Missing Link Daily

A digest of the best of the blogosphere published each weekday and compiled by Ken Parish, James Farrell, Gilmae, Darlene Taylor and Saint.

Politics

Australian

The Victorian Government’s big new land release won’t solve the housing crisis if people can’t get there, argues Jeremy. Bridget Gread links to a Crikey! story about the same government paying bonuses for school principals who cut costs: this is, she says,

…evidence that performance-based pay is possible: just work your way up to principal, screw your colleagues over, save the department a fat wad of cash and walk away with enough for a new plasma TV and a trip to Fiji

Andrew Bartlett foreshadows positive reforms to federal political donation laws, but wonders whether donations by trade unions will be affected, while Andrew Norton argues that it’s the voters being bribed by the politicians not vice versa.

International

Publius issues a timely reminder that the popular vote count isn’t likely to reveal much about the end result in Texas because of the complexities of the system for selecting delegates, while Arleeshar draws attention to an especially cringe-inducing Obama ad (at right):

The US presidential system really does lend itself to personality cultism on a mass scale. I am very distrustful of any movement that requires ecstatic surrender.

Hilzoy examines justice Iraq-style. 

Robert Merkel reports that the Security Council has voted 14-0 to strengthen sanctions against Iran on the basis of the troubling IAFA report on that country’s nuclear program.

Economics

Tim Dunlop links to ABARE’s favourable forecast for exports.

Joshua Gans argues that Ross Gittins’ economic case for reduced immigration could equally be used to advocate a lower birth rate.

Peter Martin believes the Reserve Bank may be mistaken in its belief there it needs to increase unemployment to defend against inflation.

Issues analysis

Lee Malatesta argues that a cruel world does not prove the non-existence of a God, or even the non-benevolence of a God.

David Tiley looks at the raw human consequences of the sub-prime mortgage debacle and rising rents in Australia. 

Terje Petersen analyses the pros and cons of legalising heroin.

Slashdot highlights a US study showing that daylight saving may not fade the curtains or put the chooks off the lay but it certainly wastes energy and costs more. 

Harry Clark looks at the most recent discussion on the Becker-Posner blog, about why girls do better than boys in education. ((Unfortunately, both Becker’s and Posner’s contributions merely speculate about the reasons (e.g. decreasing paternal authority affects boys more) without advancing any hard evidence.  I’m sure there’s some around somewhere.  This calls for an Andrew Leigh post ~ KP)) 

Henry Farrell interviews renowned legal academic Cass Sunstein on Bloggingheads.TV.  Sunstein is pessimistic about the nature of the influence blogs are having on political discourse:

Cass is pretty skeptical about the virtues of Internet communication; he believes that it is quite likely to lead to political polarization and perhaps extremism, and not to the kinds of thoughtful, deliberative exchanges between left and right that hed like to see.  

Arts

Paul Martin previews the French Film Festival currently on in Melbourne (and then touring various capitals not including Darwin). 

Perry Middlemiss interviews Adelaide author Kirsty Brooks, one of a series of crime fiction snapshot interviews by a group of ozlit bloggers for which Ben Peek claims credit.  Perry also does a quick roundup of MSM reviews of JM Coetzee’s latest book.

Meanwhile, Ben Peek also focuses on two new Demidenko-style authorial identity hoaxes.

Dr Faustus is excited that you can download the new Nine Inch Nails album free or cheap and legally.

Sport

Shaun is annoyed at the reporting on the Jared Hayne-being-shot-at incident, arguing that Hayne was not guilty of any ‘ugly behaviour’ despite darkly suggestive stories. ((Apart from the obvious of course, being associated with the Parramatta Eels.~gilmae)) ((not to mention associating in any way at all with that odious creep Gasnier ~ KP))

UK econoblogger Chris Dillow highlights research suggesting that day-night cricket games are inherently unfair to the team batting last, and suggests a solution.

Snark, strangeness and charm

RuddRLess didn’t do anything new today, but apparently it winds some people up when we link. What’s more, we’re a compassionate mob here at Missing Link, and the Libs need all the cheering up they can get (assuming this bilge will do that, of course).

Steve Edney Munn blogs on his first summer in his bush paradise (I knew I always confused him with one of those other Steves).

Tyler Cowen tells Cuban jokes.