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Entertainment

Socialite Brynne Edelston reveals how infant daughter Starr has completely changed her life

Socialite Brynne Edelsten reveals how baby daughter Starr completely changed her life: ‘I don’t know myself anymore, everything is about her’

Brynne Edelsten has endured some very public ups-and-downs over the past few years but she is firm her new-found motherhood has changed her life for the better.

The socialite, 39, told the Herald Sun on Saturday her four-month-old daughter Starr Amari is a ‘miracle’ and providing for her has given her a new perspective on life.

The SAS Australia contestant explained that she originally thought motherhood ‘was not on the cards’ for her and she feels so blessed to have a perfect daughter to care for.

Brynne Edelsten (pictured with daughter Starr) said on Saturday her four-month-old daughter Starr Amari is a 'miracle'

Brynne Edelsten (pictured with daughter Starr) said on Saturday her four-month-old daughter Starr Amari is a ‘miracle’

‘I don’t know myself anymore, everything is about her. Ella she is the best thing that has ever happened to me, ‘she said.

She added although she had to make some necessary adjustments to provide for Starr it was well worth it.

‘Finding time to do anything by myself is almost unheard of, but she is everything to me,’ she explained.

Brynne said she feels blessed to have a perfect daughter to care for

Brynne said she feels blessed to have a perfect daughter to care for

American-born socialite Brynne welcomed her ‘miracle baby’ on April 21.

She recently told New Idea that she’d chosen to give her baby girl the surname Gordon – her maiden name – so she would ‘feel connected’ to her family in the US

The identity of Starr’s father has not been made public. However, Brynne confirmed to the publication the man had met his daughter twice.

American-born socialite Brynne welcomed her 'miracle baby' on April 21. Starr is pictured with Brynne's mother Mariel Gordon

American-born socialite Brynne welcomed her ‘miracle baby’ on April 21. Starr is pictured with Brynne’s mother Mariel Gordon

‘I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since Starr arrived,’ Brynne said of motherhood.

‘But I wouldn’t trade being a mum for anything – I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.’

The pregnancy was delightful news for Brynne, who discovered during her high-profile marriage to Geoffrey Eldesten that it was unlikely she could ever conceive naturally.

The Oklahoma-born television personality became famous in 2009 when she married Melbourne businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, who was 40 years her senior.

The Oklahoma-born television personality became famous in 2009 when she married Melbourne businessman Geoffrey Edelsten (pictured), who was 40 years her senior

The Oklahoma-born television personality became famous in 2009 when she married Melbourne businessman Geoffrey Edelsten (pictured), who was 40 years her senior

Their marriage, however, was short-lived and the pair divorced in 2014 after Brynne alleged her husband had been unfaithful to her.

The socialite recently made headlines after making bombshell claims her ex-husband Geoffrey Edelston tried to choke her with her own headband after she caught him sending large sums of money to young women on ‘sugar daddy’ dating apps.

The reality star is suing Edelsten’s estate for maintenance and support after his death last year.

She claimed Edelsten caught her contacting the women through her phone on one occasion and ‘punched her in the chest’ at their Melbourne CBD penthouse.

Their marriage was short-lived and the pair divorced in 2014 after Brynne alleged her husband had been unfaithful to her

Their marriage was short-lived and the pair divorced in 2014 after Brynne alleged her husband had been unfaithful to her

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Sports

Joel Selwood 350 games, Geelong vs Western Bulldogs, post-game celebration, video, reaction, Chris Scott interview

Geelong captain Joel Selwood celebrated his 350th AFL game in perfect style, with a post-game moment summing up the veteran’s softer side off-field.

Selwood and the Cats notched a 10th consecutive win on Saturday night, defeating the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium to remain a game clear atop the AFL ladder.

A rousing post-game celebration of Selwood involved a chair-off from teammates, congratulations from friends and family, but took an unexpected turn when the 34-year-old ventured back out to the four corners of the centre-square to thank fans for their support.

