Chris Hurford was an old-fashioned social democrat, a true Labor man with great values who knew the labour movement could lift up the poor without hurting the rich and could support his Labor principles and his Catholic faith not on his sleeve but into action for social improvement. (more…)
Tim Harcourt
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Coronanomics – We need good leadership in turbulent times.
As the world tackles the Coronavirus pandemic, there’s been a lot of talk about leadership and trust, not just between nations but within nations as well. (more…)
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That’s not an Accord – now, this is an Accord!
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on the back of some successful Covid19 crisis leadership, recently proposed that employer groups and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) sit down together to negotiate a new Industrial Relations (IR) framework for the post Covid19 labour market under the guidance of IR Minister Christian Porter. (more…)
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TIM HARCOURT. Eight things we need to do for Corona recovery
Bill Kelty, the former Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary (and my old boss) recently praised Prime Minister Scott Morrison in The Conversation and his: ‘Go big, Act fast and keep the lights on’ approach to Coronavirus. (more…)
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TIM HARCOURT. Trump, Trade and jobs
Australia needs to remember that embracing open markets can only be done with well developed market institutions and social safety nets.
Whether you love or loathe the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump can get an economic policy issue media attention, as well as himself. Take the issue of trade and jobs, for example. After being a niche research topic that a few trade and labour economists (like me) were involved in, but few others in the media paid attention to, the Trumpster has thrust trade and jobs into the headlines. It dominated the presidential election campaign especially in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin (which remarkably Hilary Clinton didn’t visit) and even at the APEC Summit at Lima. I was gob smacked to hear Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo talking about trade deals that are “good for workers” all the time at press conferences in Peru. Although back in 1992, the first President George Bush said he signed the free trade agreement with Canada (the predecessor to NAFTA) because he wanted to create “good jobs at good wages.” Whether he did achieve this wish in reality it seems, can be tested by the 2016 election outcome, where blue collar voters rebelled against free trade agreements. (more…)
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TIM HARCOURT. Three reasons free trade has become a political football.
Surveying democratic election results around the world, it’s clear the high water mark for globalisation has been met. Free trade, always questionable economics, is no longer good politics and in many ways has jumped the shark. (more…)