Peter Dutton And The Truth, Interest Rates And Other Strange Phenomena…
Yes, it was just a cheap shot from Albanese when he pointed out how strange it was that Peter Dutton is opposed to “truth-telling”, but Dutton’s comments left him open to it. It would have been so easy for Dutton to say that his government won’t pursue a truth-telling commission or some form of words that weren’t “there’ll be no revisiting of truth-telling”.
Ok, maybe it’s the most honest thing that he’s said but it does seem like he hasn’t thought his statement through. While we don’t have the sort of journalists who are likely to ask him, “Just to be clear, are you only against truth-telling when it comes to Indigenous affairs or is it a general policy?”
The more I think about it, the more I think that’s a great question…
Of course we now have Labor being criticised for supposedly walking back their commitment to a Makarrata. While this may be a reasonable criticism, we also need to remind ourselves that if they were to reaffirm their total commitment, then we’d have all those people who urged a “No” vote in the Voice Referendum telling us that Labor weren’t listening to the people. And yes, people with long memories will point out that it wasn’t racist to vote against the Voice; they just didn’t think it should be in the Constitution and we shouldn’t be treating one group of people differently… except when it comes to truth telling.
Most of the media seem intent on criticising Labor whatever they do. For example, they were happy to repeat the nickname “Airbus Albo” but they were also happy to repeat the criticism that Albanese should have been in the USA for a meeting because sending your Deputy Leader and Defence secretary just isn’t good enough even though that’s pretty much what previous PMs have all done. And there doesn’t seem much concern that in the last few months, Departing Dutton seems to have been trotting off to Israel, America, India and Western Australia… Ok the last one isn’t actually a foreign country but it does have a separate ruler in Gina Rinehart.
As I write this, we are anxiously waiting to see if the Reserve Bank lifts interest rates. If I could rely on the economists at the RBA showing some form of intelligence, I’d say that there’s no chance of it. However, that is a big IF given some other economists still think that they should even though the figures were all pretty much what was expected. Add to that the fact that the Stock Markets around the world all had a significant correction in the last few days, you’d be brave to go now and not wait another month just to see that you aren’t the central bank that raised interest rates just before the next Great Depression or GFC… Whoops, did we go up, we meant to go down!!!
Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m picking on economists just because most of them seem like they have some sort of personality disorder that prevents them from understanding that Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”* was satire.
I read an article from one a couple of weeks ago where he suggested that Rents, Energy and Insurance were all rising at a rate that was putting pressure on the inflation numbers and, while an interest rate rise wouldn’t have much effect on these, it would suppress other things so that the overall number would be better. While that seems like a good idea in theory, you only need to stop for a moment to realise that an increase would likely lead to an increase in rents. However, if you stop for longer you might question the logic of telling people that a person with their feet in the hot stove and their head in the fridge should be comfortable because their average temperature is just about perfect!
To use an imperfect analogy: this would be like giving an enormous tax break to one group of people so that they could buy up more and more houses, while others can’t even afford to rent… Wait, that’s what we do… Anyway, no economist suggests that housing problem is solved because when you average out the number of houses there’s enough for everyone so what does it matter if Oliver has three holiday houses, while Barry’s family are sleeping in their car!
*Swift wrote a piece where he said that the Irish could solve both their balance of payments problem and overpopulation by selling their children as gourmet food to the rich. He wasn’t an economist so it’s generally thought that it was satire although I’m sure that Maggie Thatcher may have thought that it was a good idea.
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10 comments
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Phil Pryor -
GL -
Keitha Granville -
Bert -
Clakka -
Bert -
Bert -
GL -
leefe -
GL
Return to home pagePeter Duckwit-Futton is a keen bludger, his actual religion. Parasitic life is great for those without conscience, knowledge, ability, for it allows continuation in any stupidty, deviation, obsession, suspicion, defect that one has, and, Petey has them all. What a Henry IIIrd. If Dutton were to become a country dunny, it would have to be condemned by the local council, before bribery attempts of course. Bumkicking and virtual kidnapping are not great ways to further intellect, ability, expertise. What a Ducking Funce.
