How good is Hockey?

[Jovial Monk]

Doesn't control his feelings well, has looked like Oscar the Grouch in Parlt since the first sitting last year. Hey, Joe, you win some you lose some but don't be a bad loser you sissy!

LINDSAY TANNER: So, the Opposition is grossly exaggerating these circumstances, Leigh. Let me tell you where the projected debt level will hit in three years time. It will hit exactly the same level that prevailed in 2001/2002 - seven years ago, halfway through the term of the Howard Government. It will hit about 5 per cent of our total economy. The average it costs the developed world is 45 per cent and it's rising rapidly. We are still gonna be one of the lowest debt countries in the world. That level of debt was sustainable and manageable in 2001/2002. It will be sustainable and manageable in 2011/12.

So total debt in 2011/12 is about 5% of GDP (not the 50% of many other countries!)

JOE HOCKEY: Well, you know, the IMF gives lots of advice. There was someone from the IMF that also said that one of the best stimulus - one of the best stimulants you could have for the economy is tax cuts. The Labor Party conveniently forgot that advice from the IMF. But, you know, the thing is you've got to be cautious about spending money and you've got to be cautious about going into a substantial deficit, because you know what, it's damn hard to get out of it. And the Labor Party has no real experience in getting out of massive deficits, except when Paul Keating said we were becoming a "banana republic" back in the mid-'80s, when the current account deficit blew out, he had to dramatically turn around from being - running a deficit into a surplus. These guys, if our current account completely, you know, disintegrates and we have a massive current account deficit, these guys have no capacity to get the budget back into surplus without a dramatic negative impact right across the Australian community. And I'd just ask Lindsay Tanner the question: what will you do if the current account deficit deteriorates? What action can you take?

Poor old Joe, see him there confuse budget and current account surpluses/deficits! This is the Shadow Treasurer?

So, Labor has experience in getting out of deficits, Paul Keating had to create (budget) surpluses from (budget) deficits, deficits inherited from one of the worst Treasurers this country has had to endure: John 'Rodent' Howard! And Howard fucked the budget during his stint as PM too! Look for my Saul Eslake post in the Sewerpit. One of the ways Howard & Costello rooted the country was running up those HUGE current account deficits, huge current account deficits during a mining boom! Talent!

LINDSAY TANNER: When Australia was being drowned in money in the mining boom, the question the Australian people were asking was, "What investment are we getting for the future of our kids out of this money?" And the answer was: virtually nothing. Nothing on broadband, no reinvestment in our schools or universities, no investment in our health system. And that's the legacy that Peter Costello and John Howard left this nation. We're now trying to deal with that.

Above quotes from Lateline: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/ ... 484891.htm

[Jovial Monk]

Wear the green horns in QT Joe!

[Ethnic]

This Shrek thing is just ridiculous. Talk about discrimination against overweight people. It's as dumb as the people who refer to Kevin Rudd as the Milky Bar Kid and show photoshopped pics of him.

[JW Frogen]

Besides did you watch that Sunrise 7 Kokoda Hockey Rudd hike?

Hockey practically carried stick man Rudd up the mountain on his back.

And the part were Rudd ran from the very big bad mosquito while Joe and David laughed was classic.


Dramatisation, may not have happened.

[Postul8]

I have a deal of respect for Joe Hockey. I feel he's a much better representative of his constituents than his party is currently permitting him to be. His test will be two-fold. To come to grips with the Shadow Treasury role in record time AND be able to present credible alternatives to Swan's treasury-back and RBA supported advice. He speaks well out of the Parliament, but it's in the House where all eyes and ears will be on him. Starting Monday.

[Leftofcentresalterego]

I sat in a room with the man and listened to him argue how good workchoices would be for all ( a real, federal cabinet minister came to my little town!). He actually did quite a good job debating but he was never going to convince an audience that was comprised of 99% trade union members.

Now could someone please find out why the FUCK this forum will not recognise my email address, username and password as a matching set and let me log in (I meant that in a nice way )