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Geelong Cats press conference | 10:14

“How good does that look, how well is that done,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said on Fox Footy’s Best On Ground.

“Football is a team game, but it is played by individuals who contribute blood, sweat and tears to the cause.

“To be able to be acknowledged in that arena and in that cauldron of his own accord without even his teammates around, that’s pretty special.”

Geelong coach Chris Scott paid tribute to Selwood’s glittering career so far, but said the moment in the centre-square was an insight into the star skipper’s state of mind.

“The thing that keeps striking me about Joel is that he’s a carer,” he said.

“It might be a little bit of a soft word to attach to such a tough guy, but he’s always thinking about other people.

“That’s what I saw out on the ground too, he’s not going out to wave to the crowd and accept all the adulation, he’s going out there to thank them and show his appreciation for being a part of his big night and big career.”

Scott admitted he had been “a little bit emotional the whole week” about Selwood’s milestone and remains in awe of his side’s captain.

“I’m still pinching myself every day walking into the Geelong footy club,” he said.

“It’d be nice to be able to tell my kids and grandkids one day that I spent a lot of time with Joel Selwood. It’s a royal privilege.”

Selwood’s glittering CV could be capped this year with his first premiership as captain, having already played in three earlier in his career.

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Categories
Australia

Labor identifies key seats needed to win third time

“Given the political dynamic – and they have an 11-seat [buffer] – they’ll end up doing mostly a defensive campaign,” Samaras said.

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“But it’s going to be a really difficult campaign for the Labor and Liberal parties. The traditional political landscape where most of the contest is in the sandbelt [such as Carrum, Frankston, Bentleigh and Mordialloc] you have changed.”

He said while Bentleigh, which has changed hands at every election since 2002, has become a safer seat for Labor, the newly created electorate of Pakenham in the south-east, which the party might once have expected to comfortably win, could now fall to the Liberals or an independent.

Labor’s “target seat strategy” is likely to anger some MPs and candidates who might not receive as much financial support from party headquarters.

But the ALP learned a difficult lesson in 2010, when it made the mistake of spreading its resources too thin and not identifying target seats to direct its campaign efforts to.

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The Labor government ended up losing what many considered an unlosable election because, among a range of factors, the leadership team were trying to protect all 55 MPs.

Former federal MP Alan Griffin’s post-mortem of the 2010 election result found Labor was so overconfident it did not set a “Brisbane line” – a reference to rumors the Menzies government was prepared to abandon the north of Australia if Japan invaded in World War II . In political terms, it refers to identifying seats a party will take resources from to save others.

“Labor went into the state election believing that it would win … as a consequence Labor ran a very conservative campaign,” Griffin’s review notes.

“It kept all marginal seats in the frame. No Brisbane line was set. A number of hard calls were not made. Resources were not adequately focused on the key battleground seats where the election would be won or lost. Labor took very few risks. It ran a tight budget ship.”

A Labor figure familiar with the 2010 election strategy said the party could not afford to make the same mistake it made more than a decade ago, and head office needed to make tough but necessary decisions.

“You try to be nice to everybody [all sitting MPs]but people can raise their own money for their own campaigns,” said the Labor source speaking on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss internal matters.

“At the end of the day, the bottom line is you’ve got to win government and not defend things you can’t defend.”

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The party is concerned about the upcoming poll’s parallels with the 2010 election: both long-term governments contesting a state election shortly after a federal poll, and both governments had recently dealt with a crisis – the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 and the COVID-19 pandemic respectively.

And while the Brumby and Andrews governments were both ahead in the published opinion polls 12 months out from polling day, the race tightened as the election drew closer.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.

