Thanks

I was going to get the book. Now I shan't bother. The paragraph you quote is typical leftie tripe. I don't have the time to go through a whole book full of the stuff.

"The book is the product not just of interrogation (and occasional torture) of the facts..." beautifully phrased.

This technique could be dubbed 'writerboarding'.

"I'd definitely recommend reading this book..."

Graham, thanks, but no thanks.

But thanks for the review. Your flagged slants/flaws in the book's content are consistent with what appears in George Megalogenis' articles in The Australian.

I genuinely think you should read it. The chances are it will turn up on school reading lists and be used as the basis for arguments about what happened in the last 30 years. And it does have a lot of material that is interesting, even if one has to be careful.

But if I had to choose between this and Hartcher's book, I'd choose his first. Hopefully his second edition will have some footnotes, tables and graphs.

"We don't make a living from feather-bedded domestic manufacturing, and that is a good thing."

Generally true, except perhaps the motor car industry which seems to be dying the inevitable death as we pay about $30,000 a year per worker.

David

George, do not feel badly done by. The world is replete with judges but, sadly, there are even more executioners.

Nothing wrong with criticism so long as it’s not radical, eh Graham?
If it’s not radical, I say what’s the good of it? In that case it’s not criticism but it’s opposite--reassurance.
I haven’t read the book so I can’t take you to task, though I find the paragraph you pedantically criticise as lucid and aporetic as prose is generally.
“George is definitely in the Labor cheer squad” you say. Well what’s wrong with that, except his nonsense doesn’t suit your nonsense? You’re in the conservative cheer squad. And isn’t your conclusion derivative: “so what could have been a good tour through the last 30 years of Australian economic history, becomes subtly slanted so that it isn't an accurate guide to what happened at all”. As if there is an accurate guide, or you’re a fair judge. There is of course for conservatives, albeit fatuous. There are myriad ways of reading history, but none of them “definitive”. Economic history is the most delusional of all. Real history is tumultuous, and the rest is just process.

The world is replete with judges but, sadly, there are even more executioners.
David G,
you meant bad judges of course didn't you ?

Dear Individual,

Define "Bad."

I usually watch the "Insiders," on a Sunday
morning and George Megalogenis has been a
commentator many times on the program. I have
found him to be a sane political journalist
who knew what he was talking about. His background
as a political journalist seems pretty solid,
still I guess it's not easy to sustain any book
of about 400 pages. There will always be critics,
of course. That's a given. And constructive
criticisms are helpful. I shall borrow the book from
my local library and judge for myself - I didn't
realise that it mattered though - which "camp" an author
belonged to or for whom they cheered politically.
But I guess it does matter to some.

Define "Bad."
Lexi,
Those who persecute the victims, handle the crims with velvet gloves & reward damages to the insurance companies by way of not making the insurance companies pay. The perpetrators get opportunities to study for free & get assistance all the way whilst the victims struggle to deal with their loss. Those who are in the pockets of the lefties & those who are in the pockets of the guilt industry. Those who simply don't give a hoot about integrity. They Lexi, & those who support them are the bad, a number of the judiciary included.
Defence lawyers make up the cream on the effluent.

Dear Individual,

The law is the law. It doesn't guarantee justice
unfortunately. Perhaps that's why justice wears a
blindfold.

I watched the 60 Minutes program this
evening about the devastating effects of the
drug "Thalidomate," (not sure if I've spelled it
correctly). However, it caused birth defects in
babies a few decades ago and apparently the German
company that was responsible has never been brought
to account - or paid anything in compensation.
The company is still functioning today,
quite successfully. Finally, there is going to be
a class action brought against the company. It will
be interesting to see how successful the action is.

Lexi,
yes, I watched that too. It was beyond belief. I wonder how the judiciary would have reacted if a parent or Doctor would have acted in one of those poor children's best interest in the most humane way & euthanised it at birth. My guess is that the judiciary would have come down so heavy on them in favour of the child without a thought of the miserable existence that lay ahead of the child.
Which side of humane would you be on ?

Hey guys, you are way off-topic, but for what it's worth a friend of mine was a thalidomide baby and I'm sure he would have been prospectively very distressed if his parents had euthanised him because of his handicap. So far he's made a bigger contribution to the world than many even if he has arms that are more like flippers than anything else.

But I'm not sure what this has to do with George's book.