When COVID hit, no-one said "Quick! Deregulate the health system!"

May 13, 2022 7:12 AM

Big: The Role of the State in the Modern Economy with Richard Denniss is a 1 hour webinar recording from the YouTube channel of The Australia Institute in support of the launch of a new book by its chief economist Richard Denniss (author of the indispensable Econobabble).
posted by flabdablet (2 comments total)

Why We Need More Government Spending and Regulation | Dr Richard Denniss with Jane Caro (29-Mar-2022, 1h8m31s)

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, in arrangement with WOMADelaide Festival’s Planet Talks Program.
posted by flabdablet at 3:36 PM on May 13, 2022

51m1s

It's just worse. It's worse in Australia than it is in most countries. And I'm only (you'd never guess it) I'm only 52, and in my adult lifetime I don't think it's ever been this bad. I don't know if it was this bad in 1930. I don't know. You can read about it but if you're not up close who'd know? But boy it's got worse, and this - I said it before, I think it's really important - we've really lost faith in democracy. But we don't say it that way, we say oh, government is crap, or all politicians are crap.

But you can't have a democracy without politicians! ... You literally can't have a democracy without politicians. So when you hear young people say and maybe even believe that all politicians are crap, what you've heard them say is, democracy is a waste of time. Because no matter if they're all crap, you've still got to choose the least crap one. And to tell yourself or to be told that "they're all the same" is literally the opposite of democracy.

posted by flabdablet at 4:23 PM on May 13, 2022 [2 favorites]