Comments on Glenn Milne “High or low, the road looks rough”, 1/02/2009, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/high-or-low-the-road-looks-rough/story-e6frg6zo-1225825238057
Good to see the pollies are back to work, nominally of course.
They are talking again.
Their purely talking can often be better than they did something, because they often did the wrong thing with the wrong results and effects!
Showing posts with label political spin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political spin. Show all posts
2009-07-06
The PM should keep his hands off the press
Comments on Glenn Milne “Settling old scores”, 6/07/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25737024-33435,00.html
The Prime Minister and his government have not only become a strong interventionist government, they want to control the freedom of the press. It is a dangerous development. The tightly control of information to the press and spins the Prime Minister and the government use are damaging to the health of the press. Any attempt to weaken the press further will be even more harmful.
It has been unfortunate that the opposition has significant shortcomings and flaws and has been ineffective in holding the government to account of its flawed policies. The Utegate affair further weakened the opposition’s effectiveness.
The combination of a strong controlling government that spend taxpayers’ money recklessly and a weak and ineffective opposition is bad for Australia and Australians. We need a strong opposition to keep the government honest and effective and efficient in governing.
At this particular time, a strong, free and no-fear press is especially important in advancing Australia fair. Government should not attempt to pressure the press and restrict its freedom in reporting.
The press needs to continue to live up to the public’s expectations that it is free, accurate, informational and unbiased.
The Prime Minister and his government have not only become a strong interventionist government, they want to control the freedom of the press. It is a dangerous development. The tightly control of information to the press and spins the Prime Minister and the government use are damaging to the health of the press. Any attempt to weaken the press further will be even more harmful.
It has been unfortunate that the opposition has significant shortcomings and flaws and has been ineffective in holding the government to account of its flawed policies. The Utegate affair further weakened the opposition’s effectiveness.
The combination of a strong controlling government that spend taxpayers’ money recklessly and a weak and ineffective opposition is bad for Australia and Australians. We need a strong opposition to keep the government honest and effective and efficient in governing.
At this particular time, a strong, free and no-fear press is especially important in advancing Australia fair. Government should not attempt to pressure the press and restrict its freedom in reporting.
The press needs to continue to live up to the public’s expectations that it is free, accurate, informational and unbiased.
2009-06-29
Leadership and generational characteristics
Comments on Greg Melleuish “Talking about my generation of leaders”, 29/06/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25703956-5013479,00.html
Melleuish puts Australian prime ministers into an interesting generational context. It is also interesting in that context that Kevin Rudd and Tony Blair who are the baby boomers’ generation, have some similarity in terms of spins.
I have to confess that my understanding of generational characteristics is very limited. However, it is not difficult to understand that there can be statistically significant differences in the aggregate characteristics between different generations, due to differences in their enviornment and the influences of those differences on their thinking. Average can be shown easily.
What I am more intereted, however, is that whether political leaders should be an average of their generation, or they should be true inspirational leaders and stand tall in history, perhaps with a little display of their genrational traits. My real hope is that while Rudd cares about appearance, he should focus much more on substance in governing and leading, rather than in changing direction with the wind.
I hope Rudd will be able to stand the test of history and leaves a true legacy of leadership, rather than being a chamelon. This is especially important at a time of economic crisis.
Melleuish puts Australian prime ministers into an interesting generational context. It is also interesting in that context that Kevin Rudd and Tony Blair who are the baby boomers’ generation, have some similarity in terms of spins.
I have to confess that my understanding of generational characteristics is very limited. However, it is not difficult to understand that there can be statistically significant differences in the aggregate characteristics between different generations, due to differences in their enviornment and the influences of those differences on their thinking. Average can be shown easily.
What I am more intereted, however, is that whether political leaders should be an average of their generation, or they should be true inspirational leaders and stand tall in history, perhaps with a little display of their genrational traits. My real hope is that while Rudd cares about appearance, he should focus much more on substance in governing and leading, rather than in changing direction with the wind.
I hope Rudd will be able to stand the test of history and leaves a true legacy of leadership, rather than being a chamelon. This is especially important at a time of economic crisis.
2009-06-17
Political debates, spins and government policies
Comments on Lenore Taylor “Former treasurer nails debate”, 17/06/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25648362-5017906,00.html
While it is understandable that there will always be political spins and every political side will try to twist and make arguments in their favour, politicians, especially the government should be sober behind the scene and formulate strategies and make public policies according to the reality and sound reasons, rather than apparent political spins.
In that light, the Rudd government should probably need to acknowledge that it inherited an economy in excellent shape and a fiscal position that few other countries could match at that time. That, in conjunction with Australia’s sound banking system and banking regulations/supervisions, was the solid basis for Australia to weather the current global economic crisis.
What the Rudd government should and must do is to stimulate the economy in the most effective and efficient ways and at the same time to keep government deficits and debts as low as possible. While those are past already, the government should realise that both the cash handouts and the schools stimulus have generated some undesirable effects. They were not done in the most effective and efficient ways. There have been wastes in them, or soem unnecessary government spendings at least. The government could have achieved the same stimulus and education investment effects while using less government / taxpayers’ money.
There are lessons from those, but it is not too late for the government to become more effective and more economically responsible. We have a long way ahead before the global economic crisis is over. Besides every government policy or spending can be a test of economic management.
For example, while the government’s new national broadband network proposal is well intended and has the potential to boost productivity and the efficiency of the economy as well as the welfare of the nation, how the project will be designed and handled by the government and the industry will have a long lasting effect on national welfare.
