You can do what you like unless there is a law to stop you. This might sound like a radical, right-wing, libertarian catch cry. But it is, in fact, the bedrock of a rule-of-law democratic society. It is the bedrock of freedom.

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In a rule-of-law democracy, laws are made by elected representatives of the people. They are administered by a directly or indirectly elected executive, which also has to obey the law. Any disputes about how the law is to be applied to individuals or circumstances are resolved by an independent judiciary.

In nations that are not rule-of-law democracies, the people get no say in the making of the law, the executive exercises power with little restraint, and there is no independent judiciary to say how and upon whom is the law to be applied.

Rule-of-law democracies provide certainty and liberty for their people.

It is worth restating these basic principles because events unfolding in the US now show us that the US is no longer a rule-of-law democracy.

The list of those events is getting longer. President Donald Trump ordered the vengeful prosecution of two officials (James Comey and Letitia James) who played roles in the investigation and successful prosecution of Trump himself when he was not president.

Equally, Trump has ordered well-founded prosecutions against his allies be dropped. Trump has unilaterally imposed tariffs on nations with which he has a grievance. He has withdrawn legally given government renewable-energy grants. He has reneged on security arrangements with key allies. He has abused government contracts to punish enemies and reward friends. He has sued people and businesses on flimsy grounds so they pay out the blackmail.

It has profound implications for Australia. For the past 80 years, Australia has based its national security around an alliance with the US based on "shared values". The fundamental value, of course,........

© Canberra Times