Blogotariat

The Economic Reform Roundtable is ostensibly all about productivity. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has argued that cutting red tape and speeding up approvals is the key to unlocking growth. It’s the old trickle-down idea made new again by Ezra Klein’s book Abundance: make it easier to build, and prosperity will follow. It’s an appealing story. But […]

The post Fixing productivity needs more than deregulation — it needs tax reform first appeared on Prosper Australia.

Thanks to the government’s draconian new anti-protest order, it’s almost impossible to tell whether you are or are not breaking the law.

By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 30th July 2025

I packed a toothbrush, books and a notepad in a small rucksack, took my laptop from the house and hid it, gave my phone to a friend to look after and put a “bust card” (lawyers’ details and legal advice) in my back pocket. I wasn’t certain I would be arrested, but I wanted to be ready. Then I stepped, with other, much braver people into a legal labyrinth.

The government’s proposed new rules will allow a flood of toxic chemicals to be sold in the UK.

By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian  23rd July 2025

It’s what the extreme right of the Tory party wanted from Brexit: to tear down crucial public protections, including those that defend us from the most brutal and dangerous forms of capital. The Conservatives lost office before they were able to do their worst. But never mind, because Labour has now picked up the baton.