Australia is about to get its first woman PM

[Elok]

My main reservation is that lately - while in government - she's shown a tendency to go with measures with good optics (at least anticipated to be) over good substance. Whether that's a symptom of the leadership team she was in or her remains to be seen.

Optics is a science pertaining to the behavior of light. I don't care who says otherwise, its use to mean "image control" or some such is profoundly, soul-shakingly retarded.

That is all.

[ricketyclik]

English is a living language. Deal with it.

[KrazyHorse]

ricketyclick has, in this thread, once more demonstrated fundamental ignorance of the interaction between fiscal and monetary authorities.

[ricketyclik]

ricketyclick has, in this thread, once more demonstrated fundamental ignorance of the interaction between fiscal and monetary authorities.

Please set me straight, oh Great One.

[KrazyHorse]

The fact that interest rates have returned to neutral is indicative that the spending has been and is working. Would you prefer low interest rates and double digit unemployment?

****ing moron.

[KrazyHorse]

You could do yourself a great deal of good by shutting the **** up for a couple of years and learning from your betters before you try to comment on things so obviously outside your ken currently....

[ricketyclik]

Er... If we had double digit unemployment, interest rates would not be lower? Please explain to me how I've misunderstood this very fundamental point.

[Elok]

English is a living language. Deal with it.

No. It's still retarded. "Optics" is not image control any more than "biology" is trying to get laid or "abnormal psychology" is arguing with AAHZ.

EDIT: To clarify, what makes "optics" so stupid is that it is a failed metaphor. Optics has nothing to do with the perception of light, only with manipulating it. The use of the term to signify public relations is an advertisement of ignorance. They might as well have called it "kinesiology," "astronomy," or "genetics." Except those would have been merely bizarre. "Optics" is the linguistic equivalent of watching a guy trying to play hockey with a lacrosse stick. You can just imagine some oily turd in a cheap suit somewhere coming up with the word in a desperate attempt to make his smoke-and-mirrors profession sound science-y. A more appropriate term would be "psychology."

[MOBIUS]

Can I just say Julia Gillard is Welsh - all your problems are now over!

[KrazyHorse]

Er... If we had double digit unemployment, interest rates would not be lower? Please explain to me how I've misunderstood this very fundamental point.

You ****ing ****, you've misunderstood the difference between cause and effect.

Idiot.

[KrazyHorse]

Seriously sweetheart, it's readily apparent from the never-ending stream of crap coming out of your mouth that you're attempting to synthesize news reports on macroeconomic conditions into some sort of coherent theoretical framework.

Instead of doing that you should sit down and learn some basic economics.

[KrazyHorse]

BTW, Zevico's surprisingly reasonable point was the the monetary authority in Australia is currently tightening. If the fiscal authority attempts to further inject money by issuing debt and spending then the monetary authority will not soak the debt up; they are attempting to tighten, and any excess spending by government will cause them to tighten faster.

Duh.

[trev]

I find on this occasion I must agree with KH.
Australia's economy was strong, not subject to any financial crisis at home and therefore would never have gone into severe recession. The scaremongering of double digit unemployment if there was no stimulus is not based on any economics. Without stimulus it may have risen to 7%, no more, stimulus kept it to 5.7% at its peak. But what the stimulus has also done is kept inflation high at around 3%. Things would be better going forward if a mild recession was allowed to bring inflation back to around 2% or less so we could have a long sustained recovery that would bring unemployment down sustainably for the long haul. Now however with the inflation demon threatening we cannot sustain growth into the future at a level that will reduce unemployment significantly.
A sustainable economy into the future is better than short term pump priming which brings benefits briefly but causes damage long term when inflation is already high.

[Kuciwalker]

EDIT: To clarify, what makes "optics" so stupid is that it is a failed metaphor. Optics has nothing to do with the perception of light, only with manipulating it.

Erm. No.

[Kuciwalker]

Example: the very first topic covered in my optics class was the mechanism of of the eye.