremonies respected even as he reaffirms his push to unite Australians under “one flag”.

Dutton made the comments after disruptions at Anzac Day services and the sudden cancellation of a welcome to country ceremony at a major NRL match in Melbourne.

Continue reading...

Giorgia Meloni faces awkward weekend at funeral of pope whose values she opposed

Italian PM and pontiff could not have been further apart on issues such as migration, climate crisis and economy

It is an awkward weekend for Giorgia Meloni. The Italian leader will host a gathering of world leaders to say goodbye to a much-revered pope whose public views – from the treatment of people fleeing war to the climate crisis – were diametrically opposed to hers.

While Pope Francis was a staunch advocate for asylum seekers, and blessed the vessels that saved refugees at sea, Meloni once said Italy should “repatriate migrants back to their countries and then sink the boats that rescued them”.

Continue reading...