I think the government should approach the NBN with an open mind and conduct extensive consultations. It should use several independent business and economic cost benefit analyses (not every one of them needs to be very complex) to ensure that the most effective and efficient and economic option or options are adopted and implemented. It is a huge exercise and must be done very carefully. There is a lot of money involved and either the wastes or savings would be huge.
The government should not be captured by particular special interest groups, including Telstra and others in the industry as well. It also needs to resist the urge to revenge Telstra for its confrontation with the government. Particularly, it should ignore the ACCC’s view on competition regarding Telstra's monopoly. The ACCC’s behaviour is of revenging nature and also reflects its failure in successfully managing a monopoly in its regulatory approach. It has outdated views and strategies in regulating industries and firms. The ACCC needs reforms and catching-up with the trends in globalisation and economic integration.
The government, Telstra and other players should work together, recognising each other’s interest. So the government needs to stand above the position as a simple player or competitor. It needs to remove emotions from managing the process. It needs to analyse what is the best way to move forward for the nation as a whole. Further, everyone should avoid falling into the trap of the argument that if the technologies are the best, they must be good economically. You have to take account of cost and benefit and also consider demand and supply.
Treasury and the Communications department need to be effective in their advices and policy formulations. They need to learn from the lessons in the stimulus packages, in the NBN bidder process and its failure and in the new NBN proposals. Bureaucrats must resist the urge to revenge and need to work in the nation’s interest and not driven by personal emotions.
While it is understandable that there will always be political spins and every political side will try to twist and make arguments in their favour, politicians, especially the government should be sober behind the scene and formulate strategies and make public policies according to the reality and sound reasons, rather than apparent political spins.
In that light, the Rudd government should probably need to acknowledge that it inherited an economy in excellent shape and a fiscal position that few other countries could match at that time. That, in conjunction with Australia’s sound banking system and banking regulations/supervisions, was the solid basis for Australia to weather the current global economic crisis.
What the Rudd government should and must do is to stimulate the economy in the most effective and efficient ways and at the same time to keep government deficits and debts as low as possible. While those are past already, the government should realise that both the cash handouts and the schools stimulus have generated some undesirable effects. They were not done in the most effective and efficient ways. There have been wastes in them, or soem unnecessary government spendings at least. The government could have achieved the same stimulus and education investment effects while using less government / taxpayers’ money.
There are lessons from those, but it is not too late for the government to become more effective and more economically responsible. We have a long way ahead before the global economic crisis is over. Besides every government policy or spending can be a test of economic management.
For example, while the government’s new national broadband network proposal is well intended and has the potential to boost productivity and the efficiency of the economy as well as the welfare of the nation, how the project will be designed and handled by the government and the industry will have a long lasting effect on national welfare.
I think the government should approach the NBN with an open mind and conduct extensive consultations. It should use several independent business and economic cost benefit analyses (not every one of them needs to be very complex) to ensure that the most effective and efficient and economic option or options are adopted and implemented. It is a huge exercise and must be done very carefully. There is a lot of money involved and either the wastes or savings would be huge.
The government should not be captured by particular special interest groups, including Telstra and others in the industry as well. It also needs to resist the urge to revenge Telstra for its confrontation with the government. Particularly, it should ignore the ACCC’s view on competition regarding Telstra's monopoly. The ACCC’s behaviour is of revenging nature and also reflects its failure in successfully managing a monopoly in its regulatory approach. It has outdated views and strategies in regulating industries and firms. The ACCC needs reforms and catching-up with the trends in globalisation and economic integration.
The government, Telstra and other players should work together, recognising each other’s interest. So the government needs to stand above the position as a simple player or competitor. It needs to remove emotions from managing the process. It needs to analyse what is the best way to move forward for the nation as a whole. Further, everyone should avoid falling into the trap of the argument that if the technologies are the best, they must be good economically. You have to take account of cost and benefit and also consider demand and supply.
Treasury and the Communications department need to be effective in their advices and policy formulations. They need to learn from the lessons in the stimulus packages, in the NBN bidder process and its failure and in the new NBN proposals. Bureaucrats must resist the urge to revenge and need to work in the nation’s interest and not driven by personal emotions.
2009-05-19
Nice day dreaming - much better than listening to political lies
I read Lenore Taylor's "I dreamed I saw a truthful treasurer", on http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25489448-5017906,00.html, 16/05/2009. I found it interesting and amusing! It recited some of the essence of the Treasurer's budget might speeches at the Parliament. There is no loss at all of the centrepiece the Treasurer actually talked about, not a bit and I guarantee that! And you must read for yourself to see it.
At this time, I recall two sentences in an old Chinese poem, and it roughly reads as the following: tens of thousands of kilometres of the great walls and tens of thousands of kilometres of emptiness, when one looks at the moon during the day time one is thinking of day dreaming.
It seems, that day dreaming, though mostly unreal, may be a much better alternative to listening to endless political spins and lies! It may be illusions but can inspire beauty! Don't believe it? Just think about the alternative in this case: what can political lies do to you? So you can conlude youself which is better for you, my friends.
At this time, I recall two sentences in an old Chinese poem, and it roughly reads as the following: tens of thousands of kilometres of the great walls and tens of thousands of kilometres of emptiness, when one looks at the moon during the day time one is thinking of day dreaming.
It seems, that day dreaming, though mostly unreal, may be a much better alternative to listening to endless political spins and lies! It may be illusions but can inspire beauty! Don't believe it? Just think about the alternative in this case: what can political lies do to you? So you can conlude youself which is better for you, my friends.
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