Across
- 3. The 2016 Brexit referendum vote saw Scotland and Northern Ireland vote against it and a ‘leave’ majority of under --- . By way of comparison, trade unions require a higher barrier to declaring a strike.
- 4. The Labour Party historically stood for the principles of ---, though few would say that their current leader or their most electorally successful leader (Tony Blair) reflect this ideological position.
- 5. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has risked his career and the DUP’s electoral fortunes by agreeing to back down on the boycott of the NI Assembly over the Irish Sea ---.
- 8. Despite winning a combined 1.5m votes, the Green and Brexit Parties got one seat in the 2019 general election; under ---, a form of PR, they would have won 22 seats.
- 11. The --- Party has only one seat in the House of Commons; the first-past-the-post voting system makes it hard for smaller parties to win seats.
- 12. Like Bill Clinton in his second term some argue that President Biden, lacking the support of the legislature or Supreme Court, is a --- --- president.
- 13. Michelle O’Neill made history in February 2024 by becoming the first nationalist First Minister of Northern Ireland. Her party, --- ---, look set to win the next elections in the Republic of Ireland too.
- 14. Among the famous quotes by one of the key figures in ---, Russian revolutionary Mikhail Bukanin, is the famous line: “If God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish Him.”
- 17. President Biden has frequently denounced --- extremism, but with highly partisan media many Americans live in an echo chamber.
- 20. John --- is known as the ‘father of liberalism’, sample quote: “Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”.
- 21. The shortest-lived Prime Minister in UK history Liz Truss attempted to push through a radical budget with a belief in ------ economics at its core: cut tax on the rich and big business and their extra spending will boost tax revenue and generate jobs and wealth.
- 23. The one-time Labour MP George Galloway is favourite to win the Rochdale ---, called after the sitting Tory MP died. The previous holder of the seat, a fellow Tory, Simon Danczuk, lost the Tory whip over sexting a 17 year-old but is now standing for a rival right-wing party.
- 24. The current --- is split between a Republican controlled House of Representatives and Democrat held Senate.
Down
- 1. Voter --- has been a major issue within US democracy since long before Trump; the legitimacy of the 1999 win by George Bush Jnr over Al Gore is widely questioned, with his brother Jeb accused of actively blocking black voters from voting in Florida state.
- 2. The 3 Celtic nations have limited powers to make local decisions under various forms of ---, but calls for full independence from the UK are growing in all 3, none of which voted for the Tory government
- 6. The UK red-top tabloid the Daily Star famously live-streamed a --- with a wig on, claiming it would outlast the then Prime Minister Liz Truss. It did!
- 7. Formerly known as the Brexit Party, the renamed --- could devastate Tory election prospects especially if Nigel Farage returns as leader.
- 9. The Prime Minister ------ has been criticised by both the opposition and some senior Conservatives for failing to take action against Liz Truss and Suella Braverman for statements many consider racist and Islamophobic.
- 10. Nikki Haley defied demands by Trump that she quit the Republican --- race despite big defeats including in her home state. She possibly calculates that trump might yet be banned from participating.
- 14. With its conservative super-majority the US Supreme Court is increasingly seen as playing an activist role in US politics, eg on --- rights.
- 15. The --- Sir Lindsay Hoyle has faced calls to quit after the shocking scenes in the House of Commons when the government and SNP walked out over a ruling that a Labour amendment would be voted on.
- 16. The current era of Tory Party hegemony hasn’t always seen single-party majorities in the Commons: from 2010-15 they ruled in a --- with the Lib Dems and from 2017-19 needed a confidence and supply deal with the DUP.
- 18. At the 2022 Conservative Party Conference Home Secretary Suella Braverman said “I would love to have a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that's my ---, it's my obsession”.
- 19. The UK Prime Minister could be argued to lack a --- having not faced the UK electorate in an election, but rather winning the Conservative Party leadership election unopposed after the disastrous reign of his predecessor.
- 22. The UK PM who called the Brexit referendum, Lord ---, made a surprising return to front-line politics as the UK’s Foreign Secretary despite not holding a Commons seat.