With around 500,000 protesters on the streets, the ongoing anti-government protests in Romania have seen the largest number of people involved since the collapse of the Ceausescu regime in 1989. These protests come after a year of rising unrest and political crisis. A mood of anger and resentment has been on the rise. But what is the nature of this movement?

In just a few days, Trump has set his stamp on US and world politics, economics, and relations. Already, his Islamophobic, anti-immigrant policies – in particular – have sparked mass protests across America and internationally. This is what is meant when we talk of sharp and sudden changes being on the order of the day.

On 9th January, Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of the Stormont Assembly in Belfast, resigned in protest against the ongoing “cash for ash” scandal. As the Assembly was unable to elect a new Deputy, new elections have been triggered, as required under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, adding yet more fuel to the fire for the political establishment in Westminster and Belfast.