Comments on: The NSW government’s foray into blatant protectionism

By: Greg Angelo

Greg Angelo — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:40:04 +0000

This shortsighted policy proves that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.

Australian producers are locked out of someworld markets because of protectionism in Europe and America, and these idiots make it harder for efficient Australian industries to compete on world markets because protectionism in those markets will be encouraged and further penalise our efficient local producers.

A 20% premium to favour local structural inefficiency is a high price to pay for short-term benefits.

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:54:38 +0000

Economic purity to one side, Penberthy wrote at length about this but in Blue Collar Cartoon Land in the Daily Telegraph it’s an argument that is just too abstract and obscure for the mob. The ALP spin machine knows that. They will be so glad Simon Benson and Piers Akerman were literally dumped to the bottom of the page and sidelined, respectively, by Penbo’s earnest economics lecture.

As Gary Grey said from memory - it’s not the Financial Review - to his election hacks and that applies to the AFR in the pages of the SDT.

So basically R&R (Rees and rooster Roozendaal) have had a serious win with this budget. And 20% leg ups for local tenderers is a dollop of economic bias they will be happy to wear on some other later day, while swinging from on a sturdy vine (S&P AAA credit rating) through the political jungle. Come to think of it, Rees does look a bit like colobus.

By: Robert Barwick

Robert Barwick — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:07:52 +0000

What you free traders call protectionism, as if it’s a dirty word, ordinary people see as common sense. For three decades people were expected to suspend their instinctive disbelief about free trade, because a consensus between the media and major parties on free trade was presented to the people as proof that losing our manufacturing industries and family farmers must be a good thing. Now, the global economic collapse has ended the hegemony of free trade over common sense, and protectionism is making a comeback. If NSW Labor’s newfound protectionism is due to the influence of the union movement, three cheers for the unions. They may even start to make a political comeback, if workers see them actually fighting for more economic policies that defend the common good. And for those of you chewing the rug over this, read Lyndon LaRouche and learn something about economics.

By: John Molloy

John Molloy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:01:36 +0000

What’s going to happen to our nice new chinese trains?

By: Mark Duffett

Mark Duffett — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:02:07 +0000

Onya Bernard - I thought you’d give this nonsense both barrels, and you haven’t let us down.

By: meski

meski — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:48:24 +0000

Oh, and Crikey, how about having a preview button?

By: meski

meski — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:46:24 +0000

I don’t really want to argue for protectionism, but it seems fair that if US states can opt in or out of the FTA

then Australian states should be able to.