With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass
‘Do Look Up’: a time to change everything
Those who seek to rescue democracy – and construct the different climate politics that tomorrow requires – must shift the terms of debate and the analysis of choices we face, argues ALAN SIMPSON

TWENTY twenty-two is not going to be the year I turn into a film critic. But if you haven’t seen the film Don’t Look Up, do so now.
This isn’t just because the film offers a terrific satire on the conflicting political influences of science and spin, or because there really is a meteorite heading Earth’s way.
The great strength of Don’t Look Up is that it takes you through the way greed undermines good judgement, and organised dishonesty/disinformation becomes the tool through which the rich screw the rest.
More from this author
ALAN SIMPSON warns of a dystopian crossroads where Trump’s wrecking ball meets AI-driven alienation, and argues only a Green New Deal can repair our fractured society before techno-feudalism consumes us all

As the ‘NRx movement’ plots to replace democracy with corporate-feudal dictatorship, Britain must pursue a radical alternative of local food security and genuine wealth redistribution to withstand the coming upheaval, writes ALAN SIMPSON

Some hard political choices must be made in Trump’s post-truth era – starting by abandoning any illusions about the ‘special relationship’ and waking up to the need for bold policy-making on the climate, argues ALAN SIMPSON

Centrist governments around the world face rejection by their electorates as neoliberalism fails to deliver the public prosperity it never promised – and the same fate awaits Labour unless it starts to deliver for those struggling to survive, says ALAN SIMPSON