Europe's heads of government have had their compromise candidate for EU prime minister ratified by the parliament, but not without some difficulty.
Category: Party matters
Two views on realignment
From very different parts of the spectrum, converging views on what's happening with political realignment.
Death of an independent
Ross Perot was an eccentric and pathbreaking figure, but it's not entirely fair to see him as a proto-Trump.
Election preview: Greece
Greece looks ready to shift back to the centre-right in Sunday's election. Its party system is yet to recover from the damage done by the financial crisis.
A centre-left revival? Part IV: The European parliament
The centre-left seems to have missed out on getting its candidate up as the EU's next head of government, but its parliamentary position is stronger than it might look.
How to appoint a prime minister
Malcolm Turnbull may have had a hypothetical constitutional manoeuvre to block Peter Dutton, but would the same trick work against Boris Johnson?
A centre-left revival? Part III: Australia
Australia was supposed to be part of a centre-left revival, but it didn't work out that way. Only so much blame can be attached to the electoral system.
A centre-left revival? Part I: Finland
The arrival of a Social Democrat-led government in Finland is an occasion to look more generally at the decline and possible revival of the centre-left.
The rise of Boris
With Britain's Conservative Party about to choose a new leader, there is a distinct lack of suspense. We know who it will be, and we know what a difficult task he will face.
What is Bill Shorten doing?
Australia's rule for the disposal of former party leaders needs debate and possibly revision. But Bill Shorten is not the ideal person to make that case.
The World is Not Enough 