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Editor's note
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Annabel Bligh, The Conversation’s business and economy editor in the UK, and I started the day yesterday discussing how the government was planning to hold a spending review (a process that normally takes months) in just one week. We were really surprised. But things quickly moved to a whole new level when, moments later, the prime minister, Boris Johnson confirmed a weekend report that he would move to suspend parliament. We forgot all about that spending review.
Because of the extraordinary proposal, which has been approved by the Queen, MPs will now see their time in the house shortened in the crucial weeks before the Brexit deadline on October 31. Opposition MPs, members of Johnson’s own party and even the speaker of the house lined up to decry the decision. The first minister of Scotland called Johnson a tin-pot dictator. Protests are being hastily scheduled, petitions are flying across the internet.
Johnson claims there’s nothing strange about any of this. He just wants some time to prepare a new parliamentary session to get legislation moving again after a period of stagnation. His opponents say that he is misusing his powers. They think he really wants to stop them legislating to avert a no-deal Brexit.
It’s a very complicated situation, so we lined up two experts to help us make sense of what looks like a decisive moment for British democracy. Can the PM get away with this and what options are left for MPs who oppose him? And, crucially, what is his strategy here? A game theory expert assesses whether such a high-risk tactic can win Johnson a new Brexit deal.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Top stories
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EPA/Neil Hall
Abhinay Muthoo, University of Warwick
Is this all part of Boris Johnson's master plan to negotiate a better Brexit deal with the EU?
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EPA/Mick Tsikas
Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey
MPs are calling it an attack on democracy, the government insists it's no big deal. Who is right in the battle for Brexit?
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Lock the doors?
PA
Martyn Bennett, Nottingham Trent University
Parliaments have been prorogued before – and revolution has ensued.
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Environment + Energy
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Steve Fletcher, University of Portsmouth
Traversing the Atlantic with a low-carbon footprint is possible – but only if you have time and money to spare.
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Colin Beale, University of York
Yes, there are more fires in Africa than Brazil. But unlike the Amazon, Africa's savannah has evolved to grow back quickly.
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Ann Elias, University of Sydney
In the days before scuba technology, the celebrated photographer sought to capture the beauty of the reef by placing corals in an aquarium and shooting them. But under stress, they released algae.
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Science + Technology
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Gareth Dorrian, University of Birmingham
NASA's Europa Clipper mission just got the green light - here's what it could achieve.
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Max Eiza, University of Central Lancashire
Could Knight Rider's KITT finally be on the horizon?
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Nicola Di Girolamo, Oklahoma State University
Scientists have identified the world's smallest animal - for now. It could be possible smaller creatures exist that have not yet been discovered.
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Politics + Society
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Spyros Samothrakis, University of Essex
Central planning may make an AI-supported comeback.
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Sarah A. Son, University of Sheffield; Markus Bell, University of Sheffield
By matching narratives from North Korean escapees with Google Earth images, a fuller picture is emerging of abuses in North Korea.
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Dòmhnall Crystal, Cardiff University
As Bulguria's iconic Buzludzha monument attracts international investment, a survey has found that the country's people want more of their Communist monuments to be conserved.
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Arts + Culture
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Cath Sleeman, Nesta
From 2000 to 2013, less than a third of gendered pronouns within articles (for example, 'he' and 'she') referred to women.
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Deborah Shaw, University of Portsmouth
Are our interests shifting away from film and towards TV series? As media changes, is there even a difference between TV and film?
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Cities
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Chris Lawton, Nottingham Trent University
It was once seen as a public menace – now, skateboarding is a global sport that empowers young people to improve their cities.
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Health + Medicine
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Caroline Le Roy, King's College London; Tim Spector, King's College London
We found that drinking red wine is linked with an increase in gut bacteria diversity.
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Education
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Sinead Brophy, Swansea University; Charlotte Todd, Swansea University; Emily Marchant, Swansea University; Michaela James, Swansea University
Afternoon breaks are being cut in UK schools but simply making this time more meaningful could have better benefits for children.
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Featured events
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Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 2JA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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Berrill Lecture Theatre The Open University Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Open University
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Here East, Queen Elizabeth Park, London, London, City of, E15 2GW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — UCL
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Cambridge Judge Business School, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1AG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Cambridge
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