Thursday 30 April 2015

Around the Traps 1/5/15

Time for Around the Traps again.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy
Northern America
Europe
Asia
Wonk
General
Climate
Andrew Gelman ( mainly Stats)
Genial Dave Giles ( Econometrics)
Dianne Coyle ( quirky + Book Reviews)
Vox wonk

Wednesday 29 April 2015

Deniers will NEVER believe in evidence

I must confess I hate being proved right on this but climate denialists will NEVER admit being wrong and continually bring up things which have being examined to death.
Here is Then There's Physics examines another attempt by denialists to 'prove temperatures have not risen.

Pathetic.
Lets add TAMINO

Tuesday 28 April 2015

Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre was sacked by SBS for making 'offensive remarks on twitter.
See HERE and HERE.

He is a commentator mainly on football and specialises in Asia. He is very good at this job.

So when he talks about brave 'deeds' done by Anzacs such as 'summary execution, widespread rape and theft' in Egypt, Palestine and Japan he is getting it straight from the horses mouth so to speak.
Indeed he was in a very unique position to know about what people in those countries think about such occurrences.(This is possibly why he did not change his views when asked by SBS.)

If there are people out there who do not think some ,not all or even a lot. of Australian soldiers did not do things such as this then they have never studied war.

That Malcolm Turnbull rang SBS and told them of the tweets and demanded action is strange behaviour. That SBS responded to this is reprehensible.

Are SBS denying the fact that some soldiers did indeed perpetrate such acts? Their actions say yes.

War is the 'best' example of how evil human beings are and all nations soldiers of all nations do evil things in war. Some even justify it by saying it is payback. The USSR certainly did when invading Germany in WW2.

To say no Australian soldier has NEVER been involved in such occurrences is simply fanciful.

THIS came in late. As did THIS

Monday 27 April 2015

Emissions Reduction Fund. Did it work like Greg Hunt said it did?

Greg Hunt has said the ERF was sensational and Australia will be well below our Kyoto targets.
(However he has been caught out in talking  PORKIES )

How does this really look.

Some information on it first. Here is some MORE

 PETER CHRISTOFF doesn't agree .
Nor does HARRY CLARKE.
Nor does the CLIMATE INSTITUTE
Nor does TOM WESTLAND
Nor does Lenore Taylor
HUGH SADDLER was always sceptical




Sunday 26 April 2015

Simon Wren-Lewis demolishes Austerity in the UK

Simon Wren-Lewis is in fire given their national election in early May.
THIS is a good short but sharp piece on how austerity has not helped the UK recovery. THIS then follows

Thursday 23 April 2015

Around the Traps 24//4/15 Anzac day Edition

Time for Around the Traps. No football this weekend but social activities on Saturday so updating on Sunday.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy 
Northern America
Europe
Asia 
Wonk 
General 
Climate
Andrew Gelman ( Mainly Stats) 
Genial Dave Giles (Econometrics)



Dianne Coyle ( Quirky + Book Reviews) 
Vox wonk 



Wednesday 22 April 2015

Sydney's weather and the ABC

Sydney copped a pasting over the past few days although other areas in the Hunter and the Central Coast had it worst.

I have to say apart from about 6 hours of no electricity and the same for the internet we got off scot free. A candle light dinner with some friends over was different.
Changes we made to the property  helped enormously with all the rainwater we got.

The ABC came to the fore again as it always does in emergencies. If there is one thing you always do it is to listen the the ABC under such circumstances.

 Most people trust the ABC way above any other media outlet much to the chagrin of the latte sipping reactionaries around. No commercial media outlet can match the ABC when an emergency occurs and it isn't hard to figure out why. They do not have to worry about ratings only help the people of the local area they are transmitting to. and that they did very very well.

Monday 20 April 2015

Another nail in the coffin of classical ecoonmics

We have more research from the IMF on business investment. Kruggers makes comment and obviously will do it far better than I.

The research shows things that affect demand have had the most significant on business investment. Namely household deleveraging and fiscal consolidation.

The business confidence fairy is nowhere to be seen.

One of the authors is Daniel Leigh who was responsible for the demolishing of  the Alesina and Agdana hypothesis of expansionary austerity.

Those who champion classical economics have no evidence to support their ideology  if they ever had. Never mind those policies brought Hitler to power!

Sunday 19 April 2015

World War 1 was much much different to World War 2

We are coming into the 'celebration' of Gallipoli.

I though I would make the quite obvious point World War 1 was so very different to World War 2.

Germany was a democracy. Indeed the Social Democrats had command of the lower house. they were more radical than the Liberals in the UK for example.
If we speculate on an ending of the war where the US did not enter then it would have been a draw.
Even if Germany won the world would not have changed all that much.
Austria.Hungary would have had to change and one suspects Turkey would have as well with the young turks acting anyway.


World War 2 was different in that Germany clearly was not a democracy. It was a one party state.

People might want to speculate about what would have happened to the world if the US did not enter the war in 1941 but they rarely recognise the fact Germany did not have the resources to win a world war. This is clearly shown in the Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze.

