The author has been described by News Ltd as an "iconoclast", "Svengali", a pollie's "economist muse", and "pungently accurate". Fairfax says he is a "Renaissance man" and "one of Australia’s most respected analysts." Stephen Koukoulas concludes that he is "85% right", and "would make a great Opposition leader." Terry McCrann claims the author thinks "‘nuance’ is a trendy village in the south of France", but can be "scintillating" when he thinks "clearly". The ACTU reckons he’s "an enigma wrapped in a Bloomberg terminal, wrapped in some apparently well-honed abs."

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Congratulations to Fullilove--new boss of the Lowy Institute!

This is an excellent, and doubtless carefully considered, choice and Michael will do much to further advance what has become an outstanding institutional contribution to Australia's intellectual life. The more I learn about the Lowy Institute, the more impressed I am. The Lowy Interpreter blog edited by the indefatigable Sam Roggeveen is the best of its kind across any academic discipline in Australia. Sam does an awesome job assembling a constellation of foreign affairs, defence and other related talent (present company excluded), including his own, to participate in this real-time clearing house for policy innovation. I have historically given Dr Fullilove a bit of a hard time for being too accommodative of Kevin Rudd. I may have been wrong. I am increasingly sympathetic to Rudd's foreign policy ideas. And Michael appears not to have noticed. So well done buddy--a richly deserved accolade.
at 11:01 PM