The death this week of a brutal twentieth-century dictator reminds us of how routine his crimes used to appear.
Category: Personalities
Death of a war criminal
Donald Rumsfeld, architect of invasion and torture, dies peacefully and unmolested. The results of his work live on.
Bonaparte, 200 years on
Two hundred years on from the death of Napoleon, his legacy has never ceased to be a live political question in France. Emmanuel Macron is the latest to try to deal with it.
Death of a show pony
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.
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.
Death of a National
One of the enigmatic greats of Australian politics passes from the scene.
It’s Harris!
Kamala Harris, not surprisingly, gets the nod to be Joe Biden's running mate. Rarely has the vice-presidency been so important.
Death of a contender
Black conservative Herman Cain, once a proto-Trumpist presidential candidate, succumbs to the coronavirus. Perhaps it will be a wake-up call to some other Republicans.
Writing to the queen
John Kerr's reports to the palace show him in a poor light but fail to reveal any grand conspiracy. The political debate, however, rolls on independently of the evidence.
Jean who?
Emmanuel Macron chooses a new and little-known prime minister, signaling that he intends to identify the government more closely with himself.
The World is Not Enough 