Adam The God

I never rated him when he was in the big time, but each to their own.

This is the classic neoliberal model for privatisation. The same thing is happening at the ABC. Strip funding until things are so useless that people say we may as well privatise them.ĺ We get worse consumer prices and worse service, with offshoring of local jobs as a triple whammy with privatisation. Australia Post is effectively semi-privatised already. The stores are franchised and run as private businesses. I hate dealing with them. They're hopeless. The privatisation of Telstra has been a disaster. Our public money paid for the infrastructure and it was handed to Murdoch to make money, except service plummeted and I don't know a single person on either side of the aisle that thinks Telstra is a remotely competent organisation. The privatisation of QANTAS by Keating has seen 25,000 people laid off because their CEO takes home multi million dollar pay cheques and without adequate competition, it's not a market, it's a monopoly. Consumers have no lever on price stability. You can't expect better service when there's the profit motive, because in the inevitable economic downturn, private firms need to cut costs, which impacts on service and price stability. Sure, we need a mixed economy, but some sectors should be in government hands and the only reason they're not is due to the failed macroeconomics of the current major parties. The Government is not financially constrained, it's resource constrained. Government deficits create private wealth and fiscal surpluses strangle private wealth. It's why household savings dipped into recession during Costello's 10 surpluses in 11 years and the mining sector was in recession by 2007, because its debt burden was too great. Menzies knew the power of fiscal deficits and it's why he championed massive fiscal deficits that allowed the private sector to save. This is no longer the goal, but maybe that's changing. That's the only way we're going to stop a financial collapse. Thus ends the lecture for today.

You're referring to neoliberalism and money manager capitalism, very similar to finance capitalism that triggered the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression. Capitalism can be a very robust vehicle for society, but people often conflate this current neoliberal period (that is highly unstable) with all capitalism. Capitalism comes in many forms. Since 1983, household savings have distinctly declined and since the late 1970s, real wages have plummeted. Household debt is currently double income after tax (second highest private debt burden in the world). Both major parties have used private debt to run the economy and as we saw in America with the GFC, running an economy on private debt is unsustainable. Unfortunately, we're on the precipice of a debt crisis in this country. By this time next year, the contraction in the housing market will trigger a financial collapse. This time they need to let it fail, otherwise there'll be no market discipline.

Public funded, but yes. KPMG involved too. Reckon there are a few rotten apples in there.

Treasury and ASIC sat on it for weeks anyway.

I think it's a coaching and player thing. Not convinced it's development, but perhaps. The fact we regularly have those bottom non contributors even when we win and everyone seems to contribute, I tend to think it's a poorly designed system. The players also need to become more consistent and take ownership of consistency within game. Chris Scott is a good coach. I don't think their system is as good as Richmond's, but he seems to be a bit of an innovator that can turn things around quickly. I like how he remodelled their forwardline in 2019 off the back of their disappointing exit in 2018. In truth, they were lucky to even make it that season. Their two wins after the siren against us basically got them in. I think we've got 2 years left with this group and then that cliff will come unless they can really renew their midfield.

Love it mate.

I'd imagine our 2nd round pick (from Hawthorn for Frost last year IIRC) will go to landing Brown. Preuss and future 1st may be a goer for that 2020 1st rounder. All the GWS movement may throw a spanner in the works, but we'll have to wait and see.

It's not all tax payer money then, some of it is public money. ;) States put their tax revenue back into circulation, but the Fed spends by crediting settlement exchange accounts at the RBA. No doubting they have a lot of Government money backing them though. It helps that their local member is a Geelong supporter (Richard Marles, leading Labor Right figure). Pumps money into them. Pity we don't have a few Federal members that are in our court.

Whatever makes you sleep mate.

It's not based on rubbish. We need to stop saying this. There is fuel there, but hopefully we play well in 2021 and he re-signs half way through the season while we're sitting in the top 4.

Getting two wingman allows us to play one off half back and one on the opposite wing to Langdon. The reason I like the idea of a third new wingman is improving our ball movement playing one forward of centre on a half forward flank. We'd also have genuine depth for the wing position all of a sudden. As for ages, Smith won't be around for long, so having Phillips and Polec to compliment Langdon, would give us 5+ years of service on our wings.

Yeah, great contribution.

Fair enough. I've been relatively consistent on my attitude towards past players being involved in football or administrative operations. I couldn't give a toss if these people played for Melbourne or not. I want the best people running the club, from the most successful environments. Being a former Melbourne player does very little for me. And if it is as you say then I'm particularly wary...

I reckon we'll have to get all of Tom's wages off our books and get North to pay some of Polec's contract if we're any chance. If we can get picks for Phillips, I reckon he's the cheaper (with less baggage) version to compliment Smith. I'd of course take all three if the cap was not a reality, but it is and we need to find a small forward or two at other clubs as well. I assume we're putting a healthy contract extension in front of Oliver too and even Petracca. There's only so much money to go around.

Can you pop him back in the box, please? Been out of the elite game for too long.

Weideman is going to be a much better player in 2021 with Brown next to him. It's still a no brainer.

Maybe. Though I doubt the board would have appointed him if they had an inkling that his presence would undermine their governance. I also doubt that they would have appointed him to quell external discontent.

I wonder whether Brad is the best choice too, but mostly because I'm not totally sold on the idea of having football director and what he brings to FD operations is two very short stints as an assistant coach and a football career a long time ago now. And as if Pert doesn't know how the modern FD functions. However, I'll back the club for the moment.

Let's see.

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Great discussion here @deanox and @Lucifer's Hero. We don't know what our risk oversight set up is outside of the John Trotter sub committee, do we?

I agree with this in finance and interpersonally, but I disagree that the past failures at the MFC mean that the current people are doomed to repeat them. Finance stability is destabilising, but football stability IMV, is that, stabilising. Unless of course, the decision makers are so pathetic that their decisions cause instability (see Cameron Schwab).

More just that it's unlikely assistants will commit to roles at other clubs if there's a senior position at stake.

I just hope the North senior job doesn't hold us up too much.