The Looking Forward Podcast

The government has introduced a three-stage plan to return Australians to some form of normalcy. What are these decisions based off and is the uncertainty over the consequences small enough? (2:07-20:30) Sweden has been the most prominent and controversial example of an alternative lockdown model. How does their response shape the debate between social vs medical outcomes of pandemics? (20:30-40:42) Finally, the panel reflects on the systematic thoughts of the late Sir Roger Scruton, asking what will conservatism look like post COVID-19? (40:42-59:59) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Andrew Bushnell to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week's picks include three new TV series: Normal People, The Last Dance and The English Game. (59:59-1:18:12)

Show Notes

Consummate Conservative; Andrew Bushnell

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/consummate-conservative

Lockdowns in SIR Models; Benjamin Moll

https://benjaminmoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SIR_notes.pdf

We Know Everything – And Nothing – About Covid; Matt Ridley

http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/we-know-everything-and-nothing/

How Pandemics End; Gina Kolata

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/health/coronavirus-plague-pandemic-history.html

No return to the policy status quo: Albanese; Phillip Coorey

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/no-return-to-the-policy-status-quo-albanese-20200510-p54rjj

Culture Picks

Normal People; TV series directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9059760/

The Last Dance; TV series directed by Jason Hehir

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8420184/

The English Game; TV series directed by Julian Fellowes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_English_Game

This week the Government focus is finally on getting Australians back to work. But with coronavirus panic still a factor, will the public take the PM’s lead or vote with leaden feet? (1:34-21:42) Daniel Andrews has self-isolated in refusing to reopen Victorian schools, but do health risks really out-weigh social and economic impacts? (21:42-34:54) With negotiations for a trans-Tasman travel bubble underway, what’s the next stage in the long history of Australia and New Zealand’s relationship? (34:54-48:09) Co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by IPA Research Fellow, Dara Macdonald, to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week’s picks include The Great Influenza, Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis and Randolph Churchill’s Young Statesman. (48:09-1:08:54)

Show Notes

Have a COVID-19 Plan; National COVID-19 Coordination Commission

https://pmc.gov.au/nccc/have-covid-19-plan

COVID-19 information for workplaces; Safe Work Australia

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19-information-workplaces

This could be the start of a terrible friendship; Katrina Grace Kelly (Fair Work & JobsKeeper)

The Australian, May 2, 2020 ($)

Schools are reopening, so here’s a guide to the situation in each State and Territory; ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-04/australian-schools-reopening-after-coronavirus-closures/12211526

COVID-19 in schools – the experience in NSW

New Zealand and Australian Federation; Ged Martin

https://www.gedmartin.net/australia-new-zealand-and-federation-1883-1901-c

Culture Picks

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History; John M. Barry

https://www.amazon.com.au/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-History/dp/0143036491

De Profundis; Oscar Wilde

https://www.amazon.com/Profundis-Oscar-Wilde/dp/150582480X

Young Statesman: Winston S. Churchill 1901-1914; Randolph S. Churchill

https://www.amazon.com/Young-statesman-Winston-Churchill-1901/dp/B002KZQTG2

Over three million Australians have downloaded the COVIDSafe App but the Australian Government has a terrible record on digital security and privacy. Co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by IPA Adjunct Fellow Matthew Lesh - now Director of Research at the Adam Smith Institute in London - to discuss this plus the UK's own experience of coronavirus as the Tories struggle to implement Brexit and find a coherent agenda for growth when Big Government holds sway. Plus they look at the forces pushing for and against the survival of the European Union as Eurocrats centralise more power but the struggling Euro threatens to blow up the whole financial system.

Books and Culture picks include Albert Camus' The Plague

The TV series Jack Ryan

The essay on Nassim Nicholas Taleb by Allan Farrington at Medium, A Tale of Two Talebs

Only if we're free enough to adapt and allow entrepreneurs to create new businesses and institutions will the economy be dynamic enough for the high growth trajectory we need after the devastation of the lockdown.

