Pro-independence forces make gains in New Caledonia, but they do not command a majority and their opponents are moving away from compromise.
Category: Political issues
May and Corbyn eye off a deal
British local elections have led the major parties to talk more optimistically about a Brexit deal, but the political dynamics are still against it.
How factionalism works
Australian commentators still mostly get the Liberal Party wrong. For a start, the wet-dry division isn't a factional conflict.
Lessons from Spain
Reflections on the scope of the centre-left victory in Spain provide possible lessons for Australia's parties as well.
Understanding Spain, part I
Sunday's Spanish election follows a long period of political confusion, but this time voters face a clear choice.
Realignment – or not
Peter Costello suggests that the Liberal Party should concentrate on issues that unite it. The problem is that such issues are hard to find.
Election preview: Israel
Israeli elections usually involve minor reshuffles among the same cast of characters. This one looks like following the pattern, but it may be that Netanyahu's luck will finally run out.
One autocrat down, another two winged
Change in the Middle East didn't finish with the Arab Spring. Algeria's president resigned this week, and his counterparts in Sudan and Turkey are under threat.
Where to now, Brexit?
Brexit is back in the House of Commons tonight, with the possibility that the government's loss of control may become permanent.
Finally, some Brexit movement
Britain's House of Commons votes to seize the initiative from the hapless Theresa May, signalling a bad setback for the hard Brexiters.
