Monthly Archives: August 2010

My take on the debacle . . .

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

Here’s my article from last week’s Fin which it placed below the headline “ALP sold itself short instead of selling its strengths”. I’ve also done an interview with Michael Duffy on Counterpoint which was recorded last Thursday, but went to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - national | 26 Comments

Economic growth and distributive justice

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Fred Argy

I have often worried about whether promoting ‘efficiency” – in the economic sense – ensures maximum well being where it makes some people better off but others worse off – even if the Kaldor-Hicks criterion is fully met e.g. by … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments

America at its worst: Krugman at his best

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

We’ve just had an election in Australia which was basically very clean, at least as far as one can tell. It was negative. It was empty but there was nothing illegitimate about what either party did or said about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics - international | 18 Comments

SIM cards abroad

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

One of the more extraordinary things in life is the amount you can be charged by your mobile carrier on ‘international roaming’. It’s completely extraordinary with amazing stories of people downloading serious amounts of data – eg for a movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Blegs, Travel | 8 Comments

Brink Lindsey vs the American Right

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Don Arthur

It’s time libertarians ditched their alliance with conservatives and Republicans, writes Brink Lindsey. In a piece for Reason magazine, Lindsey argues that libertarians should stake their claim at the centre of American politics and imagines a new swing constituency animated … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments

New Zealanders are my new heroes

Posted on August 29, 2010 by James Farrell

It’s easier to declare a film a work of genius than to figure out its secret. But I think in the case of Boy, it’s balance. This film tempts you at the start to expect a feel-good movie, but ends … Continue reading →

Posted in Films and TV | 3 Comments

Sarah Palin

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

“Oil and coal? Of course, it’s a fungible commodity and they don’t flag, you know, the molecules, where it’s going and where it’s not . . . So, I believe that what congress is going to do, also, is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Political theory | 6 Comments