Spotlight on Australia

Tales of the unexpected?

The G20  meeting in Brisbane  was followed by informal visits to Sydney. Rock star status was accorded to Indian PM Modi ( more popular than Gandhi apparently but that's easy as India's population has grown a zillion times after the Raj downed his G & T , tearfully sailing out of Bombay some 67 years ago) and last but not least,  photo opportunities with cuddly Koalas. Tony and Boris must have made up as they fondled their marsupials together for the Press. No clean shirtfronts there.

Tony Abbott's opening speech, according to some weightier members of the Press, was a doozy, leaving the audience to pick their teeth and glance furtively at their watches as the wonders of the coalition's policies were splashed cross the broad canvas of everything and anything that moved. 

Obama had Brisbane students swooning in their Nikes while,for afters , China and the U.S,  vowed to put the dampeners on pollution. Xi Jinping and Boris were obliquely slapped on the wrist by David
Cameron; the criticism sunk like a pair of soggy socks in the wash. Ebola was in there somewhere. From an appeal point of view the Koalas blitzed ém. 

Now it's all over with Everybody lurvs Orstrayleeyah ,there's a cluster of trade agreements , maybe free Yoga classes in India,  (spare Boeing parts from Russia?) from which benefits will accrue ......when? China managed to put a bit of a lever under Canberra to loosen U,S. Australian ties.They don't give up. 

Talk about the unexpected? Not really.

On the crest of a wave

Tony's climbing the polls

Inspired by other talented artists.With grateful thanks

"Darling, I do think the PM's doing a sterling job! I mean, imagine, those queue jumpers complaining about being sent to Cambodia! Harry and I were there last year and we absolutely adored it! Wonderful people, absolutely gorgeous country.If the government offered to send me there all expenses paid, I'd be off like a shot! And he's handling other people's terrorist events wonderfully! And as for this Ebola thing..I mean troops to Syria is one thing but sending civilians to darkest Africa is quite another..don't you agree?"

A class act

Christine Lagarde rose to prominence when appointed Finance Minister in 2007 by the then President of France Sarkozy or Sarky as he was referred to in France.Her  frenchness and internationalism was a refreshing change for European politicians long used to the Gallic myopia of her predecessor.

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Smart, chic and successful, she is a lawyer by profession and was the global head for the law firm of Baker, Mackenzie in the U.S.
Hard working and professional Lagarde has an appetite for technical detail (very French) and the knack of getting her with with charm rather than bullying. She is also an advocate of social issues including climate change , which she sees as real ,  as well as the role of women , once claiming  that there was too much testosterone in high-powered circles. She is also a firm advocate of the role of the Euro in international markets,
She has recently voiced her concern at the possible impact of the Ebola virus on sustained growth and recovery after the GFC. With the current mixture of Ukraine, Syria, IS and Ebola she has her work cut out for her.

"The global economy needs new policy momentum to beat mediocre growth."

Concern, not panic

Outbreak..not the movie

Ebola first appeared in humans in 1976 in Central Africa and South Sudan. Is natural hosts are believed to be fruit bats. In parts of Africa these are eaten as a market delicacy.  The virus was named after the Ebola river,  round which the first cases appeared.
In an age where air travel facilitates the movement of infected people , the recent outbreak is not spreading particularly in countries with poor medical standards and facilities but threatening to harm the economies of Africa in general and perhaps the rest of the world. That is the view of both the IMF and World bank.
The IMF, under Christine Lagarde,  has announced ,  in a departure from its normal policy of discouraging budget deficits,  it would be appropriate for those countries at the epicentre of the outbreak to increase their deficits to contain the virus. The World Bank who normally encourages private investment to improve facilities is also an agreement under the circumstances.
Ebola is highly infectious but less contagious as it is not an airborne virus. It is infectious in that a single virus can cause death,

Improved screening in the West as well as an increased awareness of the situation has seen, so far, the spread contained to a minimum number..hope it continues.

Stamping out

Guns and viruses

One of the issues among many, that is facing the U.S. is the question of gun control. Despite his willingness and promises President Obama has made little, if any, headway with the issue as he  tries to reduce the reliance of U.S citizens on their weapons. It will almost certainly take an absurdly long time for Americans to give up their God-given right to own and use firearms. The laws applying to the purchase of firearms are as loose and flexible as to be risible,
The other issue that is causing some concern is the importation of the Ebola virus by a resident returning from Liberia . The number of people with whom he has come into contact is rising but so far nobody else has succumbed to the illness. Hopefully, this is it... but as always, it ain't over until the fat lady sings!