tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post7027682723424338268..comments2024-03-29T17:12:19.648+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: The Greens' "Economic Cred": Hard Won - Easily Lost.Chris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-21022408009042940002015-03-24T19:02:32.859+13:002015-03-24T19:02:32.859+13:00Hell, I did economics some years ago and I can'...Hell, I did economics some years ago and I can't remember what the hell they are. Anyway the Greens are a necessary evil. I don't care if they are mistaken, I want somebody asking questions. And to the extent that everyone is entitled to know exactly what they are putting in their body – I want stuff labelled. And the only way that's going to happen is if the Greens push for it, because nobody else is.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-19136831370663082382015-03-24T09:44:08.473+13:002015-03-24T09:44:08.473+13:00It's not just that the Greens are ignorant of ...It's not just that the Greens are ignorant of basic economics, it is much worse than that.<br />Firstly they do not even accept basic economics. They believe in some 'alternate' economic reality which of course does not exist.<br />Secondly this applies to all fields. They are ignorant or in denial of plain facts.<br />Take GE for example. There is not one shred of evidence it is harmful. There is a scientific consensus that it is safe and good (even more so than the scientific consensus on AGW). Indeed it is environmentally good.<br />Take transport. The Greens always oppose new roading & the private car on the basis it is causing climate change. So they have not heard of electric vehicles? A revolution in this field is about to occur yet they can't see it.<br />For decades they opposed nuclear power (how silent they are now) while coal was the obvious villain, not just for the planet but for human health & lives of 1000s of dead miners.<br />No the Greens should not be given the time of day and the left should take back their votes as they have been just poison for them.<br />What a waste.Charles Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-87199240204942389792015-03-23T10:01:47.409+13:002015-03-23T10:01:47.409+13:00Im not convinced Norman was economically literate,...Im not convinced Norman was economically literate, he (like Chris Trotter) make the basic mistake of confusing quantitative easing (when a central bank buys bonds to push down interest rates) with monetised fiscal policy (when a government spends freshly printed bills (more likely to be digital dollars on modern times). <br /><br />They are very different beasts and even a limited knowledge of monetary theory will convince the ignorant of the economic illiteracy of Norman and his ignorant fanboys. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-45018278408537085182015-03-23T08:15:21.979+13:002015-03-23T08:15:21.979+13:00Anonymous,
It is a good question; why did John Ke...Anonymous,<br /><br />It is a good question; why did John Key get a free pass?<br /><br />It is because he is generally regarded as economically astute. A single mistake does not displace that view. Of course if he made a whole lot of them it would.<br /><br />In contrast the Greens do not generally have a stellar reputation when it comes to economic issues. So a series of mistakes (and sometimes just one) simply reinforces the view that they don't know economics.<br /><br />I recall an incident in Parliament when I was newly arrived. Jim Bolger, as PM had treated two Ministers quite differently for some misdemeanor. I asked him why he did that. He said because "X" can get away with it, but "Y" cannot.<br /><br />So the media are not showing political basis, they are making a human behavior judgement. This is also reflected in the tone of your item. You did not seem to expect John Key to make such an errorWayne Mapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12906396523791648270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-77987825199326499872015-03-21T19:59:05.481+13:002015-03-21T19:59:05.481+13:00John Key likewise failed a simple test of his econ...John Key likewise failed a simple test of his economic awareness, when he miscalculated the potential GST on an i-tunes track by a factor of 10. He said GST would only be about two cents when in fact it would be around 20 cents. The significance is not so much the simple calculation error - anyone can make a mistake - but the fact that he seemed oblivious that it couldn't possibly be so low. This showed he is out of touch with the effect GST has on the prices ordinary people have to pay. (I immediately thought, before hearing the correction from the media, "that can't be right".) And yet the media have simply ignored this incident. They haven't called it a "gaffe" or suggested that it calls Key's economic credentials into question. I'm quite sure if any other party leader had made such a gaffe, the media would have had a field day. But John Key got a free pass.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03745305581397297532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-83038497594631878962015-03-21T07:00:03.499+13:002015-03-21T07:00:03.499+13:00from Stephanie: Thank you, anonymous 14:25from Stephanie: Thank you, anonymous 14:25Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-26591232620577386062015-03-20T14:25:13.351+13:002015-03-20T14:25:13.351+13:00They were pretty dumb questions on Lisa Owen's...They were pretty dumb questions on Lisa Owen's part. Having the figures "at their fingertips" would not have proved that any of them had any understanding of economics. Figures like those could easily be looked up when needed. <br />I bet Miss Owen didn't know the answers either. She probably was able to look them up from a piece of paper in front of her. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com