Hi miacat, I think you made a little error there. You said the Australia's economy has grown by 14% under the ALP, where as I'm sure you meant the Australia's economy has grown by 14% despite the ALP. the ALP.

Of course the question then follows, what the hell did they do with all that extra money? Most of us are poorer, not richer, as we became under Howard.

You then tell us you like the ALP team. You like the ministers & their portfolios. Just one thing mate, is it this bunch, the bunch before this leadership spill, or the bunch you expect to have after the next spill.

You must be a great thinker, most of us can't keep up with who is in & who's out, except for Penny Wong. She must be good, she has picked the winner on every vote. Really bright that girl, but a bit short on principles. Oh that's right, that's a highly valued trait in the Labor mob.

Morning all,

Thanks again.

@Yabby, re: “Alan the flaw in the argument is that no other country had created the combination of factors which Costello created …”

Nonsense. When Costello left, Australia was tracking 12th in the world behind the USA, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Finland, Iceland, Taiwan and Luxembourg. Australia was travelling just about average.

Re: “he made the best of Australia's potential and business responded by investing.”

No. Australia's world ranking fell from 6th to 12th during the Howard/Costello years. Overall management was poor.

Re: “That's what carried Australia through.”

Nonsense. Refer Joseph Stiglitz and others.

Re: “Rudd just twiddled the dials a bit …”

No. Rudd's was the greatest Keynesian intervention the world has ever seen. Refer links in the article.

Everything you say is verifiably false, Yabby. Do you read The Australian?

@David G, re: “do we give LABOR, which everyone knows is not the best at things financial … another chance?”

Just curious about Labor being “not the best at things financial", David.

The second claim of this series is that Australia’s Government has managed the global financial crisis better than any administration in the world. Australia rose from 12th-ranked economy to the top. On all indicators, Australia now is travelling better than any economy ever.

The first claim is that Australia’s mendacious media has convinced a large swathe of the population of the opposite.

So, David, in what finance area do you regard the Government to have performed poorly relative to their predecessors or relative to other administrations?

@Shadow Minister, re: “Australia is not recognized as the world's best managed economy”

It certainly is, SM.

Re: “neither was the stimulus as effective as Alan suggests.”

It certainly was, SM.

Re; “Wayne Swan is widely regarded as a joke.”

Not at all, SM.

Re: “and the huge initial stimulus drop was shown to be almost totally ineffective.”

No. The opposite is true. Refer embedded links.

You’ve been reading The Australian again, haven’t you, SM?

@Spindoc, are there further questions you would like addressed? Just re-post if there are. Thanks.

Cheers,

AA

Well there is the rub, Alan. When Govts make economic decisions, they have long term implications. As the scenario played out, Costello was proven correct and America (aka George Bush economics) was proven flawed. It took Costello years to set it up and it paid off. When companies plan to invest, they think in terms of years and decades, not next week. It is the same with small business.

These little facts clearly go over your head.

Rudd may have saved Australia during the global financial crisis but that's nothing compared to Abbott's idea of buying up all the secondhand fishing boats in Indonesia so they can't be bought by nasty people smugglers.

Think of the money that will pour into Government coffers as it sells the quaint craft to Aussies, hundred of thousands of them. Don't mind that such craft tend to sink or have engines that are stuffed. Tony's our man, a veritable genius in fact!

Let's face it, no normal person could dream up such a ridiculous idea. Yet this man wants to be Prime Minister of our country.

God help us all!

Alan, I do agree with you that the MSM have tricked Australians into believing that everything that LABOR did during its six years was a disaster! In the 'MSM' I include some of the pollsters.

The problem for LABOR seems to centre around broken promises, the mismanagement of some of the GFC initiatives, and initiating grandiose schemes which are partly or totally unfunded.

Like you, I fear what Abbott and the Capitalist Moguls will do to this country given the possibility of a LABOR demolition.

Any society that puts greed at the top of its aspirational goals will end up like the U.S.: a basket case!

Good morning Alan
Todays Australian carried the results of a poll in Griffith. You know Kevvys Electorate.
Labor 48 Liberal 52. Two party preferred. Seems you haven.'t convinced the electors of Griffith of the merits of keeping kevvy. Word has it he is looking for accommodation in green socialist debt ridden Europe. You'll be able to cry in your coffees together.