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."

Monday, November 12, 2012

AFR Exclusive: Labor split on nuclear submarines...


I have an op-ed, “Nuclear subs would end our strategic free-ride”, in the Australian Financial Review today, which includes an exclusive interview with Dr Thomas Mahnken, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary of US Defense for Policy Planning between 2006 and 2009. Mahnken says Washington is “concerned” about Australia’s defence cuts, and that the door should be “wide open” to Australia leasing nuclear-powered submarines from the US. You can read the column outside the AFR pay-wall here.

John Kerin and I also have a front-page news story, “Labor split on nuclear submarines”, in which current Labor MP and former defence minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, sensationally reveals, “I now believe it was a mistake to rule out a nuclear option.” We also have an interview with former Liberal defence minister, Peter Reith, and quotes from Ziggy Switkowski, both of whom express support for a nuclear-powered solution. You can read the front page yarn here.
at 7:17 AM