Categories
US

Stabbing on Apple River in Somerset Wisconsin leaves 1 dead, 4 injured

News out of Wisconsin

A 17-year-old boy was killed and four other people were critically injured when they were stabbed while tubing on the busy Apple River in Wisconsin on Saturday, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect, a 52-year-old man from Minnesota, had fled the scene but was taken into custody by police about an hour and a half after the incident began with the help of witnesses on the river. Authorities have not released the name of the suspect or the victim.

The victim who died was also from Minnesota, according to police, and the surviving victims were described as one woman and three men, all in their 20s. The suspect did not have a knife on him when he was taken into custody, and the police are still looking for the weapon.

Categories
Technology

Prime Gaming August offerings include StarCraft: Remastered, Recompile, ScourgeBringer, more

Amazon is handing out six free tites this month through Prime Gaming.

You can claim all six titles starting August 1.


The free games for August are StarCraft: Remastered, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Beasts of Maravilla Island, Recompile, ScourgeBringer, and Family Mysteries: Poisonous Promises.

This month, Prime members can also claim new in-game content for Pokemon Go, Fall Guys, Roblox, League of Legends, Two Point Hospital, and more.

Over the past two years, the number of Amazon Prime members using Prime Gaming worldwide has grown by more than 120%, and last year more than 80 million free games were claimed. Free games and in-game content offers claimed worldwide by members increased by more than 330% over the past three years.

Last year, Prime Gaming had more than 420 million offers claimed by Prime members, which consisted of over 100 free games and over 675 in-game content offers worth thousands of dollars in MSRP value.

In 2022, Amazon has already offered more than 75 games including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Need for Speed ​​Heat, Dead Space 2, Madden 22, Stellaris, Total War: Warhammer, World War Z: Aftermath and others .

Categories
Entertainment

Will Smith addresses Chris Rock Oscars slap in new video

Smith posted a video to his verified Instagram account and on YouTube on Friday that began with the words on screen, “It’s been a minute.”

“Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work…,” the statement reads.

Will Smith posts emotional apology video for Oscars slap, says Chris Rock is 'not ready' to speak with him
Will Smith posts emotional apology video for Oscars slap, says Chris Rock is ‘not ready’ to speak with him (YouTube/WillSmith)

“You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”

Smith can then be heard sighing, he enters the screen and addresses to camera why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his Oscars acceptance speech following his win for best actor for his role in king richard.

“I was fogged out by that point,” Smith says.

“It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you are ready to talk.”

CNN has reached out to representatives for Rock for comment.

Smith also apologizes to Rock’s mother, family and his brother, Tony Rock, who had starred in the 2007 sitcom All of Uswhich was created by Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

“We had a great relationship,” Smith says. “Tony Rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.”

Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock, who was presenting at the time, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.

Pinkett Smith suffers hair loss due to alopecia, an autoimmune condition that can lead to hair loss.

Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "king richard" at the Oscars
Smith addresses why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his Oscars acceptance speech following his win for best actor (AP)

In his video, Smith also answers the question as to whether or not his wife, after rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke, had asked him to do something in that moment by saying she did not.

He also apologizes to her, their children, and his fellow Academy Award nominees in the post.

Smith says he “spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and the complexities of what happened in that moment.”

Will Smith posts emotional apology video for Oscars slap, says Chris Rock is 'not ready' to speak with him
Smith also apologizes to Rock’s mother, family and his brother, Tony Rock, who had starred in the 2007 sitcom All of Us, which was created by Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith (YouTube/WillSmith)

“I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he says.

“There’s no part of me that thinks that is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

Smith adds that it hurts him to know that he didn’t live up to the image people had of him.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Smith also answers the question as to whether or not his wife, after rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke, had asked him to do something in that moment by saying she did not (Getty)

“Disappointing people is my central trauma,” he says.” I hate when I let people down so it hurts.”

Smith directs a message to his supporters, saying he’s committed “to putting light and love and joy into the world.”

“If you hang on I promise we’ll be able to be friends again,” he concludes.

