#4 - Defenders of freedom and enterprise

The Focus group takes a look at what not to do when you’re handed unchecked power. Our case study is the Queensland LNP State Government:

• Rejecting decades of scientific discovery - Call to ban “environmental propaganda” and replace it with “normal science”
• Removing support from already marginalised minorities - Voting to end Abstudy ‘risks bigot tag’
• Engaging in nepotism - Government staffer resigns after drugs found in Executive Building
• Planning to lock up kids instead of rehabilitating them, despite this making matters worse.

And, we consider the importance of getting your name right when entering the political fray:

• Church leaders upset over ‘Australian Christians’ name

The invisible hand, our look at the free market, considers the use of the private sector to deliver public services. That’s not working out so well for the UK government at the Olympics.

What’s stuck in my craw. This week we hear from Andrew Tiedt - A State of Mind
Ross Gittins - How our political prejudices affect confidence
Julia Gillard’s Carbon Price promise.

The inbox of doom - Will there be enough Muslims in the USA to elect the President of their choice in 20 years? Spoiler: No.

And you call yourself a Wonk! - Jeremy admits that he’s abandoned Q & A and Insiders.

Thanks to @coldsnacks and @mabster for their voiceover work this week.

Download - Defenders of freedom and enterprise

Comments

[Jaeger]

Love your work, guys; it's a great way to end the working week!

One nitpick... in the "Inbox of Doom" segment, you seemed to conflate Muslims with Arabs. Not all Muslims are Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslims. Devil's Advocate wig off, I doubt it will affect the statistics you quoted significantly.

[Matthew Of Canberra]

Woohoo!

[Shaun]

Love your work guys.

Just a little suggestion, can you please date your posts.

You know, so that you can be immortalised in time and all that.

[Matthew Of Canberra]

Is "the invisible hand" anything like "the stranger"?

[Matthew Of Canberra]

See, I think the ALP needs to arrange a coalition of the sort that the libs have achieved. They can achieve the "broad church" by pulling together a few different groups that appeal to a broad range of australians.

For people who'd like to return to the past, and do away with all this modernity stuff - they've got the nationals.

For people who just don't like the present, and are frankly terrified of the future and don't want to think about it (let alone ACT on it), they've got the mainstream liberal party.

And for the few remaining, intelligent conservatives (because there still are a few, I'm sure of it), they've got malcolm turnbull.

What the ALP needs to do is astroturf an actual conservative party and form a coalition with it.

[Liz A]

link to the twitpic mentioned by Dave in the podcast

[Tom Arto]

For the What's Stuck In My Craw segment...

Why not invite Andrew Kos, of the watchdog site, ABC Gone To Hell:

ABC Gone To Hell

[Marek Bage]

OT, but is Jeremy OK? He hasn't updated or approved any comments on his site for a week now.
I know he's a big boy, but I'm worried.

Cheers

[Ronson Dalby]

Hi guys,

I would also like you to add a date to the posts please.

PS I miss PP very much. Still haven't found an alternative that I like. :(

[Dave Gaukroger]

Posts: dated.

You're welcome.

[Chris Grealy]

Nice one chaps, but as a Qlder, I can assure you that you've barely scratched the surface as regards LNP nepotism. When I heard about the collapsing staffer, I thought, "Hang on, they have no opposition, no oversight, no pressure whatsoever, and they're taking crystal meth to wake up and cannabis to slow down! What happens if there's an actual crisis?"