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James Mathison takes it up to Andrew Bolt

Last week Andrew Bolt interviewed James Mathison – an independent candidate for the seat of Warringah which is currently held by Tony Abbott.

Because nobody watches Andrew Bolt the interview slipped under the radar, and we may never have known it ever existed if not for one of our readers stumbling across it on Facebook.

It may be the only interview you’ll ever watch in which Andrew Bolt takes part.

And it is definitely worth watching.

I didn’t know much about James Mathison. But from this interview I have learnt that he displays a few qualities at least that most of our politicians don’t possess when tackled by the media: he knew what he was talking about (in both policy and facts) and his answers weren’t a jumble of waffle. And best of all . . . he served it back to Andrew Bolt.

You’ll enjoy this!

 

94 comments

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  1. Michael Taylor

    That was impressive. Very impressive.

  2. Denny Rosey

    Bolt is a blustering dill who is incapable of listening or grasping the issues.

  3. Carol Taylor

    Ludicrous questions from Bolt such as why don’t you run against Turnbull instead of Abbott. After patiently explaining electoral boundaries to Bolt, Bolt then proceeded to to ask the same question a second time. When Mathison started to repeat his explanation, Bolt simply shouted over the top of him. Shouting over the top of an answer seems to be Bolt’s favourite strategy…typical power tripper.

  4. Jaquix

    Thoroughly enjoyed this! Mathison is a breath of fresh air. Poor old Bolt. And Abbott.

  5. trishcorry

    Didn’t James Mathison say he would support a Liberal Government? What is the point of all of his concern about Welfare, jobs, skills and training etc.,

  6. Kate M

    Mathison to Bolt: We’ll have a Latte together.

    Brilliant.

  7. kerri

    WOW!! I am impressed by James Matheison!
    I hope he wins Warringah!

  8. Sean

    Wish I still lived in Warringah.

  9. woywoybaz

    “Never let it be said that this show isn’t even-handed”. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
    Bolt is so far over the horizon on the right he’s totally lost sight of the political centre.

  10. Douglas Kennedy

    Thought Andrew Bolt was very entertaining. Think he is a sort of right wing Norman Gunston for the new era. He never fails to make me laugh. Who is the performer who plays AB? Thinks he should be at the Melbourne Comedy Festival..

  11. The AIM Network

    Well if all Liberals were like him then they might be a half decent party.

  12. Garth

    Hilarious. Bolt asking an independent candidate to solve all the country’s problems in one interview. James held his own though and served it back with intelligent, insightful responses. Good luck mate, based on your responses in that interview you are streets ahead of Abbott.

  13. paul walter

    Yep, like James Mathison. Why is he not a Labor candidate?

    But Bolt is very hard to take..his lies about faux debt and tax cuts for the rich should be taken in the context of Abbott helping Murdoch, who Bolt works for, if you call this work, dodge a $ billion in owed tax after last election.

    Then Bolt turns to border protection, after trying to smear the candidate with false claims about him not living in his electorate.

    There is much sloganeering about boat people and piousness about how we saved them from drowning, or drowned them to save them the grief of being driven out of their homelands. Then, how kind we are to them at Manus and Nauru, despite no one being allowed to check out the government’s claims of fair treatment. This is par for the course, a racial and ethnic fear and loathing campaign from self serving shills on behalf of a big business government bankrupt of good will toward its own people, or any people, and antipathetic to rational nation/community–building policies; only concerned with “security” (for whom?).

    Mathison picked up on the censorship angle and from here you need little brains to work out how asylum seeker policy has been part of the lever for anti terrorism and privacy laws the motive for which has been actually, the stifling of enquiry into just the sort of corruption Murdoch and co practice, as this nation moves to Oligarchy.

  14. Jaq

    I have never watched Blot.
    Now I know why. What a perfect prick.
    Well done James

  15. Kim Magee

    bolt is such a knob, ask a question and listen to the answer your arrogant Liberal ass licker!

  16. Kim Magee

    i dont get why james matherson wants to run for the libs, he thinks like a labor man

  17. Anomander

    Hilarious. Firstly Dolt asks why he is taking on his suck-buddy Abbott. MAtheson then states “Because he doesn’t deal with any local issues”.

