Is Rudd another Scullin?
By Dr. James Cumes Online Opinion November 23, 2007
A reply, by Con George-Kotzabasis
Dr. Cumes’ article is a resurrection from the grave of gloom and doom. If he is an economist, he is the perfect avatar of the “dismal science”. The title of his new book, “America’s Suicidal Statecraft”, illustrates clearly what a grand pessimist he is.His Cassandra like predictions about the future of the global economy entering a cycle of depression and inevitably with disastrous results on the Australian economy are totally unrealistic. And that such economic collapse, if it occurred, would have the ditto effects of the politics of the thirties on the politics of the present, is a childish fantasy.
Certainly there is a possibility that in the next few months the U.S. could go into recession and such an outcome would inevitably influence the course not only of the Australian economy but also of the rest of the world. But the free market or capitalism if you like, has ample reserves of material and intellectual resources to deal with any recession and prevent the debacle of the thirties. Dr. Cumes also forgets that the conservative road of Reagan/Thatcher that Australia was pushed on by Hawke and Keating and continued to be on that high road by Howard, brought unprecedented prosperity to the country. Only a fugitive from reality would attempt to negate this fact.
In regards to the outcome of the election on Saturday, it will clearly show whether the majority of voters are either dunces or liars. If the electorate kicks out a government that has increased prosperity and ushered into the houses of middle class Australia the luxuries that Dr. Cumes has mentioned and risk this prosperity from the economic uncertainty emanating from a union dominated Rudd government, that would be an act of gross stupidity. If on the other hand, the electorate have not been telling the pollsters the truth about their real feelings about Kevin Rudd, which is the reason why his polls have been so high, and on the day of the real poll reveal their true position by voting for Howard, i.e., for economic security, then they will expose themselves as having being liars.
