Portside

There is growing fascination and nostalgia for dictators, extreme right-wing government in some countries and “illiberal democracy” in others. Why is this? What has happened to permit such a distortion of memory? How do myths replace reality?

The final hearing of the January 6 committee showed that the former president was far from alone in fomenting the insurrection. Here are some of his confederates.

Beating back the right, fight by fight

This is a perfect storm of human events - the effects of Puerto Rico’s 100-plus years as a U.S. colony; the damage wrought by the recent privatization of its electric power grid; and the legacy of the Trump administration’s reaction following Maria

Lawyer in a civil lawsuit launched by towns in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico describes why it is using laws used to target mob bosses

Charged with investigating the January 6th insurrection, the committee made a devastating case against Trump, regardless of what the attorney general elects to do.

Real estate should be treated as consumption, not investment.

Could the clash between democracy and authoritarianism become even sharper in 2023? Yes – in fact, that may be the safest prediction we can make. Here’s how we – the moderators of Portside – see it:

Broadcasters play a propaganda role as does print media such as the Guardian. An example was the [1984] Miners’ Strike. TV presented “picket-line violence," while those involved saw police violence. Another example was the attack on Jeremy Corbyn.

Here’s why you’ve been hearing so much about ChatGPT.