A Year Shaped By Trump And Missed Chances

It’s been a year many of us didn’t see coming. Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January has cast a long shadow over global politics, reshaping debates and alliances faster than most predicted. That’s the central theme from a Guardian podcast looking back on 2025. Hosts and reporters reflect that the pace and scale of change under Trump — at home and internationally — would have felt implausible just a year earlier. At home in Britain, the conversation is more uncomfortable. The podcast argues the Labour government has struggled to sell its achievements and seize strategic moments. Instead of setting the agenda, ministers often went quiet through the summer, allowing newer parties and the far right to fill the vacuum. The message is blunt: timing matters in politics, and missed windows can become long-term problems. Yet the year hasn’t been all doom. There were surprise upsets that injected fresh energy into the left. Figures such as Zohran Mamdani and Zack Polanski achieved unexpected successes, showing there is appetite for bold, progressive voices in parts of the political landscape. Those wins suggest grassroots momentum remains a force to be reckoned with — and remind parties that enthusiasm can shift fast when activists and voters feel heard. The podcast also charted a significant victory for journalism. The Guardian secured decisive legal rulings defending its reporting in a case hailed as a landmark for #MeToo journalism. Beyond the courtroom, those outcomes underline the continuing importance of press freedom and the media’s role in holding powerful people to account. Taken together, the elements sketch a year of contrasts: seismic international shifts, stumbles by an incumbent UK government, grassroots breakthroughs and a high-stakes affirmation of investigative reporting. For listeners, the takeaway isn’t just a list of events but a warning and an invitation — political narratives can be overturned quickly, and the contestants who tell their story best often set the terms of the debate. If 2025 taught anything, it’s that politics moves fast and the airwaves — and courtrooms — still matter. How parties respond to that reality will help decide whether missed chances become permanent setbacks or lessons learned. --- Managing your business finances? TaxAce provides smart online accountancy services for UK businesses with flexible monthly plans. Image and reporting: https://www.theguardian.com | Read original article