What a difference a week makes...

Around this time last week I was sitting at my computer, looking at the blank 'New Post' and wondering how I was going to sum up the week. How do you summarise a whole bunch of nothing? This really does demonstrate just how much can change from one week to the next. This week we have all been on a wild ride with the ASX, and the broader global markets in general, which has seen us plummet to below 4000 before finishing the week largely where we started. We were up, down, and everywhere in between, except steady. The US outlook is not good and just when we thought Europe couldn't get any worse, it starts looking even more wobbly than it did before.

 



Another reminder of Labor's failure



While the headlines were firmly fixed on the economy, there was considerable attention given the increasingly farcical 'Malaysian Solution'. While the first plane load of Malaysian refugees are set to land this weekend, it looks like we will be stuck with the asylum seekers bound for Malaysia a little longer, as the courts are tied up deciding the legitimacy of the deal. While the courts were busy trying to sort this mess out, another boat showed up uninvited on Christmas Island with over a hundred boat people. This brings the number of boats which have arrived in the past two weeks to three, with over two hundred refugees aboard. If the Malaysian solution was meant to be a deterrent I think we now have the evidence to show that is has failed. This is an expensive exercise with the only results being more boat people and the transformation into a laughing stock on the global stage.

On the global front we also had the UK riots, a dark episode in British history which has surely made the 2012 Olympic committee a little nervous. What a horrific display of the feral nature bubbling under the surface of British society. I hope that Julia Gillard is watching closely, because this is the result of a reckless multicultural program where the door is open to any Tom, Dick, or Mohammad who can illegally enter the country. My heart goes out to all those affected by the rabble who clearly have no respect for their country.

Anyway returning to the issue of economics, I have the results for this week's Right Side Poll. This week we asked our readers to suggest how the government should respond to the recent market turmoil. As the markets got worse throughout the week, the more votes we got and I am happy to announce that this week we had our best response rate ever. The results clearly point to the need for the government to scrap the taxes which seem aimed at hurting our economy, with 90% of the readers saying the taxes must go. 10% votes for letting the markets sort themselves out, while nobody wanted another cash handout to buy a plasma... Thanks once again to all who voted. This week's turnout has been very encouraging with the highest number of votes and hits to the site; it's great to see everyone contributing and having their say! I will be archiving the results from the Right Side Polls as of this week, so if you're interested in taking a closer look at the numbers just click on the Right Side Poll page on the top navigation bar.

This week's Right Side Poll is looking at the issue of off-shore processing; how should the Government respond to the flood of illegal boats?

So that is it from me for another week. As always I wish you all the best for the weekend - make it a good one! - and I look forward to seeing you all back here next week.