    Dolt them accuses Matheson of being focussed solely on big issues, only to then ask him a series of questions about those very same big issues. And when he does answer them, Dolt is completely dismissive. My favourite point was about the reports into the detention centres and all Dolt could repeat was “Triggs… Gillian Triggs…” and shrug.

    Despite Dolt being exactly that – a feckless dolt, the interview itself will make no difference because the only people watching are rusted-on Liberal supporters who would are too stupid to be swayed by facts, evidence or intelligent arguments.

  18. Eve

    Mathison was engaging erudite and was across many of the issues . Bolts face showed everything. He was shocked how intelligent Mathison was. Bolt is such strange man.Why would anyone employ him?

  19. Jack Russell

    I’ve never watched Bolt before either, and so glad I haven’t – and never will again. What rude, obnoxious, shouty, ignorant sod!

    Good on James for facing him down – and delivering that superb latte biffo to the chin.

  20. Erica

    Wow this old guy – Bolt, is so detached from reality it’s amazing! Bolt was clutching at straws whilst Mathieson was so articulate. It was painful to watch.

  21. Jimbo of the north

    Bad luck Bolt,that was game,set and match.Time for the old bigot to retire and write his never to be read memoirs.

  22. Athena

    Andrew can’t cope with anyone going after his mate Abbott. lol Abbott wants back on the front bench. That’s why he needs to go.

  23. Duffa

    Couldn’t watch the whole thing, but starts with a hint of smug condescension that Mathieson background was entertainment. As if Bolt has ever done anything serious. Goes to first error no of candidates (fact is 7.9 in 2013 and 6.6 in 2013 so 7 this year is average if we take Abbott is the .6 of a candidate) and then the dumb question of why he wasn’t taking on Turnbull. He might as well have asked why he wasn’t taking on Hilary Clinton for the relevance it had.
    I always had a sneaky suspicion that I was somehow to dumb to understand the full brilliance of Bolt – no more.

  24. babyjewels10

    Bolt raises ignorance to a whole new level.

  25. Kaye Lee

    Every interview Andrew Bolt does gets around to why are you picking on my boy Tony. Sky have also employed Bronwyn Bishop and I had the misfortune to see her and Bolt on together. The idea that Bronwyn could be anything but an ultra-partisan Liberal Party mouthpiece was quickly dispelled – all things Coalition are good, all other candidates, policies, ideas are bad and no other candidate has a chance. But even Bronnie copped a serve from Bolt because she voted against Tony.

    “Some of his supporters have been pushing for him to appointed defence minister if the Coalition is returned.

    Mr Abbott did not address a question on this directly, instead referring to advice he used to give Liberal MPs on his own backbench.

    “All sorts of things might happen in the future, but right now you’ve got to be content with serving your electorate,” he said.

    “I didn’t hear a ‘no’ in there Tony,” quipped Andrew Bolt.

    They both laughed.”

    Matthieson made a very good point about Abbott – he has made the same speech to his electorate every election which starkly points out that he has never delivered on his promises to his constituents. People of Warringah, it’s time for a change.

  26. Sue Plummer

    Mathieson is really a LNP supporter, he said he would back the LNP to form Government if need be. He is one of those social freedom, nice to the poor but let the rich and powerful rule over the rest of us sort, in disguise as an independent.

  27. Sir ScotchMistery

    @ Paul Walter

    Yep, like James Mathison. Why is he not a Labor candidate?

    Because he has principles?

  28. 2353NM

    Anybody that runs for parliament promising things they can’t deliver (because their level of Government does play in that space such as the feds controlling bus timetables and peak hour traffic in isolated areas) is disingenuous. It’s like the Mayor of Manly NSW promising to treat refugees humanly – the Mayor has absolutely no chance of implementing the advertised policy. The voters in Abbott’s electorate have been letting him get away with it since 2001! You gotta ask WHY?

    .

  29. jaksbak

    how big a dolt is Bolt? the man is incompetent.

  30. Bighead1883

    James Mathison,is certainly no co host with the co most being interviewed by BoltA Abbottophile IMO

    Yes he`s far mote earnest then Abbott but is he a cleaver shill for the LNP to get prefs for Tony?

    David Barrow { @BoltTrial2014 on Twitter] who was sued by Bolt and News ltd is also contesting as an Independent

    The Greens have been accused of similar in preferencing disillusionment and basically being called rats >>

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClqtyHSVYAAyz-a.jpg

  31. Barry Thompson.

    The most impressive candidate I have seen so far. Intelligent, well informed and articulate. He made Bolt look foolish and flustered.
    Wish he was a Labor candidate.

