After another year of high drama in Australian politics, there are massive anxieties about the state of the nation. However, if Australians are in a fit of self-doubt, we should at least recognise we are experiencing far less instability and turmoil than most Western nations, most notably the toxic polarisation and bitter partisanship that characterise US and UK politics. Is there any hope on the horizon to reverse the fortunes of either nation? And what are the consequences for the US and UK places in the world?