Categories
Sports

‘False news’: Kyle Chalmers rubbishes reports of rift with McKeon, Simpson | Commonwealth Games

Kyle Chalmers says he feels victimized and almost quit swimming because of a media smear campaign based on a fake love triangle.

The Australian swim star has accused media of using him for “clickbait” by publishing stories about his relationships with Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson.

Chalmers and McKeon dated last year but have broken up, with McKeon now the partner of Simpson.

“It’s all just false news that is actually just crap, it’s honestly just a load of shit that is not true,” Chalmers told reporters on Saturday night.

The three swimmers are competing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Chalmers and McKeon won gold as part of Australia’s 4x100m freestyle mixed relay team on Friday night.

But some tabloid reports centered on Chalmers, painted as a jilted lover, supposedly ignoring McKeon in post-race celebrations.

“I definitely said congratulations,” Chalmers said. “If you watch the race back I actually walk up and say good job across the pool.”

McKeon agreed.

“I did [offer congratulations],” she said after winning another gold on Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team.

Chalmers on Saturday night also won gold as part of Australia’s men’s 4x100m freestyle team.

Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson at training in Birmingham on the eve of the Commonwealth Games.
Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson at training in Birmingham on the eve of the Commonwealth Games. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

His swim helped Simpson earn a gold medal too – the celebrity swimmer will get a gold for being a heat swimmer in the event.

“I say good luck to Cody, I say good job to Cody, I sent him a message after the race,” Chalmers said. “I do nothing but be as positive as I possibly can.

“I support him on the team but, again, people just want clickbait on the article. It’s unfortunate that I can’t do anything right at this point in time.

“I think it’s fantastic that he’s here… it’s fantastic for our sport, it brings new viewers in. What he has achieved in two years of swimming is incredible.”

Chalmers said the media attention was impacting his mental health.

“You guys [media] don’t actually realize the impact you have on athletes, when we’re standing up to perform for not only ourselves but our country, you guys can affect a lot,” he said.

“And for me after trials I actually really sat down and assessed if I was going to continue on the sport, because for me I had given everything to this country, I have given everything to my sport … instead of focusing on the positives, you guys want to focus on the negatives again.

“You can try and bring me down all you want but it’s only going to last so long and I will stop talking to the media.”

Categories
Australia

Solomon Islands shell money is the price some grooms still pay for love. But first they have to find the traditional currency

Strings of seashells, coils of red feathers and dolphin teeth are traditional currencies that are used to say “I love you” in parts of the Solomon Islands.

The shells play a significant role in traditional bride price ceremonies, which are used to mark when a woman leaves her family to settle with her husband.

But for Australian-based Solomon Islander Terry Wong, tracking down the shell money for his bride-to-be — my sister Azalea — was no easy feat.

For generations, strings of shells have been used to trade and settle disputes, long before cash was introduced.

Shell money is still used in provinces including Malaita, Makira and Guadalcanal and families often have a treasure box of the currency hidden in their homes.

Piles of shell money on traditional mats.
Ten strings of shells makes one “tafulia’e” and its value varies depending on the length.(Supplied)

Solomon Islands is home to a range of traditional currencies, and some are easier to find than others.

Some provinces use large disc-shaped clam shells called “bakiha”, while others use dolphin teeth or red feather money.

While the red feather money from Santa Cruz Islands in the eastern part of the country is no longer in use after the small scarlet honeyeater bird became difficult to find, dolphin teeth and shell money are still commonly used.

To create shell money, the seashells are broken, smoothed and collected in strings of 10 to form a “tafulia’e”.

The different lengths of string have different value and a single tafulia’e can be worth anywhere between $100 and $500.

Dancing, music and shouting on the big day

Bride price traditional dancing
Traditional dancing is part of farewelling the bride as she begins the next chapter of her life.(Supplied)

On the day of the bride price ceremony, Terry and his family arrive at our home in Honiara in a convoy of vehicles to a chorus of tooting horns, laughing and shouting, and we welcome them with plenty of music and dancing.