  32. Bighead1883

    trishcorry June 23, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Well Trish it`s clear to see Mathison has been listening to Bill Shorten by what he`s said in his interview

  33. gee

    i tried, i just can’t do bolt …. shudder….

  34. Pilot

    Mathison 10 – Bolt 0

    For any lib to watch this must have been painful. Bolt totally out of his depth – faced with truth about his old bum-buddy Abbott. He had nothing but old shouty and lib lies to fall back on, he’s an ignorant, ignorant man….
    I’ll bet he never tries this again.

  35. michael lacey

    A bright young boy who Handled Bolt a dill very well. The trouble is the the debate ended up talking about debt, when we need to spend more, a stagnant economy which for the first time entered deflation, the casualisation of the workforce with service jobs and poor pay! No growth is going to come out of that. Governments will have to create the growth with spending on infrastructure projects! It is never talked about by either party . We are heading for another recession!

  36. paul walter

    Many would understand, gee.

    I’ve had a developing problem with tabloidisation of teev, big time, especially with the once worthy now detestable ABC.

  37. Michael Noon

    Bolt is breathtaking in his stupidity, his bias, his aggression, his journalistic incompetence. It just blows my mind that he dares to constantly criticize what he deems as left biased media outlets. I have never seen anyone as openly and aggressively biased as Bolt. His blushing, blustering and bumbling displays an inner rage that he can barely contain and prevents him from functioning as a competent journalist. I don’t know what he does to relieve the anger, hatred and disdain that always appears to be thinly veiled beneath the surface, but I’m glad I live in another state and that semi automatic weapons are still banned in Australia.

  38. Dave

    All the very best wishes to James Mathison, funny that bolt and he are both from TV shows that I personally have never watched, but I would watch and fully support one of them, anywhere, anytime…..Guess which? Go James!

  39. Freethinker

    Having Bolt in prime time in TV, shows how low is the quality of the journalists in the right side of politics in Australia.

  40. Jaquix

    James Mathison was impressive. I didnt hear him say he was going to preference/vote with the Libs. If he did, I hope he has the sense to re-think that strategy. He should take the time to familiarise himself with the policies of both parties. The Libs have had the last 3 years to make their mark, and found very much wanting. If James wants change, he wont get it with the Libs. With the mood of the electorate seeming to be heading for Independents as a protest against the Libs, and the youth vote in Warringah looking for somewhere to put their vote, James and the Greens candidate should make a nice little dent in Abbotts 2013 result of 60% of the vote.

  41. jimhaz

    Hopefully there will come a day where even NewsCorp cannot sustain the loss making of folks like Bolt. Maybe when The Excrement dies the company will reprioritise and downsize their propaganda industry in Australia.

    I sometimes do suspect that high advertising costs are more about businesses donating to Newscorp so they have funds to provide Boltlike propaganda as a general service for business – owning the LNP (and part of the ALP) is not enough on its own.

    The name Murdoch apparently stems Scottish words for sea-warrior. To fit this to The Excrement one could say he is battling against a sea of humanity.

  42. jimhaz

    No one would vote for Mathison if he was to preference Abbott. It makes no sense whatsover.

  43. James

    Bolt “let no one say this show isn’t evenhanded” LMAO

  44. WarrenRoss

    Not bad but the getting people off welfare sounded a bit right wing. Hope he had a solution. He wasn’t given much of a chance with Bolt’s interruption every few seconds.

  45. 2353NM

    @jimhaz – you control your preferences – not the candidate. Certainly their How To Vote card will tell you where they would like to to put the subsequent numbers, but you are the one that can choose to comply or do something completely different. Just number every square on the green one.

  46. Athena

    “Not bad but the getting people off welfare sounded a bit right wing. ”

    I agree, James spoke well but most of what he said sounded right wing. They won’t get people off social security (welfare is a RW derogatory term) unless they create jobs, and capitalism requires a high level of unemployment. So any “solution” they have is pure nonsense.

  47. Stuart.W

    Got It, slam Bolt in a piece, get everyone’s interest. Then beg for money. Shame on you.

