Laura Tingle at the AFR today nicely captures the surplus of drivel we’re all being subjected to at the moment:
…business and market economists – and Treasury – are all sending the same message.
Labor’s terror of being criticised over economic management risks hampering sensible policy.
The great irony, of course, is that, strip back all the noise, in fact all the Opposition chutzpah, and it turns out the Coalition essentially has the same policy as Labor.
…To avoid any doubt, I asked Hockey’s office to confirm the Coalition’s position.
The answer was that “based on the current numbers, a Coalition government would deliver a budget surplus in the first year and subsequent years”.
Well, of course, that officially remains Labor’s position.
The question for the Coalition is, if the government moves to argue the pursuit of a surplus this year is detrimental to growth, is it really going to keep arguing for a surplus?
Honestly, as a guy with long-standing interest in the economy and public policy, I can honestly say that I can’t recall a bigger pack of wankers on both sides of the helm.
