Am I the only one who thinks that the crisis of 2007-08 is far from over, and spending on much needed infrastructure about would make perfect sense. Instead we have seen this government squander money in a series on inane decisions: installing and removing pink batts, totally wrong school refurbishment, building an already technically out-dated National Broadbent Network, plus handouts to all and sundry, both in Australia and overseas.

People in Sydney, particularly the Western Suburbs are feeling increasingly insecure. Unemployment is supposedly 5.2 %, but the Roy Morgan poll, which uses more accurate definitions, says a more realistic number is 10 %. Job vacancies down by 30 % from the peak, and people dropping out of the workplace like flies. Rising mining investment has been boosting growth, but the mining investment cycle is now expected to peak in mid-2013 at a much lower level than this Labor government has been proclaiming. Investment in the non-mining sectors is woeful.

I have had several senior business people tell me they are forecasting this Christmas to be one of the worst on record. If Clinton is right and it is the economy, stupid then I think 2012 will soon be forgotten. What will be remembered was that when Labor was elected in 2007 the fiscal position of the government was in a fantastica position and it has been squandered by a group on inept politicians.

'Gillard will take the ALP to the polls next year with economic policy and industrial relations as her strengths'.

Is that a joke. Australia has few economic credentials beyong spending more to prop up slowing eco activoty following GFC, and a whole lot of luck from having a lot of stuff in ground.

It is sad i have to listen to foreign journalists to highlight this reality.

Australia is simply one of the luckiest Western nations in world pretending to know what it is doing while the West generally plods on and prints more money

Jo I have to ask just what level of math you did. Did you do any past junior high?

"Gillard will take the ALP to the polls next year with economic policy and industrial relations as her strengths". As with the previous posters this took my breath away. It is without doubt the most outrageous statement I have seen on OLO.

Even the most one eyed supporter of labor could not but question this statement. Miners are running for the hills, [of Africa & South America], after the rank stupidity of the mining tax. This leaves only general industry & agriculture, both in their death throws inflicted by the carbon tax.

Then you suggest industrial relations as her claim to fame. In fact it is pretty easy to see this is totally wrong. Yes her rabid policies may have won many votes, & Howards were a huge leap too far, but for those who are interested in the nations, & their kids future, her industrial relations policies are a disaster.

Any little area of business still surviving after her mining & carbon taxes, then gets destroyed by her industrial relations catastrophe.

Is it really true you teach politics. I find it hard to believe, given this article. I suppose all this looks OK from the great height of a huge ivory tower, but watch out love, those towers are built on the foundation of industry. With these policies you admire, you are likely to be down at our level very soon, when your foundations crumble.

See you in the veggie patch, growing your own, some time soon.

Hasbeen, you truly are hysterical. YOu never offer any evidence for your wildly out of touch comments.

Our economy is in good shape, it's just that we have reverted back to a racist, backward looking country of bullies and thugs.

The letter in response to David Marr’s article on Tony Abbott that <i>Quarterly Essay</i> would not print (because it did not have space because it had given that space to reprints of two authors already published elsewhere) can be found at:
http://www.thesydneyinstitute.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Real-Chris-Curtis.pdf

Hi Marilyn, nice to see the sisterhood sticking together.

I suppose I should have expected you to agree with Jo's math. After all you're the one who thinks bringing a hundred thousand bludgers in here would be good for us.

Merry Xmas.