  48. Max Gross

    Bolt’s incompetence and irrelevance has never been clearer

  49. lawrencewinder

    Blot-on-the-Landscape Bolt! What a parody of intelligent humanity.

  50. benluk

    James Mathison made Andrew Bolt look the bloody fool that he is.

  51. Pete

    This is why Independants run, as Bolt is not even attempting to listen to what the person he is interviewing is trying to say, as it is obvious that he has a plan on how he wants the interview to go and is just an attempt to catch the interviewee out. The sign of a quality interviewer, who has no personal agenda, is to ask questions that flow off actual responses from the person being interviewed. Good to see it fail here, as I was impressed with the way Mathison handled it and the quality of the responses. When you compare to any interview with Abbot, an experienced polictican, Mathison will score much higher.

  52. Jaquix

    Pete – your point is excellent – Leigh Sales did NOT listen to Bill Shorten’s answers last night on 7.30, she just kept on with her own agenda. I read the transcript of the interview and it was quite clear. She repeated Coalition lines, as if they were fact.

  53. Michael Taylor

    Stuart W, what on earth are you on about? If it is what I think it is, then I’m sorry, but you are truly pathetic.

  54. Macam

    Bolt is brain food for bogans…
    Very impressed with James Mathison makes Abbott sound like a dribbling dolt!
    Lets hope he gets a lot more air-time…..

  55. Steven

    Poor old Bill gets a touch up and you guys go hard on poor old Leigh. It’s about time the ABC evened out a bit.
    And you guys who say you don’t watch Bolt, you know you do, come on own up.
    Closet Bolt watchers all of you.
    FYI I just found this website. Might read it one day.

  56. johnlord2013

    No surprises here. Anyone with an iota of intelligence would show Bolt up. Mathison is but one of many.

  57. Jaquix

    Steven dont you realise that the show ended up on YouTube, and I for one (among many I would imagine) only watched because we wanted to hear Mathison. Was great to see him eat Bolt up for breakfast, oh so easily.

  58. Adam

    The only thing Abbot can guarantee is the if he promises to fart, that he will follow through with it.

  59. mark

    Any wonder none of you people watch Bolt – he is on pay for view. He is a conservative who openly states that so you know the viewpoint you will get. Unlike the ABC where everyone pays for it but it doesnt have one conservative presenter on its shows. He gave matheson a platform to present his views when others wouldn’t . Matheson will fail in this attempt and slink back into obscurity once again. At least Bolt gave him the opportunity along with the sex party , hanson , hinch etc who have also appeared.

  60. Jaquix

    Mark, why would anyone pay Murdoch controlled media, to read his propaganda so damaging to Australia, UK, USA? Bolt and his ilk are not conservatives, they are dopey dinosaurs. Bolt was hoping to decimate Mathison, instead Mathison outclassed him.

  61. mark

    To get a different view on the news jaquix. Why keeping getting it from one viewpoint. He is a right wing presenter who declares it right from the start. Not like others that proport to be unbiased. At least he is open to other peoples views and can discuss them rather than not having yhem on at all.

  62. Athena

    I refuse to give Murdoch one cent of my money. I’m also quite capable of evaluating it for myself. I don’t need to pay for the conservative brainwashing.

  63. Jaquix

    Mark, I have no interest in reading or listening to “right wing” ramblings or “views”. I know their position and disagree with it. Its divisive and aimed at inequality. Newspapers should present stories showing both sides of an issue. Murdoch only pursues his own agenda, which is economic and draconian. He has far too much power. Media ownership laws need changing to let some light in. And Murdoch out. The Australian newspaper loses huge amounts of money but is propped up by Murdochs other interests, just so he can keep wielding his manipulation of a nation’s narrative. Thank goodness for independent publications like TheAIM where we can get NMN (non Murdoch-tainted news). I scanned my eye over The Australian at the library yesterday, not one item with a good word to say about Labor’s policies. Not one. Yet Australians are deserting the so-called “conservatives” for Labor and the independents and Xenophon in South Australia. Chase the dinosaurs out and get on with working on a modern Australian society.

  64. Chris

    “How do we protect Australians from ISIL?” Don’t illegally bomb and kill 400,000 Iraqis and make Moslems hate you.

