February
Guess what shocked 4000 right-wingers in London about Australia
The conference dubbed “Woodstock for conservatives” displayed the growing confidence of the right, showing the shift in the Western intellectual landscape.
January
Down cudgels: Baird and Weatherill push for more civility in politics
The 2025 election campaign has begun with insults on both sides of politics. These two former premiers want a better political discourse.
More than tax reform, we need budget guardians
Readers’ letters on fiscal discipline, improving productivity, the Los Angeles fires, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and democracy under threat.
Were the good old days really that good?
Readers’ letters on “old-fashioned Australian values”, the erosion of democracy, gas as a transition fuel, ExxonMobil’s hypocrisy, the Congo’s riches, four-year terms, and nuclear power.
Musk is at war with America’s allies, quiet on its enemies
The Trump administration’s antipathy towards European liberal democracy is real. The eastern side of the Atlantic alliance thus faces a journey without maps.
Immigration, voter fatigue brought down Trudeau. Not Trump
It’s easy to blame the US president-elect for everything but what brought the Canadian prime minister down is more retail politics than global conspiracies.
November 2024
Wong blasts Beijing over Hong Kong protest sentences
Australian Gordon Ng was among 45 dissidents who Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday sentenced to jail terms of up to 10 years.
High Court judge warns of world’s ‘slide towards autocracy’
Elsewhere, voting closes today in Victorian Bar Council elections, and Justice Ian Jackman continues on his anti-direct speech crusade.
October 2024
As Nobel Prize winners prove, strong institutions are good for us
The 2024 gong in economic sciences went to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson. Their studies have vital lessons for today’s democracies.
Over a billion have voted in 2024: Has democracy won?
Half the world has taken part in elections so far this year, but with the US set to vote in less than a month, the trickiest is yet to come.
Everything you need to know about Labor’s misinformation crackdown
More than 75 per cent of people believe addressing the deliberate spread of misinformation online is extremely important or quite important. On how you achieve that goal, the country is far more divided.
September 2024
A new ‘axis of evil’ is threatening the world
United by a shared hatred of the US-led order, the rulers of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are growing worryingly close.
AI deepfakes: deeply worrying or deeply amusing?
There are big fears that AI deepfakes could be used by foreign enemies or political operatives to influence elections. Just how worried should we be?
August 2024
Venture capitalist teams up with CBA for next big project – democracy
Venture capitalist Paul Bassat is worried Australia is heading in the wrong direction and has teamed up with the Commonwealth Bank and others to get it back on track.
July 2024
If Joe Biden goes: how would it work – and who would replace him?
The president faces huge pressure to step aside from his campaign. But what would happen next?
Why competent government is the answer to political extremism
The US has its unique national blind spot for guns, but as two reports on social cohesion and democracy point out, the ingredients of division and extremism have been rising everywhere.
University teaching could explain why democracy is ‘backsliding’
Letters from readers on social science teaching and democracy; the place of gas in the energy transition; and why any inflation is not desirable.
Under-pressure Biden says he almost ‘fell asleep’ during debate
Joe Biden said he was exhausted heading into the debate. Four major polls in the last 24 hours question if he is the right person to lead the Democratic ticket.
June 2024
Why markets like to see new political faces
Whether a government is weak or strong, left or right, doesn’t seem to matter much for economies, but new leaders are associated with higher growth and returns.
May 2024
Australian among 14 convicted in Hong Kong’s biggest security case
A Hong Kong court has found the pro-democracy activists guilty in a national security case that has effectively wiped out the city’s political opposition.