It’s a big deal for Azalea’s loved ones, who have come out in large numbers to witness her bride price and farewell her with traditional dances.

Terry’s family bring items to pay the bride price: live pigs, bags of rice, root crops, traditional mats and a small black box of shell money — the most valuable item of all.

“It was a hard time [finding the shell money] but we just endured it,” Terry says.

“It’s for someone I love and also, as shown today, my family loves her too.”

A bride and groom stand together smiling at a bride price ceremony.
The day is filled with cultural exchanges and words of encouragement for the new couple.(Supplied)

Terry’s family is from the province of Temotu in the eastern part of the Solomons. It’s closer to Vanuatu and shell money isn’t part of their culture.

Terry’s grand uncle Solomon Palusi says finding the shell money was “very difficult but wasn’t impossible.”

“We tried our very best to take the shell money.”

It’s for people like Terry that a shop has recently opened in Honiara’s Chinatown, selling shell money for cash, targeting three of the nine provinces in the country that use the traditional currency.

Why is shell money so hard to find?

Shell money shop owner Mary Sifoburi is from Langa Langa in Malaita province, a community known for crafting the currency.

“Basically, the process of making shell money involves 10 steps before the product comes to completion,” Mary says.

The shells are smoothened and ground flat before a small drill is used to create a hole in the center of the shell, and a tuna tin is used as a makeshift scale to weigh them.

A mother and daughter sit outside.  The two women are grinding and drilling shells.
Mary’s sister Angella and their mother Veronica start the long process of making shell money.(ABC News: Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong)

“In the past it would take two to three days because of the manual drill used. But now with the introduction of the new drill, a person can drill three to four tins [worth] per day,” Mary says.

The shells are placed on hot rocks to change color before final grinding is done.

It’s not an easy task and it can take up to two weeks to find a single shell.

Some of the shells used in the shell money making process
The process of making shell money is slow and the shells can be hard to find.(ABC News: Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong)

“There are different kinds of shells involved in the process of shell money, so we have black shells, white shells and red shells,” Mary says.

The harder the shell is to find, the higher the value.

“For now, I can say that the value is based on the people who produce the shells but because right now… we do not have any standard regulations to guide the value of the shells, the prices vary,” she says.

Concerns currency will fall out of circulation

Father of the bride Steve Aumanu has noticed the monetary value of shell money shift over the decades but the cultural value has so far endured the test of time.

“It’s being commercialized, the value of the shell is called by those who produce it and those who are price takers, we don’t have much choice,” he says.

With shell money now so difficult to find and its price increasing, community elders fear it will some day lose its place in the three provinces.

“I don’t know whether it will cease to be recognized but for the time being, the value has been ascending,” Steve says.

A young woman stands with her cousins ​​during a bride price ceremony in Solomon Islands
The bride and her cousins ​​on traditional mats.(Supplied)

Back at the bride price ceremony, the bride stands with her cousins ​​on traditional mats called “kaufe”, which in the Malaitan custom recognizes her leaving her family home with dignity and pride.

An honoring ceremony of Azalea’s closest aunties and grand aunties also takes place where the groom’s side hands over monetary gifts in red envelopes that reflect Terry’s father’s Chinese heritage.

And elderly woman and a man shake hands.
Azalea’s grandmother was among those thanked for helping raise her, as part of the bride ceremony.(ABC News: Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong)

The moment of truth

The most anticipated part of the ceremony comes when the bride’s father either accepts or declines the bride price from the groom’s side — there have been instances where it has been rejected.

But not this time around.

During the ceremony, more than 20 tafulia’e are given to the bride’s father by the groom’s father.

Groom's father passing on the shell money to bride's father at a bride price ceremony.
Waiting to see if the bride price will be accepted is the most anticipated part of the ceremony.(Supplied)

“Traditionally when there’s a marriage ceremony between two people, that’s a significant event in the life of a family or tribe and this one is no different,” Steve says.

