Does politics always have to be driven by tribal hatreds, or is there scope for a more constructive way of doing things?
Category: Australia
Western Australians get to do it all again
An interesting train of reasoning by the court of disputed returns leads to the conclusion everyone expected: a fresh half-Senate election in Western Australia.
Drug war absurdity: Australian edition
A government backbencher gives a backhanded endorsement of marijuana legalisation, giving Labor the cue to go out of its way to endorse prohibition.
Party games in Australia
Two stories in Australian politics this week draw attention to structural issues that might benefit from some international comparison.
Putting a general in charge
The nomination of Peter Cosgrove as Australia's next governor-general raises interesting questions about what sort of job it is – and what sort of country we are.
Constitutional change is harder than it looks
Media reports on Tony Abbott's push for constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians convey an impression of novelty. Yet nothing has really changed.
A Czech lesson for direct-election republicans
The Czech Republic has moved closer to getting its new government, but the directly-elected president will remain a thorn in its side. Maybe Malcolm Turnbull was right.
The electoral top ten for 2013
A review of the year's most interesting elections and whether they show us any general trends.
High Court just doing its job
The Australian High Court strikes a blow for federalism, but same-sex marriage in the ACT is a casualty.
Liberals, Greens and a two-party system
Liberal voters tend to treat Labor rather than the Greens as the main enemy. That's different to what their leaders think – or is it?
The World is Not Enough 