Hi Trumpster,

What came first. The chicken or the egg? Your Chicken Little claim that the sky is falling is not true. Australia continues to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, enjoying a very high living standard. Its not perfect, but its not calamitous either, inflation is at 4%, interest rates went up 0.25%, oh my god, the sky is falling, no its not!

The immigration correction was inevitable post Covid, both governing parties in office, would have initiated a decline. That had little to do with the ravings of that bunch of second rate ratbags, calling themselves One Nation. true, their ravings might have sped up the process, but it was the sole catalyst that brought on the correction.

Okay, if I'm wrong, and as YOU claim "the future is looking increasingly bleak" What is to be done, who will save the sinking ship? YOUR OPINION.

Don't be so dramatic Paul. No one said the sky is falling. That's just you trying to find a way to exonerate the government you support.

But inflation is too high. Living standards are stagnant. Cost of living is rising. Hopes for the future declining. Even the government you support is fretting about the problems it faces now and into the future, even as it thrashes around trying to find someone to blame.

Whether the sky is falling or not is beside the point. Clearly a large and growing number of the electorate feels that the current majors aren't doing what is necessary to solve their problems even if they (the majors) were interested in solving their problems which a growing number also seem to doubt.

And they are thronging to One Nation who has policies that do address those issues. The majors are finally waking up to that but they are so locked into their ancestorial memes that they merely mouth platitudes about solving this or that problem that One Nation is highlighting while doing sweet bugger all to fix it. They now mouth assertions that they will address immigration following decades of ignoring community concerns and that is solely due to One Nation overthrowing the consensus (or conspiracy of silence) between the majors. They now pretend they'll do something about it, sometime, somehow...no trust us we will!!

Japan just showed how to fix the issue by making a whole new set of immigration rules....

Much stricter permanent residency (PR) requirements

*Applicants must continuously earn an annual household income above the average for Japanese households of comparable size

*Japanese language proficiency is now required

*Understanding of Japanese rules, customs, and systems is evaluated.

*Projected pension benefits must be equivalent to those of someone who has paid into the Employees’ Pension Insurance for 30 years

*The government emphasises that PR holders must live independently and not become a public burden.

An Australian government bold enough to implement similar rules would solve the immigration problem we now have in a thrice.

Hi Trumpster,

Japan is not, and has not been an immigrant country, it has a migrant population of less than 3.5%. So what flood of migrants are they trying to stop? With a population of over 122 million, about 5 times Australia's Japan has a net migration of less than 140,000, half of Australia's. Their largest city Tokyo has a metropolitan population of 36 million, greater Sydney 5.6 million. You are comparing chalk with cheese.

BTW Japan has the lowest hourly labour productivity in the G7—ranking 29th out of 38 OECD nations—despite famous cultural commitments to hard work and long hours. Inefficient and heavily indebted companies are often kept afloat through government support, foreign investment is critically low. The country is heavily bureaucratic, with a reliance on poorly trained low paid workers in many small to medium size industries. It has an overwhelmingly ageing population with a very low birth rate. The Japanese yen has been losing significant value over several decades. Recently the Japanese central bank raised interest rates after years of stagnation. YES lets model ourselves on Japan, what's your second choice, Australia model itself on Ethiopia?

"And they are thronging to One Nation who has policies that do address those issues." Don't make me laugh, what policies! BTW, One Nation had their Victorian State election campaign launch on the weekend, with the regular collection of Neo-Nazi's in attendance, sitting in the front row. WERE YOU THERE?

Hi Again Trumpster,

Where are YOU coming from? In one post YOU claim that "The future is looking increasingly bleak."..."the cliff in the distance", then YOU say; "Don't be so dramatic Paul. No one said the sky is falling" What's worse have the sky fall on your head, or drive over a cliff. BTW, under Capitalism there is always a "cliff in the distance, and the sky is falling" it operates on fear. As for "real wages are falling", a direct result of Coalition economic policy whilst in government. Inflation is predominantly driven by world events, not the least by the crazy policies of Daffy Donald in the Trump House, with his never ending war and ridiculous tariffs.

I realise that not only are YOU a Trumpster, YOU are also a closet Hansonite. Understandable with your sycophantic support of Crazy Donald, YOU would support Crazy Pauline. Do YOU agree with the One Nation policy in Victory that if they win government in November they will imprison both former state premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, (and who else). What next, The firing quad for dissenters? THESE PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS!

Hi $15T,

Yes, if you run off to your favourite SI-bot you can find all sorts of problems in every country on the planet. And that's what you've done with the Japan trope.

But the fact is that they have (now) an immigration policy that we would do well to follow if only our major parties would follow the caving in to One Nation with actual action.

"The future is looking increasingly bleak."..." isn't the same as "the sky is falling". That's just you trying to over-egg the pudding. A sensible approach was never your go.

"As for "real wages are falling", a direct result of Coalition economic policy whilst in government". Yes, as I said earlier, the ALP are madly scratching around trying to find someone else, ANYONE else, to blame for their failures. But even they've given up on blaming the previous government. Don't worry....you'll catch up or catch on.

"Inflation is predominantly driven by world events, "
Same here. Both the RBA and Chalmers have agreed that the main cause of our inflation is local. But don't let mere facts get in the way, 15T.

Hi Trumpster,

So now there is no cliff in the distance (dropped that part in your reply), as YOU claimed, no matter how you look at it driving off a cliff is pretty serious business. The problems of Japan have been well documented over many years (I see as a devout Trumpster you now refer to AI as SI, just as Donald told YOU to). With a 3.5% migrant population, and a very low intake p.a. Japan certainly needs to toughen up its immigration policy. What evidence do YOU have that the new untested Japanese immigration policy would be ideal for Australia?

BTW Any comment on that claim of One Nations that they will lock up people they disapprove of in Victoria if they win the state election. Sounds very Nazi to me, what about YOU?

Actually, YOU may prefer the Ethiopian immigration policy for Australia to that of Japans. Ethiopia applies rule 303, we take them out and shoot them, saves all that pesky rigmarole!