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Puppy + New Trick

I read the Economist yesterday and I dearly wish I had picked the damn thing up a long time ago. Long have I assumed that it was an Economics Journal rather than a News Journal, I mean, what is the title of the publication? Eh? Eh?

Anyway, my boss’ copy of it was sitting on her desk and she drew my attention to the fact that it had an economic survey of Australia in it. So, expecting to be completely bamboozled by all that economic gobbledegook I started reading, and reading, and reading …

Have They Got The Ticker?

It was absolutely fascinating, mainly because it is written by an author unburdened by local bias, mostly because it was enthusiastically praising the last 15 years of Australian Government and was relentlessly optimistic about the future of the country. I was rather unnerved to discover that my loosely held, standard issue touchy-feely do-gooder political views on Howard and his Government were completely subverted by the articles I read with increasing enthusiasm.

From Keating hailed as an Economic Messiah to the assessment that Howard is one of the most successful Democratic leaders of these times and the praise heaped on Downer for showing the world how to negotiate the tightrope of pleasing both America and China, the political leaders of our country are lionised for their canny management and ruthless decisions that have borne impressive economic fruit.

I recommend that everyone get their hand on the May 5th edition of the Economist and read the survey.

One rather entertaining moment was when I picked up that the correspondent had evidently been to the East Coast, but certainly not to the other side of the continent. Despite praising Port Hedland to high heaven, they referred to 'western Australian' instead of 'Western Australia'. One day we will not be reduced to the outside paddock of Sydney!

The most important thing I have taken away from my first reading of my new favourite journal is the admonition that we must always look at what a Government does, not what it says. I think I will be reading foreign economic commentators from now on to ensure I get an opinion from the outside, from the people who only see the results, and not the means.

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