The Australian politics thread

[Son Of Coco]

Judith Sloane...doesn't resemble the stereotypical Lib supporter much.

Could listen to Penny Wong talk for hours, seems such a reasonable person and you don't get the feeling you're being bull****ted to (whether that's the case or otherwise). I wish Joe had a chance to respond at the end though...would've been interesting to hear what he had to say for himself.

Interesting point made on the ABC yesterday morning too with some woman from The Australian on. It was pointed out that the media were all over Julia's comments on the North Shore and actually went there to interview people over what was said...but no such response to Tony's comments on people from the west and them wasting their money on poker machines. When pushed on whether the latter's comments were at least as important to cover as the former's...no real comment. Of course, any suggestion of media bias should be relentlessly mocked.

[Burgey]

It's all about the bluster these days though. Interrupt and speak loudly, you must be right.

Sloan is the only economist in the country who can't read a graph. Quite an achievement really.

[Burgey]

Newspoll into 55-45, LNP primary down 7, ALP up 3.

[Spark]

Anyone seen Craig Emerson's twitter? Personally don't like him at all, but it's good value watching him give back as good as he gets.

[Burgey]

Emmo has more front than Woolworths, so he's suited to the medium.

[Spark]

It's kinda funny. Most of the last hour has been various right-wingers calling him a ****, and him calling them ****s (in effect). Much, much snarkier than your average pollie.

[howardj]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Newspoll into 55-45, LNP primary down 7, ALP up 3.

Ah, the return of the trend, that Labor people were talking about pre-Christmas 2011

Abbott gone by year end etc

[morgieb]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Newspoll into 55-45, LNP primary down 7, ALP up 3.

THEY'RE COMING BACK!!!!!!

z

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by howardj

Ah, the return of the trend, that Labor people were talking about pre-Christmas 2011

Abbott gone by year end etc

There was a trend back to Labor in the second half of last year.

[Spikey]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Newspoll into 55-45, LNP primary down 7, ALP up 3.

the australian party up 4?

[howardj]

Originally Posted by Burgey

There was a trend back to Labor in the second half of last year.

Fair enough

I am very combative at the moment - stressful time for accountants (and not just the ones who cost the Coalition's costings)

[Burgey]

It's State of Origin....

[Spark]

Ken Henry's interview on 7.30 tonight is definitely worth watching if you're remotely into macroeconomics/GFC/Eurozone crisis etc. Fascinating stuff, especially near the end where he brings up an idea I've only otherwise heard in flight-of-fancy conversations I've had at uni (massive capital flow into Aus following a fiscal shock)

[Burgey]

Gee, I thought we were a sovereign risk.....

[Spark]

7.30 - ABC

Full uncut interview. Really good stuff. Also played tonight 11:30pm on 24. Good interview by Uhlmann as well, which is not something that's been said often lately. This is the bit I found most interesting:

CHRIS UHLMANN: And hasn’t the financial crisis, too, exposed really big structural problems in places like Europe, perhaps insurmountable ones?

DR KEN HENRY: Yes. Well yes to both parts of that question. I think the problems are, this is a personal view obviously, in fact everything I’ve said to you is a personal view. But let me make the point that I personally, I’ve never seen how the Euro would work, I’ve never seen how it could be expected to work without a general fiscal union. People in Australia understand that without our system of horizontal fiscal equalisation, without fiscal transfers from one state to another state, this federation would simply not hang together, there’s no way it would have hung together in the way it has without that system of fiscal transfers amongst jurisdictions. People understand that. People in Europe have not understood that and they need to understand it, the question is – whether it’s too late? That’s the question.