‘Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must be silent’, wrote the young Ludwig Wittgenstein in his Tractatus (1921). The words are now famous, but in matters of politics the elegant last-sentence formula of his key early work must be doubted,...
Read More[caption id="attachment_9806" align="alignnone" width="800"] Acampada, Barcelona, 21/05/1011[/caption] The following notes on the future of democratic representation were inspired by Simon Tormey’s The end of representative politics (2015), launched at a Gleebooks event organised by the Sydney Democracy Network (SDN), May 15th...
Read MoreThe following remarks on a famous work by Alexis de Tocqueville (1805 - 1859) were presented as a lecture to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Scholars Program at the University of Sydney, 24th April, 2015. The young aristocrat Alexis...
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On the eve of the collapse of the Soviet empire, the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama surfed to fame after pronouncing the global victory of the idea of American-style ‘liberal democracy’. Nearly three decades later, things look grim for his...
Read MoreSingapore is facing political uncertainty with the dominating figure of Lee Kuan Yew in hospital on life support and his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, undergoing surgery for cancer last week. Their People’s Action Party (PAP) has ruled the...
Read MoreHong Kong Chief Executive, C. Y. Leung (centre), enjoying a photo opportunity where he wished all Hong Kong citizens ‘good health, great happiness and a harmonious family life’. Chief Executive/February 18, 2015 Hong Kong’s Chief Executive C.Y. Leung rang in the Lunar...
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During the past three years, several anguished and rather melancholy ‘Democracy Field Notes’ tried to analyse the causes of the Greek crisis and the terrible pain and misery unfairly inflicted on many millions of Greek citizens by European austerity politics. Overnight,...
Read MoreSee the script on the ABC website...
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Young supporters of newly-elected independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je celebrate his victory in Taipei, Saturday 29th November 2014 CNA This is the final contribution to a five-part series of field notes covering the background dynamics and global significance of last Saturday’s...
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KMT press conference in the southern city of Kaoshiung, earlier this week John Keane This is the fourth in a series covering the background and dynamics of last Saturday’s fiercely fought ‘nine-in-one’ elections in Taiwan. The great choosing day in Taiwan is...
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