A set-to between Jon Chait and Rand Paul has an important moral. Democrats should get over their fear of limited government, and libertarians should get over their fear of democracy.

Mass protests in Brazil echo those of a fortnight ago in Turkey, but the government’s response so far has been very different. Rhetoric isn’t everything, but it matters.

The Turkish protest movement has failed to bring down the government, but it may have laid the groundwork for a more effective democratic opposition.

Comprehensive immigration reform passes its first hurdle in the US Senate. The jury is still out on whether the Republican leadership will be willing to let it through the House without weakening it beyond recognition.

The US government goes much further in data collection than we should be comfortable with, but the latest revelations are not as devastating as some people think.

The anti-science position on GMOs has been taking a battering on the left, but no-one on the right seems willing to stand up to its anti-science brigade on climate change.

The New South Wales government plans to (yet again) treat young people as second-class citizens, this time with high-frequency sound that the rest of us are too old to notice.

Politicians across the world are sincerely convinced that they are worthy recipients of public money. The public disagrees, but only rarely – as this week in Australia – is it able to get its voice heard.

The Victorian government promises taxi industry reform but seems a bit reluctant to highlight its importance.

The media show no interest in explaining what the holdup is with constitutional recognition of Australia’s indigenous people.