Quiz

[Jovial Monk]

Q. Who was the first-ever PM (or party) to bring in four surplus budgets?

Q. did Menzies run surplus or deficit budgets?

[Leftofcentresalterego]

The answer to question 1 I belive is Hawke/Keating.

Question 2 - I don't think Menzies ran any surplus budgets at all.

[Jovial Monk]

Exactly right, Lefty, tho I was hoping the cretins from the Sheep Pen would try and answer

Apparently, Howard managed a small fluke surplus with his first budget (probably pushing expenditure forward a bit, etc, creative accounting) but then ran four deficit budgets in a row. Keating took over and converted that to four surplus budgets in early 90's without asset sales or a mining boom, i.e. structurally in surplus as well as having a cash surplus.

I won't be glued to the telly tonight for Swannee's second budget speech, dog obedience training has a higher priority But I will hear enough about it when I get home at 9 or so.

Would have been nice if Swan & Tanner could have had 2-3 years of boom to dismantle middle class welfare & bring the budget into structural surplus!

[Leftofcentresalterego]

They're still free to answer, though I doubt that anything intelligent will be forthcoming

[Jovial Monk]

New Quiz:

Q Who said

“The duty of Opposition, if it has no ambition to be permanently on the left-hand side of the Speaker, is not to oppose for Opposition’s sake, but to oppose selectively. No Government is always wrong on everything, whatever the critics may say. The Opposition must choose the ground on which it is to attack. To attack indiscriminately is to risk public opinion, which has a reserve of fairness not always understood.”

[Jovial Monk]

They're still free to answer, though I doubt that anything intelligent will be forthcoming

No, not much intelligent.

Sheepy was quoting Access Economics ("normally blind as a Monk"--nice going, bag me where I can't respond--saying cuts to spending should be $25bn to $30Bn a year when Labor is cutting $22.5Bn a year.

Wonder if Sheepy is now going back and reading all of Access Economics publications slamming Tip for not getting his budgets into structural surplus? Gee, just saw some pigs flying!

[Leftofcentresalterego]

New Quiz:

Q Who said

“The duty of Opposition, if it has no ambition to be permanently on the left-hand side of the Speaker, is not to oppose for Opposition’s sake, but to oppose selectively. No Government is always wrong on everything, whatever the critics may say. The Opposition must choose the ground on which it is to attack. To attack indiscriminately is to risk public opinion, which has a reserve of fairness not always understood.”

Hmm. That ones got me fucked.

[Leftofcentresalterego]

Here's a quiz for those who think the big bad deficit will eat everyone's babies, bring on the end of the world etc.

Q1: How many federal budgets were in surplus from WW2 to 1970? (hint: you would not need to have all your fingers attatched to count it on one hand)

Q2: What was the average unemployment rate from WW2 to 1970? (hint: it's not far above a nice, round figure)

[Fat Faggot]

Sheepy was quoting Access Economics ("normally blind as a Monk"--nice going, bag me where I can't respond)

Sheepy is desperate! He has invited all old members of the Sheep Pen back so I will, unlike MacArthur, NOT return.

Gay Preacher wept

[Jovial Monk]

The person who made the quote about how to act in Opposition was one RG Menzies. Someone should tell poor stupid old Attabull. Then again, Attabull is not in a position where he can formulate policy or even a consistent point of view, being controlled by the extreme right whingers like Minchin.

Tonights Budget Reply speech will be fascinating! He won't even be able to come up with something as stupid as Horatio's 5c excise cut!