P. Duddy and the truth is a giant oxymoron. We all know that the Reichspud is a a giant oxygen breathing and swamp gas exhaling moron. I meant the other kind of oxymoron.
Another great article – disguising the truth with satire. I think your pieces should actually be used in schools to teach kids about politics !
Politicians suffering foot in mouth disease…. and poor old Dutts knows the affliction well, and his friends in the MSM manage to ignore or deflect or find other targets which aren’t quite as visible.
I loved the comment on the Voice NO voters, about “Treating one group of people differently” and look at the blatant discrimination which surrounds us.
Not only do we ‘treat one (or another, or another) group differently, we actively criminalise those who do not conform to whatever s
‘standard’ is the accepted norm. We look at the treatment of first nations people and find ways of locking them up at far greater rates than the rest of the population. We decry the fact that billions of dollars have been thrown at then by well intentioned ‘white’ people who have looked at the problems faced and pay for solutions which are more often than not really solutions as much as a means of thinking ‘at least we tried’, we deplore the way their children are raised so take the kids away, put them into ;state care’ which is more often than not ‘state couldn’t care less’, and that is just the first nations people.
We support the Israeli war on Gaza, turn a blind eye to the conflict in the West Bank without considering the history of those conflicts, focussing just on one flash point without seeking to understand why that flash point even occurred.
Truth Telling is a painful process, but is essential if there is to be healing.
As to the other points raised, the rejection of any sense of fairness, of a striving toward economic equality is a bridge way to far, way to difficult to cross. That ‘Truth telling’ also needs to happen, where we see that ‘trickle down economics’ is a bullshit line to enrich the already rich.
Don’t tell Dutts, his nose is so far up the arses of the super rich that he couldn’t hear anyway.
Ah yes, never yer average Joe, Der Spud, always seeking advice, just trying to keep his head above ground and eyes on liberation. When a walloper, told those in the mean would look after themselves, just attend to the standouts. Upon moving to politics, told the extremes would always have their expectations, so just stay in the mean.
Ever learning and adapting, he’s surrounded himself with the mean and gone uber mean. So smart to stay away from the light for fear of turning green, because that would be the end of him. So smart. Just ask Gina, his guardian angel.
The Pete Seeger song ‘Where have all the flowers gone’ came to mind as I read the article.
We cannot have truth telling for fear of ‘treating one group of people differently’
Talking with people at the time of the Voice referendum I was repeatedly told that we have thrown so much money at ‘them’ and nothing seems to change. The unfortunate truth may just be that the money was thrown as an appeasement for the way ‘we’ felt the ‘Aboriginal problems’ needed to be solved. Don’t bother asken t’them’ how to fix it, or actually empowering the first nations people. And truth telling may be uncomfortable as we look at the history of disempowerment.
The same question arises when we look at the distribution of the nation’s wealth. Reference to the drivers of inflation for example,Rent, Insurance being two mentioned recently. As so eloquently put, that is not going to help those who are most affected by any rate increase, but probably help enrich the already rich a little bit more.
Truth telling is not just a first nations issue, it is something we need across the economic divide as well as the race divide. How we have a political system that seems to entrench super wealth for the super wealthy, how we have a system which effectively criminalises poverty and Aboriginality yet turns a blind eye to the miscreants who have the most..
Oh, forgot…. the closing line to the Pete Seeger song is “WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN, WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN.’
The denial of truth telling means, probably NEVER.
P. Duddy having a Donald moment and it’s caused a discrimination complaint against him:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-06/nsw-peter-dutton-comments-islamophobia-discrimination-complaint/104186088
Bert:
Yes, a lot of money has been spent. But most of it is spent on administration and management and consultancy fees – and almost invariably the vast majority of those involved in such activities are not Aboriginal. The money goes, but not where it’s needed.
Damn! somebody forgot to lock the Sussan “Anabelle” Ley protective glass case.
@2.15pm
And P Dudster said words at 2.21pm.
The less said about Princess Reynolds the better.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-news-live-rba-rules-out-rate-cut-this-year-kamala-harris-names-vp-pick-20240807-p5k089.html?post=p57elm#p57elm