Australia has been one of the most successful countries in reducing transmission of the coronavirus. Why are the Australian infection rates so low and what does this mean for policymakers and citizens? (2:44-22:37) Virgin Australia has asked the government for a bail out, what role should the government play in restoring the economy and how should this shape policy decisions? (22:37-44:25) Joe Biden is the presidential nominee for the Democrats, what went wrong for Bernie Sanders and what does this mean for the elections in November? (44:25-1:02:40) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Andrew Bushnell to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks for the week. This week’s isolation picks include the new album by The Strokes The New Abnormal, the American true crime documentary Tiger King and the Netflix Thriller Giri/Haji. (1:02:40-1:19:06)

Show Notes

Tackling Virus Risks Head On is Way Forward for Business; Scott Hargreaves

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tackling-virus-risks-head-way-forward-business-scott-hargreaves

Coronavirus Australia: Worst Year Since Great Depression, says IMF; Patrick Commins

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/coronavirus-worst-year-since-great-depression-says-imf/news-story/0e9976bdbd46ebae16d19f8190241467

Australia’s endgame must be total elimination of COVID-19; John Daley and Stephen Duckett

https://grattan.edu.au/news/australias-endgame-must-be-total-elimination-of-covid-19/

Culture Picks

The New Abnormal; The Strokes

https://open.spotify.com/album/2xkZV2Hl1Omi8rk2D7t5lN?si=QfZL5QDISjGEit_MoowbCQ

Tiger King

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_King

Giri/Haji

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8001106/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

The government has revealed the very simple model driving their public policy response to COVID-19. With focus placed on macro modelling general claims, the government must narrow its attention to micro measures and a timeline for society's recovery (1:26-23:44) On the weekend the IPA called for a safe and responsible roll back of social restrictions, and now the debate’s started on removing petty restrictions and starting economic recovery. (23:44-36:13) Parliament has decided to sit for the last time until August, just  when social and economic policy decisions need more scrutiny than ever (36:13-54:56) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA's Andrew Bushnell as they answer these questions as well as share their isolation culture picks. This week’s picks include the computer game Surviving Mars, Sarah Bakewell's How to Live / A Life of Montaigne, and Demolition Man by Marco Brambilla. (54:56-1:11:01)

Show Notes

Begin to End the Lockdown Now! (with Gideon Rozner)

Coronavirus: $1600 fine withdrawn for L-plater charged for breaching lockdown; Remy Varga and Rachel Baxendale

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coronavirus-victorian-lockdown-lplater-cops-fine-lesson-for-driving-with-mum/news-story/144e5f83370929f59d694f272ef5f83f

Upcoming Public Hearings (editor: what’s missing here?)

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Upcoming_Public_Hearings

PM plans staggered virus exit; Phillip Coorey

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pm-plans-staggered-virus-exit-20200407-p54hqp

Coronavirus: Push to let COVID-19 infect us slowly; Yoni Bashan

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coronavirus-plan-to-let-covid19-infect-us-slowly/news-story/7a459ae042dfe3316ba42055dc4e5b99

NSW Premier says coronavirus social distancing to stay ‘until vaccine is found'; Paige Cockburn

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-07/nsw-coronavirus-social-distancing-to-stay-until-vaccine-found/12126802

‘Use isolation to our advantage': Who is exempt from the hard WA border closure?; Lauren Pilat

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/use-isolation-to-our-advantage-who-is-exempt-of-the-hard-wa-border-closure-20200405-p54hb6.html

Fortress Queensland: borders locked down as state records fourth death; Stuart Layt

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/fortress-queensland-borders-locked-down-as-state-records-fourth-death-20200402-p54glt.html

Coronavirus: Call to sign up for 'Team Australia’ has fallen on a lot of deaf ears; Janet Albrechtsen

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/coronavirus-call-to-sign-up-for-team-australia-has-fallen-on-a-lot-of-deaf-ears/news-story/6466ca0aa44fd3946092b45e88ad656b

