Political Insight

Surveying the political scene in 2012 calls to mind Hegel's famous quip: ‘The one thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history’. There was no Euro in early 19^th century Europe but the great German philosopher's maxim could have been coined specially for the Eurozone crisis, which continues to rumble on with no clear end point in sight.

Playing politics; Celebrity politics; Unconventional tax; Devolution dissatisfaction.

Why do countries compete so fiercely to host international sporting events? Is the legacy worth the billions in costs? With the 2012 Olympics on the horizon, Jonathan Grix looks at the politics of staging a sports mega-event.

During the coalition government's first 18 months, backbench MPs in Westminster have rebelled in almost half of all votes. Philip Cowley and Mark Stuart examine the rising tide of dissent and ask what this might mean for the coalition's future.

The serious disorders in August 2011 caused shock and outrage, even though they were just the latest in a long history of public tumult. John Benyon examines the riots and the different reactions to them, and finds that the underlying causes were more complex and deep-seated than many seemed prepared to admit.

Thirty years after the conflict, the Falkland Islands still dominate Anglo-Argentine relations. Here Argentinean academic Vicente Palermo sets out a radical proposal for transforming a dispute that remains as divisive and polarising as ever.

How a government handles emergencies – from terrorist attacks and natural disasters to strikes, riots and epidemics – is a key test of its competence. Peter Riddell looks at the challenges that out-of-the-ordinary events have posed to successive UK administrations and how the machinery for handling crises has changed.

Almost overnight Ireland went from being an economic success story to the brink of bankruptcy. Reflecting on changes in Irish social, economic and political life, Elaine Byrne argues that the long-term effect of the financial crash on Ireland's party political system remains uncertain.

The Commonwealth's role and function has changed dramatically over the last sixty years. Some critics doubt the organisation's contemporary relevance, but the Commonwealth's future will be secure as long as members continue to find it useful, write Norman Bonney and Bob Morris.

Interculturalism has replaced multiculturalism in many discussions of cultural diversity. But what does the term mean, and is it really a superior alternative to the multiculturalist model?Nasar Meer and Tariq Modood investigate.

The reformist agenda has become a familiar feature of the UK's ongoing constitutional turbulence, but it wasn't always so. Nick Gallop charts a course through the UK's recent constitutional past and asks whether, under the current coalition government, we are any closer to a constitutional settlement.

Ahead of this year's vote, Benjamin D Hennig and Danny Dorling look at the geography of the 2008 London mayoral election.