Some more reminders of controversies from the last six years that haven’t fully gone away.
Non-local local elections in Queensland (April 2020). Having an election where people are trying to avoid physical contact doesn’t seem to make much difference to who they vote for.
Trump and the evangelicals (September 2020). It’s suggested that white evangelical Christians have sold out their values by supporting Donald Trump. But what if Trump actually embodies their real values?
An electoral college recap / One more post about the electoral college (December 2020/February 2021). As the electoral college sets the seal on the United States election result, an attempt to lay to rest some myths and set out what the college actually does, including what would happen if the college was elected proportionally.
Victory in the drug war? (April 2021). The momentum for marijuana legalisation in the United States seems unstoppable, but the lessons may not generalise to other countries and other issues.
Seventy years on (February 2022). Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee: seventy years of an unusually successful monarch is worth celebrating. But it’s also important to note how unusual it is.
Death of a liberator (August 2022). The last Soviet leader leaves a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Is Israeli democracy worth defending? (February 2023). The defence of Israeli democracy involves overcoming some blind spots on both right and left.
Irresponsible government in America (October 2023). America’s Republican Party finds, as expected, that its tenuous grasp on the House of Representatives gives each of its opposing wings the power to frustrate the other.
A sad anniversary (July 2024). Some think that Australia’s system of compulsory voting is something to celebrate. Here’s why they’re wrong.
Welcome to Munich (November 2024). America’s voters decide that standing up to tyranny would be more trouble than it’s worth. We’ve seen this before, and it doesn’t end well.
Preferences and proportionality (June 2025). Statistics on the flow of preferences throw more light on the result of Australia’s election and on the debate over electoral reform.
Peace for Ukraine? (September 2025). Donald Trump talks of territorial gains for Ukraine, with the same capricious lack of seriousness he has shown all along.
The World is Not Enough 