Culture Picks

Demolition Man; Marco Brambilla

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

How to Live or A Life of Montaigne; Sarah Bakewell

https://www.amazon.com.au/How-Live-Montaigne-Question-Attempts/dp/1590514831

Surviving Mars; Paradox Interactive

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surviving_Mars

This week’s episode is brought to you from the Looking Forward remote studio! This week the Australian Government introduced the centrepiece of their corona virus crisis strategy, ‘the job keeper scheme’. How can we bring Australians back to work to unfreeze the frozen economy? (1:48-18:06) Everyday more social restrictions are emplaced on citizens, showing many what it is to live in a police state. How much power should politicians and the police have to curtail civil liberties and at what point has it gone too far? (18:06-37:38) The economic price tags for new policies have piled up, will these policies ever be reversed and how can the economy be rebuilt? (37:38-56:43)  Your host Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Gideon Rozner to answer these questions and share their isolation culture picks. This week’s picks include Zionism: the concise history, the TV show Modern Love and Lord Macaulay’s The History of England from the Accession of James the Second. (56:43-1:10:26) 

As the pandemic rises, government must make decisions based on uncertainty. What trade-offs are we making and what values are defining these trade-offs? (2:00-22:20) It’s the 'short sharp shock' model of shutdown versus the 'flatten the curve' approach, which should guide Australian policy? (22:20-34:44) The pandemic has put extreme pressure on job loss and the economy, how are governments all over the world responding and what are the long term consequences? (34:44-50:30) Your hosts, Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA's Andrew Bushnell to answer these questions and dive into their culture picks including the film John Wick 3, the new Spanish Netflix movie The Platform and Michael Petroni's film The Messiah. (50:30-1:04:08)

Show Notes

Stop with the fatalism: Don't flatten it, Crush The Curve on Coronavirus; JoNova

http://joannenova.com.au/2020/03/stop-with-the-fatalism-dont-flatten-it-crush-the-curve-on-coronavirus/

Culture Picks

John Wick 3; Chad Stahelski

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6146586/

Messiah; Michael Petroni

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7671598/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

The Platform; Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8228288/

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. Whilst governments all around the world scramble for solutions, what are the policy affects for citizens? (3:25-16:10). Different countries' approach to the pandemic response highlight complexities of decision making, and the importance of sensibly drawing on rather than deferring to experts. (16:10-26:50) The virus has pricked open many underlying economic issues, is the performance of presenting stimulus packages enough to save Australians? (26:50-45:22) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg, are joined by the IPA's Gideon Rozner and Kurt Wallace to discuss these questions and share their culture picks including the computer game Plague Inc, the streaming series Star Trek: Picard, Tim Shipman's All Out War and Abraham Kuyper's Our Program: A Christian Political Manifesto. (45:22-1:12:46)

It’s the Looking Forward Podcast’s first special episode of 2020! This week our focus is on what’s wrong with our Universities, featuring special guest Dr Phil Magness from the American Institute for Economic Research and co-author of Cracks in the Ivory Tower.

The panel asks when did higher education become a moral mess? Why are students fleeing politicised disciplines? And is the use of social media by academics corrupting the history profession?

Purchase your copy of Cracks in the Ivory Tower here:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Cracks-Ivory-Tower-Higher-Education-ebook/dp/B07NYT5P7C

Show Notes

Cracks in the Ivory Tower; Phillip Magness and Jason Brennan

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cracks-in-the-ivory-tower-9780190846282

My Most Notable Articles of 2019; Phil Magness

https://www.aier.org/article/my-most-notable-articles-of-2019/

Here is Proof that the Leftist Tilt on Campus Has Gotten Dramatically Worse; Phil Magness

https://www.aier.org/article/here-is-proof-that-the-leftist-tilt-on-campus-has-gotten-dramatically-worse/

The Rise of Identity Politics: An Audit Of History Teaching At Australian Universities In 2017; Bella d’Abrera

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/research-papers/rise-identity-politics