Andrew Peacock was a flawed Liberal leader, but it is not mere nostalgia to think that he was a great deal more admirable than most of his successors.
Category: Political issues
Victory in the drug war?
The momentum for marijuana legalisation in the United States now seems unstoppable, but the lessons may not generalise to other countries and other issues.
Disaster in Peru
A fragmented presidential election in Peru sends two extremist candidates into the runoff, far left against far right.
The lesson of Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister, is an under-appreciated figure. Three hundred years after he took office, the contrast with his most recent successor is quite illuminating.
Mr Koch and the Russians
A dispute at a prestigious American think-tank exposes an apparent synergy in foreign policy between libertarianism and Trumpism.
March electoral roundup
A monthly feature with brief reports on recent electoral news. Today, Western Australia, the Netherlands, Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo.
A Parisian anniversary
Marking the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune, and wondering if it still carries lessons for today.
Updating freedom and democracy
A new report from Freedom House sounds urgent alarm bells about the decline of democracy.
Does turnout matter?
Increased turnout in last year's US election probably didn't have much to do with the expansion of postal voting. Nor does it seem to have made much difference to the result.
Swiss ban the burqa
Two out of three referendum questions are approved in Switzerland: one of them a ban on face coverings promoted by the anti-Muslim lobby.
The World is Not Enough 