|
Western democracies are in fragile health right now, and two of the biggest, the United Kingdom and the United States, will face a reckoning at the polls before the end of the year.
First up is the UK where, if the polls are correct, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is about to be unceremoniously dumped from office after 14 years in power. Rob Manwaring writes that a government that looks tired and downbeat – typified, perhaps, by Sunak calling the election in the pouring rain – has failed to meet its pledges to voters and will likely be replaced by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by Friday, Australian time.
But even if Starmer does become the next British prime minister, problems remain. His personal popularity is weak, having shifted Labour to the centre and failed to capture the public’s imagination, which is perhaps not as vivid as it might be given the past few years of Brexit and political tumult.
Heading across the Atlantic, and Emma Shortis superbly shows how journalist and historian Nick Bryant excavates US history to explain today’s headlines in his timely new book, The Forever War.
While it’s often said Donald Trump is unprecedented in US history, Bryant’s book shows the country has been marked by violence and division from its birth. It has also long appreciated “strong” leaders, and tolerated their rule-breaking.
Americans’ fondness for rebellion and even insurrection is not new, either; this is perfectly illustrated by Trump supporters’ appropriation of Thomas Jefferson’s quote: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
For historians, writes Shortis, this moment in time is frighteningly familiar.
|
|
Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
|
|
Rob Manwaring, Flinders University
The Conservatives have run out of steam. Should Labour win – and it’s highly likely it will – the task facing a Starmer government will be stern and far-reaching.
|
Emma Shortis, RMIT University
Trump and the movement behind him is both new and old. Times are unprecedented but also, to historians of America, frighteningly familiar. Nick Bryant’s book excavates that history.
|
Claire B. Wofford, College of Charleston
The Supreme Court’s decision has major implications for the criminal prosecution of Trump and for the country and how it is governed.
|
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Nationals have had a major win in having the opposition commit give the ACCC divestiture powers.
|
Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has already switched news off in Canada. Australia could easily be next – here’s what that might lead to.
|
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Energy experts – and even Greenpeace – underestimated solar power’s rapid global growth. As this chart shows, solar’s now set to become the world’s biggest power source within the next decade.
|
Angela Smith, Western Sydney University; Kate Huppatz, Western Sydney University; Rhonda Itaoui, Western Sydney University
Universal early childhood education and care could have profound benefits for areas like Western Sydney, where despite rising education levels, women still face higher unpaid care burdens and other barriers.
|
John Hawkins, University of Canberra
Countries around the world could adopt their own digital currency yet there is still work to be done by central banks to weigh up the risks and benefits.
|
Roslyn Prinsley, Australian National University; Naomi Hay, Australian National University
Climate change is making some parts of Australia unliveable or uninsurable. We need a national conversation about the planned relocation. A proposed National Relocation Authority can lead the way.
|
Isabella Bower, University of South Australia; Jaclyn Broadbent, Deakin University
In our new study we looked at the impact of ceiling heights on the exam performance of Australian university students.
|
Melissa L. Gould, Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand is among many countries debating a ban on under-16s having social media accounts. But making digital media literacy education a priority would be a better first step.
|
Henry Cutler, Macquarie University; Jonas Fooken, Macquarie University
Medicare encourages providers to deliver more services, not to deliver good quality care. Here’s why that needs to change.
|
Phoebe Macrossan, University of the Sunshine Coast; Anna Potter, Queensland University of Technology
Australian teenagers have grown up with abundant choices in digital screen entertainment. But they aren’t watching much Aussie content.
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Judith Brett, La Trobe University
Putting aside concerns about feasibility and cost, it’s difficult to square the policy with the basic principles on which the Liberal Party was founded.
-
Simon Kingham, University of Canterbury
The government plans to increase speed limits, despite research showing the benefits of going slow. With submissions on the proposals closing next week, several important factors should guide policy
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Andrew Whitehouse, The University of Western Australia; David Trembath, Griffith University; Sarah Pillar, Telethon Kids Institute
An unintentional consequence of NDIS supports has been an emphasis on clinical settings. But children with autism are served better by naturalistic supports.
-
Emma Beckett, UNSW Sydney
Common reasons for not eating enough fruits and vegetables are likes, habits, cost and cooking skills. Drinking your fruits and vegetables can help overcome some of these barriers.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Alan Cooper, Charles Sturt University; Pavle Arsenovic, University of Natural Resources and Life Science (BOKU)
Every few thousand years, the Sun unleashes a burst of high-energy particles that can have serious consequences for life on Earth.
|
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Amy Peden, UNSW Sydney; Kyra Hamilton, Griffith University
Understanding what to do when faced with flooding on the road is an important, yet often overlooked aspect of driver education, which could be the difference between life and death.
|
|
Education
|
-
Sam Hoang, Victoria University; Peter Hurley, Victoria University
The cost to apply for a visa to study in Australia just more than doubled. This fee is non-refundable.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney
In a culture that seeks to make older women invisible, Julie Rrap’s latest exhibit, Past Continuous, is a gloriously defiant statement of self.
|
|
Books + Ideas
|
-
Millicent Weber, Australian National University
Over a third of Australians read audiobooks. Spotify’s audiobook offering means more choices for listeners – but those who make both music and books are concerned about the impact on incomes.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Michaela Rankin, Monash University
Financial years create a standardised timeframe for business reporting, government budgeting and tax collection. But their start and end dates vary around the world.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
The Conversation AU
Melbourne VIC, Australia
•
Full Time
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
Featured Events, Courses & Podcasts
|
View all
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