  65. mark

    Your really funny jaquix. So spooked by the boogie man murdoch. He doesnt have a monopoly on the media outlets its just what he has is popular . Other newspapers are.losing readership due to a limited customer base. Maybe Labor doesnt have any good policies . Just more spending. Im sure you will see a surge to the independents at the polls as the Liberal party has drifted to.the left with Turnbull. Dont close of your information -expand it to be more informed

  66. Rossleigh

    Thanks, Mark for alerting me to the fact that the Liberals have drifted to the left. I can’t possibly vote for them now. Can you recommend a right wing candidate for me?
    I’d vote for Tony Windsor but I’m not in his electorate.

  67. mark

    I know you are disenguous but -A.L.A seem to espouse the liberal values of smaller government and reduced spending. Liberal Democrats also.

  68. Athena

    That’s good advice about keeping informed, Mark. That’s precisely why I read a lot of international news outlets, because I find all sorts of important news events that just don’t get reported by Murdoch. Since he owns a major daily newspaper in every major Australian city. I find he provides a somewhat blinkered view of things.

  69. Athena

    Rossleigh, it’s hard to go past Family First for a good RW candidate, IMO.

  70. Kaye Lee

    A.L.A

    We consider the natural family to be the primary building block of humanity and the foundation of civil society.

    The right of children to grow up in a natural family must remain protected and ‘alternative sexual orientations’ shall not be actively promoted in schools and public institutions.

    Giving birth should not be considered a substitute for income. To this end, we shall lower child benefit payments from the third child on, while providing a considerable income tax credit for one parent to ensure a young family on a single wage can cope with the cost of living.

    Well there we go….Bob Santamaria would be proud. Now where is my apron?

    Not to mention their Islamophobia….

    I couldn’t bring myself to read any more. Yup, I would say the A.L.A. is full of Bolt devotees.

  71. mark

    Athena -yet the biggest news outlet in Australia is the ABC. With television stations , online newspapers , blogs, radio stations etc. Totally funded by the taxpayer and a charter to be balanced and unbiased yet it doesnt have one right wing presenter . So you really have to search for different views on a multitude of subjects.

  72. J Nelson

    Why isn’t anyone talking about the incident 2 weeks ago where James lied repeatedly on radio over a 2 day period about the fact that he had ripped off a poor make up artist and kept her waiting for nearly 9 months for her money. His texts to her showed a number of apologies for “crazy times…it has slipped through the cracks” and then he lied to a commentator and said he had paid the money earlier that day. Bank records show the money was actually paid in person at the bank the next day. He even used a false story of a neighbor tragically dying to excuse his failure to find time to send the evidence he claimed he had to show the money was transferred when he originally said it was. Whatever we might think of Abbott he was never a low life like the guy who is trying to take his seat!

  73. mark

    Kaye Lee – i was asked about some right wing parties and that is what i supplied. Reducing welfare is in line with reduced government spending.

  74. Athena

    Mark, you are assuming that I get all my news from the ABC. I get very little from there. I just said I read a lot of international news sources, so I think I’m getting plenty of different views, thank you.

  75. mark

    Mine was a general comment Athena. Nothing directed at you. Just saying how hard it is to get a balanced report.

  76. ray @ bondi

    bold asks questions and does not give him a chance to reply properly, just drowns him out with another question.

  77. Lawrence-Jillian Corry-Rose

    sorry..not impressed..its time for a different approach,a different way ..like the truth on fiscal and monitory policy and how it works..for starters Taxes to not fund spending,this is a lie that needs to be exposed ..and a return to a full employment policy would be good too(5% is not full employment) a job guarantee policy would really help here..but come on all of you Labor supporters that have basically been suckered into sticking with a party that uses Trickle down economics and adopts policy from the right and continues the lie how this country can spend and a deficit being something bad and a surplus being good(the opposite is actually true)…have a go at me and dont bother to think about who you RE VOTING FOR(AND no, I am not advocating a vote for the LNP,FK them)..have a look at Job guarantee and modern money theory ..have a look at how our politicians gave the banks to just print currency like a sovereign nation can yet tell the public we need to rely on TAXES to fund our schools hospitals and roads…
    we have all been taken for a ride since the 80’s and they are still riding us all the way to the Cayman Islands …and laughing real hard.

