The COVID-19 pandemic induced an economic panic in March 2020. Share prices declined by 30%. The Federal Reserve Bank responded to the panic by again expanding its balance sheet assets by a whopping 66%. It went from US$4.2 trillion on March 4, 2020, to in excess of US$7 trillion on May 20, 2020: Not surprisingly, […]

Kevin Rudd has called for factions within the ALP to be “abolished”. What are we to make of this? At the outset, I should declare for transparency that I am a long-standing member of the Socialist Left faction of the ALP and a former long-standing member of its executive. To start I think Kevin Rudd’s […]

Two remarkable opinion pieces appeared in ‘The Australian’ over the weekend. One was by Noel Pearson, the other was by economist William Mitchell. Pearson is well known for his connections to the Liberal Party. In 2009 he lobbied Rob Oakshot to support the formation of an Abbott Government. In 2011 he gave the Sir Robert […]

It is one thing to suspect, or even know, someone is a branch stacker. The type of evidence obtained covertly in the Somyurek case, which demonstrated an intention to stack, as well as the fact of payment of other’s membership fees, is rare as hen’s teeth. The ALP Victorian Branch rules against branch stacking look […]

A lot of my friends have posted in favour of the demonstrations held across Australia yesterday on the issue of aboriginal deaths in custody. But I think the demonstrations were irresponsible. Hopefully, we are not “in the middle of a pandemic” as some commentators have stated. With no new cases over the last few days, […]