Club Troppo

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 John Quiggin wonders whether it's time to give the B team a turn in New South Wales, and Australian Politics believes...

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(posted on behalf of The Receptionist) Somehow it's always me who ends up doing the work around here. As Dr Troppo's receptionist I seem to have a never ending series of chores to perform. Clearing out beer bottles and pistachio nut shells from under his desk, washing cigarett...

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I was going to put this in the snark section of Missing Link but decided it deserved a post of its own. Tim Blair is currently stoushing with a trio of academic researchers into blogging and "citizen journalism". Jason Wilson , Axel Bruns and Barry Saunders apparently have an...

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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 Harry Clarke admires the Garnaut interim report, and shows how the government's reaction to it conforms to a pattern...

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Well, that pun has been made before I just made it, but I was going over Crikeys I'd not had time to glance at this week and came across Christine Milne's take on Garnaut. As I read it at first I thought it was Glenn Milne and it rather took me aback. In any event, Milne's pie...

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Ross Gittins said some flattering things about me in his column this weekend - which was very nice of him. One thing the column talked about was the "pressure - particularly from business - for the states to adopt a uniform approach" to various things like "workers compensatio...

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This time last year the British media was buzzing with stories about the demise of marmalade . In January, The Grocer reported that sales of marmalade fell by 4.4% in the year to 4 November 2006 . Worse still, most marmalade consumers have their best toast munching years behin...

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I want to return, hopefully with whatever wider perspective a few weeks brings, to Paul Keating's inflammatory remarks about the late right wing pundit Paddy McGuinness. We should keep in mind for a start, as Peter "Mumble" Brent implicitly noted at the time, that McGuinness h...

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If you've not seen them yet. From Martin Feldstein .

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Below the fold is the text of a talk I gave to the NSW Branch of the Fabian Society in Sydney last Wednesday evening, on 'Economic Challenges Facing the New Labor Government'. Also speaking to the same topic were John Edwards, Chief Economist of HSBC Australia (and a former ec...

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Since I posted something on the equilibrium unemployment rate or NAIRU (the minimum unemployment rate consistent with low and stable inflation), it has become a really hot political topic in Canberra. I also participated in the subsequent debate on the topic in various blogs....

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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 main message of Garnaut's interim report , as John Quiggin sees it, is that: At this point, the risk of moving to...

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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 Apathetic Sarah asks a difficult question: will Brisbane be stupid enough to re-elect Campbell Newman for a second te...

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Can anyone explain why inflation rates are conventionally reported on a 'year-ended' basis, despite the fact that we have quarterly price indices? The Reserve Bank Governer's press release of 5 February said that CPI inflation on a year ended basis picked up to 3 per cent in t...

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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 RWDB J.F Beck notes that new PM Kevin Rudd is insightful enough not to piss off Brian Burke, while pissed-off 'lefty'...

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I found my ten year old watching the end of a TV show about kids tonight. He was watching it because he was anxious that he wasn't doing his homework. Sound familiar? Anyway, the show was Brat Camp is a reality TV show that aired tonight. The blurb says that it's been on befor...

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I've just been asked by the Department of PM&C to nominate someone to go to the 202o Summit. Who should I nominate - and why? This post will be moderated strictly. Suggestions should be serious and I hope you'll provide good reasons. Of course there will be people who want to...

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This post accompanies, and is explained by the post immediately above it.

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Today's AFR column. These Thai workers made their views about electricity privatisation very clearly known. Mind you, that isn't of itself a great argument against it, just an apt photo - KP (from The Age ) Paul Keatings strength in government was his ability to make the case...

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