  78. Alan Baird

    Mark thinks Blot is unbiased and the ABC is biased apparently. That’s why they invite the IPA to put in their 2 cents’ worth. Often. Too often. The IPA is NOT left-wing, Mark, by way of clarification. They get their texts direct from the GOP. Despite this, the ABC is constantly bludgeoned by Murdoch & Co for bias. This is probably where you get your info, the Tele for the workers and Oz for those that see themselves as a better cut of extreme conservative. The IPA hates any form of welfare. They worship writers like Ayn Rand who, after a career of fighting the notion of welfare, ended up on it. Currently there is plenty of wealth-fare still going on in Oz. It attracts little attention from News (Very) Ltd.

  79. Matters Not

    worship writers like Ayn Rand who, after a career of fighting the notion of welfare, ended up on it.

    Well she did. But not under the name of Rand. She used her husband’s name. A vain attempt to ‘determine’ the historical record. You know: disguise her dying ‘choices’.

    The ‘Libertarians’ are always ‘up-front’ and vocal until confronted by their personal ‘reality’. Their own ‘mortality’. Then it’s invariably a different ‘choice’.

    Rand is but a notable example.

  80. Miriam English

    Yeah, like Rand, they are certain that people who don’t manage to do well with money deserve to be crushed underfoot. They mistakenly see their own good luck as being created solely by them. When that luck deserts them they often have a change of heart, though they’re rarely vocal about that.

    In truth though, some don’t. Some, like Trump, keep the blinkers of self-deception on. He has lost millions (probably billions) of the fortune he inherited (he didn’t earn it). He created a fake “Trump University” to swindle people out of money, has apparently bankrupted his companies to avoid paying debts, and it looks like much of the millions he raised for war veterans in a big publicity campaign have gone to him instead. He, of course, insists that all this is just good business.

  81. mark

    Alan-that is the exact opposite of what i said. I said Bolt is a right wing journalist who is clear and open with his political leanings and his views. The ABC presenters do not announce their affiliations or bias so people believe they are impartial .The ABC has a charter to be balanced yet never is. To see Bolt you have to subscribe to pay for view television whereas the ABC is free . A fair difference between both.

  82. Anna Dean

    Why does this Matheson always co e across like a smart wiesel, that nobody likes!

  83. Ben

    Q. How would you reduce debt?
    A. Australia does not have a problem with revenue we have an issue with spending.
    Q. How would you reduce debt?
    A. I would raise taxes for big business 8 years from now and lower taxes on small to medium business (I can only assume he means in the next term of parliament)
    Q. How would you reduce debt?
    A. I would reduce the amount of people on welfare

    Q. How would you increase jobs?
    A. By providing hope… and INCREASE SPENDING on better tafe teachers

    Q. What is your policy on keeping Islamic State at bay?
    A. We need to SPEND MORE MONEY and evaluate if our troops should continue the global fight in Syria… But I am not saying we should withdraw them…

    Q. What’s your policy regarding the boat people?
    A. SPEND MORE MONEY ON better living conditions, better education and commission housing…

    Now I am not a rocket scientist but James answer were political hogwash.

    To frame the interview up in a sentence. James thinks we can reduce debt by decreasing spending by increasing taxes, decreasing the number of Australians on welfare, increasing the spending on education, implement an inquest into the Australian involvement in the fight against Islamic State and increase the spending on better living conditions for boat people.

    If Bolt is a lack lustre policy preaching stain on Australia then James Mathison is a polished media trained confused dribbler.

    Although he may be right about needing to increase education spending for everyone who wrote brilliant in the comments.

    #dontlistentotheshowlistentothemessage

  84. Miriam English

    No Ben, strictly speaking, he’s correct. We do have a spending problem — we are spending enormous amounts on the already wealthy and on overseas corporations. We are not spending enough on our own ordinary Australians.

    Spending more on our own citizens doesn’t increase debt if done correctly. We can spend more on teachers and the unemployed and spend more on big public projects such as renewable energy and a high-quality internet infrastructure. All those things can raise our income, which immediately feeds back into the government. Sensible spending inside the country (investing) can reap more money for the government because improved education, and improved work standards mean overseas buyers to want our value-added products and if done correctly it can avoid Australians buying stuff from overseas.

    If we simply spend vast sums of money on letting wealthy people and multinational corporations drain money out of Australia, and destroy Australian small businesses and creative Australians so that we have no choice but to buy goods from overseas, then our international debt increases dangerously.

