Scott Morrison as Manager of the Economy.

(source)

The election campaign is on. Scotty from Marketing went to the National Press Club to spruik his credentials as economic manager.

In a long, long speech – so long, in fact, that Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce seemed to struggle to stay awake – Scotty uttered more than 5 thousand words, not counting his answers to the journos present for the Q&A session following the speech.

In well over the half an hour allocated to the speech, he spoke about a lot of things, among them “jobs, jobs, and more jobs”.

Has Scott Morrison Lost his Mind?

(source)

Truly, I am at a loss for words. Have a good look at the composite above. You see the little boy playing with a toy forklift? Charming, isn’t it?

Would you believe me if I told you that that’s how Scotty from Marketing thought he could solve the supply chain problems crippling the Australian economy?

Nah, you say. I’m exaggerating. I’m going bananas, right?

ACTU Statement on RATs and Masks.

 

[A]

Comrade Sally McManus, ACTU Secretary, sent us an email today. It’s at the bottom of this post. I fully support it. Before reading it, let me give you my own views on the matter.

Faced with a COVID outbreak of his own creation, Scott Morrison once again wants essential workers to risk their health so that society does not grind to a halt. He is right on something: we (not himself, not business people, not CEOs, not shareholders, not professors of philosophy or history or economics) are essential. We, with all our faults and weaknesses, but also with all our strength.

(If you are interested: a list of those included in that essential We.)

The Morrison Wave: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi.

To describe in words the situation Australia is facing would be long. The health system is verging on collapse. Supply chains aren't in much better shape. Supermarket and pharmacy shelves aren't refilled. My gut feeling is that we might be about to face an economic contraction.

The chart opening does not fully convey the magnitude of the disaster Scotty from Marketing and Dominic Perrottet created either. But it does go a long way: those two blokes proved that Australia can indeed punch above its weight. We're number one among rich nations.

That's how the "let it rip" strategy looks like.

Why I am No Longer Your “Ally”.

There are good reasons why I should not write this post. 

Frankly, I don’t like writing about myself: I’m a boring, unremarkable old bloke. Moreover, even if for some unfathomable reason readers had any curiosity about me: it makes no sense for anonymous bloggers to give personal details.

As importantly, I’m sure this post will not endear me with some readers or gain me any new friends among modern Leftists. In fact, it’s likely to positively incense many and it will certainly not sit well with the liberal/Leftish.

And yet, here we are.

So, as Yanks say, here goes nothing.

North Atlantic’s Warm Winter.

(source)

With the exception of Scandinavia, all of Europe, parts of western Siberia, and the Atlantic coast of North America are set to register above average temperatures (1979-2000 base) on January 1st, 2022, according to ClimateReanalyzer.org. In eastern US and Canada, Germany, Denmark and Poland temperatures may exceed the average for this time of the year by more than 10ºC (18ºF).