Monthly Archives: November 2004

The Conservative View of Eureka

Posted on November 30, 2004 by andrewleigh

Gerard Henderson today makes a cogent case that the Coalition is making a mistake in distancing themselves from the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Eureka. I argued yesterday on Michael Duffy’s Counterpoint program that Eureka was fundamentally a revolt … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 4 Comments

Eureka!

Posted on November 29, 2004 by andrewleigh

The four of us have an extract from Imagining Australia in today’s Sydney Morning Herald. It begins: This Friday Australia will remember the 150th anniversary of the Eureka uprising. Yet never before in our history has Eureka been more marginal. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 1 Comment

The State of Iraq

Posted on November 27, 2004 by andrewleigh

Of all the Iraqi assessments, the one I trust most is the piece put together every couple of months by Michael O’Hanlon and various co-authors for the New York Times. The latest one has just come out (NYT registration required, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq | 2 Comments

Four in Five Mislead in Their Articles

Posted on November 26, 2004 by andrewleigh

A piece from the SMH "One in five lie in their job resumes" notes that 60% of those with criminal convictions don’t disclose them on their resumes. Looks like the journalist who wrote this – and the people who conducted … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 1 Comment

The Arms Race on Australian Roads

Posted on November 25, 2004 by andrewleigh

A report from the NRMA, reprinted almost verbatim in the SMH, shows that if you’re in a single-vehicle collision in a 4WD, you’re more likely to be injured than in a passenger car. So why do suburbanites drive 4WDs? To … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 6 Comments

Wishful Thinking

Posted on November 25, 2004 by andrewleigh

A Sydney Morning Herald editorial yesterday (scroll down, it’s the 2nd editorial) credited the fall in crime in NSW over recent years to lower unemployment. It’d be lovely if this were true, but my read of the evidence is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | Comments Off on Wishful Thinking

Water Water Everywhere

Posted on November 23, 2004 by andrewleigh

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth now seem to have more or less permanent water restrictions in place – several of which ban any watering of lawns, any use of garden sprinklers, washing cars with a hose, or watering gardens … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 12 Comments

Iraq Conspiracy Theories

Posted on November 22, 2004 by andrewleigh

Dave Madden and myself argued recently about how bad things really were in Iraq. I’m a little more optimistic than Dave, more pessimistic than Tim Blair, and certainly not as informed as Zeyad. Still, whatever the circumstances on the ground, … Continue reading →

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FTA

Posted on November 22, 2004 by andrewleigh

In 2002-03 Paul Krugman’s white hot fury at Bush’s social security privatisation promises translated into one column after another lambasting the plans. For Ross Gittins, the US-Australia preferential trade agreement seems to evoke the same reaction. Still, I do think … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | Comments Off on FTA

How to write and publish opinion pieces in Australia

Posted on November 22, 2004 by andrewleigh

In terms of exchanging ideas, blogging is clearly the way of the future. But the way of the present – in Australia at least – is newspaper opinion pieces (aka op-eds). A couple of weeks ago, I ran a session … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | Comments Off on How to write and publish opinion pieces in Australia

Indigenous Stock Exchange

Posted on November 21, 2004 by andrewleigh

A friend recently drew my attention to the Indigenous Stock Exchange, a semi-regular forum established in May 2003 by Gerhardt Pearson, allowing Indigenous businesses to meet with potential investors. The ISX met in Shepparton yesterday, and there seems to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | Comments Off on Indigenous Stock Exchange

An Independent Fiscal Authority?

Posted on November 19, 2004 by andrewleigh

A short piece of ours appeared in the Financial Review this week. How To Iron Out Volatility, Australian Financial Review There is a good case for an independent fiscal authority, write Macgregor Duncan, Andrew Leigh, David Madden and Peter Tynan. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | Comments Off on An Independent Fiscal Authority?

Indigenous Politicians

Posted on November 5, 2004 by andrewleigh

One feature of both the Australian and US polls which has so far gone unremarked is that the two elections saw the number of indigenous politicians fall to zero. In Australia, Aden Ridgeway lost his NSW Senate seat, while Andrea … Continue reading →

Posted in Global issues | 5 Comments

Why did Bush Win?

Posted on November 5, 2004 by andrewleigh

I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that Peter Hartcher is the savviest Australian journalist around when it comes to interpreting polling evidence. In a piece in today’s SMH, Hartcher takes on the "Bush won 2004 on moral issues" thesis, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

A Final Word on Exit Polls

Posted on November 4, 2004 by andrewleigh

Well, it looks like Cautious Networks 1, Eager Bloggers 0 on the use of exit polling data to predict the result. But I was a little incredulous when Bill Schneider, CNN’s “polling expert” said with a hint of schadenfreude that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Ow….

Posted on November 3, 2004 by andrewleigh

Dave, if I’m this depressed, I can only imagine how you’re feeling….

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Electionmania III

Posted on November 3, 2004 by andrewleigh

Well, we knew polls are error-prone, but that seems to apply manyfold to exit polls. Kerry seems to be steadily slipping behind. The networks haven’t yet called Florida for Bush, but even with those 90,000 uncounted absentee ballots, it’s hard … Continue reading →

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More electionmania

Posted on November 3, 2004 by andrewleigh

The US betting markets are going heavily for Kerry. Surely only a reaction to the exit polling below, but the swing is huge. Best place to follow it is Crooked Timber (thanks to JQ for this suggestion). I can’t help … Continue reading →

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Electionmania

Posted on November 3, 2004 by andrewleigh

My favourite US election story so far: polling disrupted in Mt Laurel, NJ, after a suspicious white substance was found on the floor. Later determined to be a pile of salt. Early exit polling looks good for Kerry – obviously … Continue reading →

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Abortion and Crime

Posted on November 1, 2004 by andrewleigh

Amidst calls by Christopher Pyne and Tony Abbott to restrict access to late-term abortions, Mark Latham has today stepped into the fray, arguing against any law change (presumably they’re talking about Medicare funding, since criminalising abortion is a matter for … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian issues | 6 Comments