A number of people advised Roosevelt to let Germany and the USSR fight a war of attrition that no country could win and then take over both counties but he unwisely did not take this advice.

Thursday 16 April 2015

Around the Traps 17/4/15

It is time for Around the traps again.
Will attempt to update on Sunday

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie, Oy,Oy,Oy
Northern America
Europe
Asia


Wonk
General
Climate
Andrew Gelman ( Mostly stats)
Genial Dave Giles ( Econometrics)
Dianne Coyle ( Quirky + Book Reviews)
Vox wonk

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Sinclair Davidson is at it again.

I came  to this via Steve from Brisbane,   Sinclair Davidson is again trying to show Revenue is strong for the Government.

One never looks at revenue from a nominal point of view. It always rises unless there is a long period of deflation.
You have to look at revenue as a percentage of GDP otherwise you have no understanding of how strong or weak it is.

We see from MYEFO  that tax as a % of GDP was 23.7% in the last financial year of the 'Howard' government.

Once the GFC hit Australia tax as a % of GDP has been:

  • 22.1%
  • 20.7%
  • 20.5%
  • 21.3%
  • 22.2%
  • 22.2%
  • 22.5% (Hockey)
For a person to say revenue hasn't been the problem they are either a complete idiot or a transparent liar.

Update.

The GFC hit the world in September 2008 via Lehman Bros. Before that we simply had a credit crunch which the RBA for one thought so much of they raised rates to combat increasing inflation.

Further Update.

A person e-mailed me to say I forgot to include the whys and wherefores of the structural budget deficit. 

The PBO said this "…trends in the SBB estimates can be explained by changes in the structural levels of government receipts and payments. From the SBB peak in 2002-03 to its trough in 2011-12, the structural level of receipts excluding GST fell by around 5 percentage points of GDP. The structural level of government payments excluding GST over this period rose by around 1 percentage point of GDP and hence the SBB fell into deficit. Over the period 2011-12 to 2016-17 the structural level of receipts is expected to increase by approximately 1¾ percentage points of GDP while the structural level of payments is expected to decline by around 1 percentage point of GDP leading to the expected reduction in the structural deficit over the period of the 2013-14 budget and forward estimates years. 
Over two thirds of the 5 percentage points of GDP decline in structural receipts over the period 2002-03 to 2011-12 was due to the cumulative effect of the successive personal income tax cuts granted between 2003-04 and 2008-09. A further quarter was the result of a decline in excise and customs duties as a proportion of GDP. Significant factors driving this trend included the abolition of petroleum fuels excise indexation in the 2001-02 Budget and the decline in the consumption of cigarettes and tobacco over the period."
Something that  Judith Sloan has obviously never read or could understand.
So spending is not the cause of the structural budget deficit and tax revenues are clearly down from Howard's era.
So the Catallaxy clowns fully supported policies that led to the structural  deficit and then they complain about it when it eventuates.
Amazing quite amazing. no wonder they do not comment at other blogs.

Monday 13 April 2015

Two issues of note.

There appears two issues coming up on the radar.

WA are whining about the GST 'handout from the Grants commission. Greg Jericho has the best piece on this thus far.For WA to get more money the parliament would have to change the legislation for the Grants commission.

Peter Martin discusses that Hockey will eventually take aim at the worse decision of the 'Howard' Government on superannuation. About time. I find myself in complete agreement with Saul Eslake.
Super should only taxed at the benefit stage and as income.

Sunday 12 April 2015

The strange case of Billy Gordon

There is a hue and cry from some quarters for Billy Gordon to resign from Parliament.

I fail to see why he should AT PRESENT.

The crimes he committed were a long time ago when he was in his youth. At present he has allegations made against him.
NO person should have to resign on ALLEGATIONS. If these allegations go to having evidence and thus he is charged and is found guilty that is a entirely different story however we appear to be nowhere near that.


The one thing I find very strange is that both women making allegations did it via the liberal party not through the police.
Why weren't these views ventilated when Gordon was a candidate in the last federal election let alone State election.

Saturday 11 April 2015

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa was a pretty good muso and had a pretty good band. Add in Jean Luc Ponty and you get magic.



enjoy

Thursday 9 April 2015

Around the Traps 10/4/15

Time for Around the Traps again. Have not read any as I had no time so just taking articles on reputation.  I will try to update over the weekend.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy


Northern America


Europe


Asia


Wonk


General


Climate


Andrew Gelman ( Mainly Stats)


Genial Dave Giles ( econometrics)


Dianne Coyle ( Quirky + Book Reviews)


Vox Wonk

Monday 6 April 2015

Saturday 4 April 2015

Thursday 2 April 2015

Around the traps 3/4/15 Easter Edition

It is time for  Around the Traps  Easter edition. updates over out long weekend

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy
Northern America
Europe
Asia
Wonk
General
Climate
Andrew Gelman ( mainly stats)
Genial Dave Giles (Econometrics)
Dianne Coyle (quirky + Book Reviews)
Vox wonk