Menzies House

The rotting state of the gentleman’s game

The ICC's refusal to accept John Howard's nomination as its Vice President raises questions about the integrity of the Council, writes Joshua Bell.

With great dismay, I have been following the debacle surrounding the International Cricket Council’s rejection of former Prime Minister John Howard’s nomination to be its vice-president (and therefore future president).

These events expose a grim reality that has been kept under the radar for some time and, to paraphrase Marcellus’ famous statement in Hamlet, something is rotten in the world of cricket.

Allow me to start by setting the scene.

Rudd Wants to Turn Australia Into Sweden

A letter from the Wall Street Journal (Asia Edition) on 19 May highlights the risks associated with Rudd's Resources Super-Profit Tax.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's idea of a "super-profits" tax on the mining industry ("What Is a 'Super Profit'?" Review & Outlook, May 10) is a typical stunt he learned when he was a diplomat in Stockholm.

Since 1983, different Swedish governments have put a super-profits tax on hydropower. Before that, it was a cheap and reliable source of electricity for Swedish pulp, paper, steel and mining companies. Much of Swedish hydropower was built over decades by Swedish industrialists to secure energy supply for their manufacturing industry. But after the tax was introduced and raised almost annually, Swedish companies started to sell their heavily taxed hydro-power stations to other investors.

Best Party wins election!

These guys won a local election in Iceland after a comedian established a party, the "Best Party", apparently as a joke. Have a look and let us know what you think below!

Debt and taxes

Wealth creation isn't achieved by increasing the burden of tax, writes Senator Cory Bernardi.

It might not mean much to you right now but Greece has gone broke. It is so desperate for cash it has had to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars just to pay its bills.

So riddled with rorts and waste is the Greek economy that it has collapsed under the weight of modern day socialism. You might not recognise it as a variation of the previous socialist experiments, but the association is there for all to see.

Let Liberal Party members elect the Leader

Why not follow the British Conservative Party method of electing leaders, asks Ralph Buttigieg.

Lets face it the Liberal Party is completely hopeless at electing its leaders. Its ridiculous that we are in our first term of opposition but are up to leader number three. There's nothing new about this of course, how many leaders did we go through last time until John Howard was elected leader? Remember it was his second go and he only got there because he was last man standing. The State situation is no better, NSW Liberals have been playing musical chairs for 15 years.

The ‘Capitalist Roaders’ of the PRC

Thomas Greenhalgh writes on the economic impact of freedom of enterprise in China.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) prides itself upon its corporatist approach to economic growth, particularly geared towards export markets, yet State Owned Enterprises’ (SOEs) now noted poor performance, in regard to inefficiencies and faux profits (through government lending), have left us with the question as to where the greatest impetus for growth within the Chinese economy is, or at least will be. The conclusion is increasingly that economic development is happening despite strong state intervention.

Postmodern Conservatism

The left are wrong if they think conservatism is dead, writes Frederick Greene.

It is not obvious why a conservative would choose to call himself postmodern.  It is not obvious why anyone would call himself postmodern anymore.  Postmodernism is dated, thrown on the same garbage-heap as heliocentrism -- its tenets are generally understood to be indisputable but not in the final analysis very useful to anyone.

The Little Red Book of Inefficiency

Thomas Greenhalgh writes on the dangers of Chinese State-Capitalism.

The People’s Republic of China’s economic success since 1979, now the world’s fastest-growing major economy, largest manufacturer, second-largest consumer, largest saver, and second-largest military spender, must surely be indicative of China’s State Owned Enterprises’ (SOEs) success, must it not?