Readers didn’t hold back on the topic of Scott Morrison’s last-minute plan for a new first home buyers loan scheme (which Bernard Keane called a floundering attempt at interventionism). Neither did they feel it necessary to pull their punches against News Corp, whose current existential crisis is both a long time coming and entirely self-inflicted.
On the Coalition’s housing market plan
Denise Marcos writes: Scott Morrison vapidly theorises that Australians will lose value on their most treasured asset under Shorten’s negative gearing policy but ignores the reality of residential real estate falling significantly in the past eighteen months of the Coalition government. The Prime Minister needs to skip fantasy and face the facts. The Coalition left the stable untended and that property horse has already bolted.
Marcus Hicks writes: It wasn’t that long ago when Morrison was saying “when you subsidise something, it inevitably drives up the price”.
On News Corp’s existential crisis
Jeanette Weir writes: The News Corp business model has always had me wondering. Why disenchant 30% of the potential reader market (Labor rust-ons)? My answer is that young Rupert see more money in influencing the politicians that are able to influenced (read Tory, conservatives).
Steven Westbrook writes: It’s a long way from where the Australian courageously opposed the commitment of Australian troops to Vietnam.
Jeremy Henderson writes: The irony of the Oz’s scare headlines is that I very much doubt there is anyone who pays to get behind their paywall who hasn’t already made up their mind how they are going to vote, so the direct impact on their readers is minimal, other than to reinforce existing prejudices. Judging from the comments (which are to be avoided by anyone wishing to remain sane), most of the self-important readership would regard Attila the Hun as dangerously left-leaning.
Send your comments, corrections, clarifications and cock-ups to boss@crikey.com.au. We reserve the right to edit comments for length and clarity. Please include your full name if you would like to be considered for publication.
I remember reading an article about Rupert Murdoch using shareholders funds to run ‘The Australian’ at a regular $30M per annum loss just to play his famous brand of “drone” politics.
The point was that after Rupert’s grip was released no sane board member would contemplate the continuing loss.
Now he has passed the batten over to Lachlan it will be interesting to see if a Labor victory after News Corp has done its best in Queensland to oust Labor, will embolden the shareholders to take some control.
The Murdochs game is not to totally own anything, but by using ‘other peoples money’ to CONTROL an enterprise, and a government.
Re: News Corp’s Existential crisis,
I remember reading an article about Rupert Murdoch using shareholders funds to run ‘The Australian’ at a regular $30M per annum loss just to play his famous brand of “drone” politics.
The point was that after Rupert’s grip was released no sane board member would contemplate the continuing loss.
Now he has passed the batten over to Lachlan it will be interesting to see if a Labor victory after News Corp has done its best in Queensland to oust Labor, will embolden the shareholders to take some control.
The Murdochs game is not to totally own anything, but by using ‘other peoples money’ to CONTROL an enterprise, and a government.