Greg Sheridan today (June 6) discusses the tragedy of Afghanistan, originatiing 'at the top'.
The final paragraphs provides a useful summary.
'The Brereton report was wrong to disparage the idea of soldiers as warriors. This self-image has traditionally been at the heart of the US military, the most effective in the world. Effective soldiers believe they are warriors for one reason - that's what they are. The tragedies recently revealed ought to make senior commanders and politicians reflect on the irrespossible and mistaken previous policies. Think that's likely? They shouldn't be used to ruin the one bit of tthe ADF we've been we've willing to use deeply in combat, or to make our small, gravely undergunned and incoherently structured military even less combat effective even less combat effective that it already is.'
Another article, 'Wage generosity fuels inflation, economic trauma' by Judith Sloan.
'The decision last week by the Fair Work Commission to increase award wages by 5.75 per cent by 2.5 million all but guarenteed further interest rate rises. This will of course put more pressure on many mortgage holders as well as renters. Businesses will be hit from a number of directions: higher wages, higher debt service costs, ongoing inflation and weaker demand.
'So where is the economy heading? Is there still a real prospect of Australia navigating the narrow path to lower inflation while maintaining very low rates of unemployment? Is it really acceptable to wait until inflation achieves a desirable rate within the 2 to 3 per cent band?' Read on now!
‘Pain, blame and, at this rate, its not over.’ (Wednesday, June 7, 2023)
Big front page in large-size letters. Reserve Bank effectively sounds the bell, and the Treasurer begins to look rather uncertain. How can the Treasurer allow wages to climb higher, while Dr Lowe hikes interest rate to curb inflation?
On P10 of the OZ RBA rates decision puts the government on notice. Check out John Spooner’s cartoon (P11) as great men argue about who will ‘leave me enough to get home’.
On Thursday, June 8, the game is hotting up. ‘Higgins, politics, plots: feed everything to Katy’. Most importantly $2-$3 million seems to have been transferred to Ms Higgins with neither due process nor requisite transparency.Wow, what an happy day in the Higgins-Sharaz group.
Another P1 topic is ‘Productivity falls off a cliff, apparently a 4.6 per cent ‘plunge’. Can this be correct? Surely the Australian economy is not falling out the sky? Ross Garnaut, please tell us how this catestrophic one quarter effort was possible.
On an earlier article, Peta Credlin stands up for Ben Robert-Smith VC.. The good lady reports on morally ambiguous acts of both Churchill and Truman. ‘Were they war criminals or great military leaders?"Credlin argues that in a complex and imperfect world, an act may be simultaneously worthy of both condemnation and admiration.
The latest Economist has issued an interesting account of ‘The Baby-Bust Economy’. Falling birth rates may lead to a possibly much reduced human population. ‘Give animals a go’ is Henry’s proposal.
And finally (a nice joke from the Economist) 'beware of the Reform Fairy!'
