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    From Donald Trump to Benjamin Netanyahu, let 2026 be a year of reckoning | Jonathan Freedland

    These malign figures will do anything to avoid paying for the harm they have done, but accountability must eventually come to bothIt’s not quite a new year resolution, and it’s certainly not a prediction. Think of it instead as a hope or even a plea for the next 12 months. May the coming year see those leaders who have done so much damage to their own countries, and far beyond, at last be called to account. Let 2026 be a year of reckoning.Start with the man whose reach is longest, by dint of the mighty power he wields. Such is the nature of the US electoral system that Donald Trump, who returned to power less than a year ago, will face the judgment of voters in 10 months’ time. His name will not be on the ballot but, make no mistake, the midterm elections of 3 November will deliver a verdict on the second Trump presidency.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnistGuardian newsroom: Year One of Trumpism: Is Britain Emulating the US?
    On Wednesday 21 January 2026, join Jonathan Freedland, Tania Branigan and Nick Lowles as they reflect on the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency – and to ask if Britain could be set on the same path.
    Book tickets here or at guardian.liveDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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    What is Keir Starmer doing to push back the populists? Not nearly enough. We have a plan to take them on | Chris Powell

    There is much to learn from the New Labour playbook. We were disciplined, innovative, robust and proactive – and we won• Labour needs complete ‘reset’ to defeat threat posed by Reform UK, says strategist• Chris Powell is an election strategy analyst and advised the Labour party for more than 20 yearsThe next general election will be no ordinary democratic contest. Not the usual swing of the pendulum this way or that. It will be a key moment in the history of our democracy – and it could be less than three years away.Be in no doubt: populists represent a new and terrifying threat to the kind of free elections and free society we cherish, but now take for granted.Chris Powell is an election strategy analyst and advised the Labour party for more than 20 years. David Cowan, who co-authored this article, is founder of Forensics, a data and consumer research consultancy. They are co-founders of winningagainstpopulists.com Continue reading… More