In France and America same-sex marriage is facing last-ditch resistance. There may be more to it than just fear of the gays.
Category: Constitutional law
A Victorian lesson on fixed terms
Last week's political crisis in Victoria illustrates a problem about having fixed-term parliaments in a Westminster system.
The problem isn’t loyalty, but citizenship
The problem in the Ben Zygier/Prisoner X case, and potentially in many others, is the way the state demands a certain sort of loyalty – "allegiance" – of its citizens.
A step sideways for Aboriginal recognition
There'll be feel-good images out of Canberra today as parliament votes on recognition of indigenous people. But the idea that the bill represents a step forward on a constitutional referendum is simply not true.
Why Lincoln matters
Spielberg's Lincoln is a great political drama. It also has a message for the modern Republican Party: one day they will have to choose whether they are the party of Lincoln or the party of the Confederacy.
Australia gets used to fixed terms
The prime minister's election announcement shows up just how little flexibility she really had about the timing anyway. Australia has moved close to a fixed-term model without even trying.
Lib Dems get their revenge on electoral reform
Britain's Liberal Democrats succeed last night in frustrating a Conservative move for electoral reform – as a measure of revenge for last year's defeat over the House of Lords, but also due to their own self-interest.
Czechs give direct election a try
The Czech Republic has held its first direct election for the presidency, to replace the idiosyncratic Václav Klaus. It shows a party system in some disarray.
What if they had an inauguration and no-one came?
Hugo Chávez will be missing from Thursday's inauguration in Venezuela. It just goes to show that even the most comprehensive of constitutions can't provide for everything.
Courts, cattle and constitutions – Australia’s ailing federalism
Mountain cattle grazing in Victoria becomes a constitutional issue. The Federal Court upheld the ban, but indicated that there were still limits to Canberra's power on environmental issues.
The World is Not Enough 