Why are Australians are so disenchanted and angry when it comes to politics? Given how well the country is going, by all rights we should be delighted with our political leadership. And yet we're not. In Quarterly Essay 46, Laura Tingle argues that something deep in the culture now amplifies antagonism and complaint. By turns we rail at the prime minister, whinge about minority government, and act as if the mining and carbon taxes will be the end of the world. When we were prosperous in times past, we did things like form a federation. What has changed? What would a different politics look like? And, Tingle asks, can a leader surf the wave of anger all the way to power?