    Government debt within Australia is a good thing if it is used to increase standards for Australians. It means the government is investing in its people. The government doesn’t lose that money because it stays here and is returned straight back to the government in the very next tax cycle, even if spent on people who don’t pay tax — even people on the dole buy food, electricity, clothes, and so on, supporting local businesses. If the money is invested wisely we all benefit. Also, the important thing in our internal economy is the speed at which money moves. If the government imposes austerity locally, or makes things hard for poor people then the exchange of money slows down and businesses go broke, whereas if the government boosts the exchange of money inside our borders then money moves around faster making us all better off while the amount of money doesn’t actually grow or lessen.

    General Australian debt to other countries (spent by government, businesses and people) is often (though not always) a bad thing. It is especially bad if we get nothing useful in return for it, such as buying weapons, ferreting billions away in the Cayman Islands and other tax shelters, and letting multinational corporations bleed us dry. A particularly pernicious way of wasting money is by selling off at bargain basement prices essential services (water, electricity, agriculture, education, medicine, etc.) to overseas corporations who don’t have any intention of making any great improvements to them, but really want them as permanent income from Australia.

    So we do have a spending problem because we blow vast sums on the already wealthy and multinational corporations; we need to spend much, much more on our own people.

  85. Miriam English

    I should emphasise one particular point: that what’s important about internal spending is not so much the amount of money, but the speed that it moves.

    If the money moves slowly then businesses go broke because they can’t get enough each day to pay their workers and people find it hard to stay alive. If that same amount of money moves faster then businesses get enough each day to pay the bills and pay their staff well, who then take more money home to spend on more things from other businesses. So even though the amount hasn’t changed we are all better off simply because the money moves faster.

    It is a subtle difference that most politicians and most economists seem to have absolutely no clue about, and it is crucially something government has control over, but only if it is NOT run like a business. Running a government like a business is the very worst thing that can be done.

  86. ttent@robinsongroupbuilding.com.au

    Andrew Boult….. That was disgraceful! You’re an embarrassment!

  87. Mrak

    On Bolt – my comments from June 25th.’ He gave matheson a platform to present his views when others wouldn’t . Matheson will fail in this attempt and slink back into obscurity once again. At least Bolt gave him the opportunity along with the sex party , hanson , hinch etc who have also appeared. I rest my case.

  88. Bukunin @ barton

    Mathison is a failed politician and a hyprocrite. His main policy as a candidate against Abbott in Warringah was that Abbott did not keep his promises. For his part Mathison hired someone to do a job for him September last year and promised to pay immediately. The lady followed up consistently for eight months but while making numerous promises Mathison refused to pay. The lady went to it to 2GB in June and Mathison lied, when approach by the radio station, said it was already paid. He was caught out. Not only did he not keep his promises to an employee but he is a liar. So if AIMN thinks there is anything special about Mathison you are bunch of incestuous wankers. Talking about incestuous wankers, I would mention something in relation to the forthcoming so called Conference of Dangerous Ideas. Bolt has been invited to talk to it this year. The social fascist left, of course, the anti free speech brigade, have complained about this. I have always thought that this conference had nothing to do with dangerous ideas, but was more a safe space for leftists to cower in the corner like a litter of frenetic cats on heat giving therapy to each other to bolster up a failing narrative. Much like AIMN.

  89. Anthony Freckleton

    This is a very interesting “independent” media outlet. The definition of independent must have changed since my University days.

  90. Miriam English

    Okay Anthony Freckleton… I’ll bite. What’s your definition of “independent”, and in what way do you think AIMN is not?

  91. Jaquix

    I wonder who Mathison gsve his preferences to? If it was Tony Abbott, he is finished. Not that he was very serious anyway.

  92. Athena

    “The social fascist left, of course, the anti free speech brigade, have complained about this. ”

    The left is not anti-free speech. The problem is that the far right thinks that free speech includes lies, slander, racial vilification and bigotry. They want to be free to criticise everyone who does not agree with them, but as soon as someone else criticises them, then that is suppressing free speech.

  93. Julie Ring

    Bolt was hanged,drawn and quartered! Just brilliant!

  94. OPPOSE THE MAJOR PARTIES

    No thanks. Incentives & training can only work if there are jobs in the first place. Where are the jobs?

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