“When we are all together to witness, it’s a manifestation of a great valuable cultural undertaking.”

And on the occasion of my sister’s bride price ceremony, the enduring value of the shell money and the traditions that come with it, are clear.

A young woman hugs her father.
Azalea’s father Steve says coming together for the bride price ceremony is a “valuable cultural undertaking.”(Supplied)

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Categories
US

Joe Manchin hails expansive bill he finally agrees to as ‘great for America’ | Joe Manchin

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday hailed the legislation he almost killed off by calling the rewritten bill to pay down US debt and tackle the climate crisis that he finally agreed to last week “great for America”.

Manchin agreed on a deal with Senate majority leader and fellow Democrat Chuck Schumer last Wednesday, announcing an expansive $739bn package, that had eluded them for months, that addresses healthcare and the climate crisis, raising taxes on high earners and corporations and reducing federal debt .

The bill replaces the $3.5tn Build Back Better flagship infrastructure and social support legislation that Manchin crushed last year and the reduced version that suffered a near-death experience just weeks ago after Manchin turned away from that too, after months of negotiations.

The new legislation, now called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, could pass the Senate this week, although it is not a done deal and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has not yet committed. As a budget-related bill, Democrats aim to be able to use the so-called reconciliation process to pass it with a simple majority in the Senate, which would need all 50 Democratic Senators in the 100-seat chamber and the swing vote of US vice-president Kamala Harris to pass.

“I sure hope so,” Manchin told CNN’s State of the Union show on Sunday morning, when asked if the Senate would vote to approve the bill before they go on summer recess at the end of the week.

It’s “a great opportunity. It’s not a Democrat bill, it’s not a Republican bill, it’s definitely not a ‘green’ bill, it’s a red, white and blue bill,” he told host Jake Tapper.

Manchin appeared to walk away from the legislation earlier this month on inflation concerns, enraging supporters of climate action and his own colleagues on Capitol Hill. He has repeatedly thwarted his own party and was seen as jeopardizing world climate goals and, at home, Democratic fortunes in the midterm and 2024 elections, while himself making millions in the coal industry.

He refused to support more funding for climate action and came out against tax raises for wealthy Americans to pay for it.

“There were things in there I considered could be considered inflammatory…inflation is the biggest challenge we have in our country,” he said on Sunday.

Then, I added, “we re-engaged” in negotiations. “I never did walk away,” he said.

There was relief among Democrats and climate experts last week, and a sense of turning a corner if the bill passes, both for climate action and the fortunes of the beleaguered Biden administration.

Manchin hailed US president Joe Biden, even though he won’t say whether he will support him for re-election in 2024.

“You do not do anything of this size without the president,” he said of the bill, adding he was “very grateful” to Biden for his support in the negotiations.

The bill includes $369bn, especially tax credits to encourage renewable energy production that gets the US close to its planet-heating emissions reductions target of a 50% cut by 2030, and support for purchasing electric cars.

Categories
Business

We’re struggling with inflation because we misread the COVID-19 pandemic

So, the economy is rolling on normally until governments suddenly order us to lock down. Obviously, this will involve many people losing their jobs and many businesses losing sales. It will be a government-ordered recession.

Since it’s government-ordered, however, governments know they have an obligation to provide workers and businesses with income to offset their losses. Fearing a prolonged recession, governments spend huge sums and the Reserve Bank cut the official interest rate to almost zero.

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illustrationCredit:Matt Davidson

Get it? This was a government-ordered restriction of the supply of goods and services, but governments responded as though it was just a standard recession where demand had fallen below the economy’s capacity to produce goods and services and needed an almighty boost to get it back up and running.

The rate of unemployment shot up to 7.5 per cent, but the national lockdown was lifted after only a month or two. As soon it was, everyone – most of whom had lost little in the way of income – started spending like mad, trying to catch up.

Unemployment started falling rapidly and – particularly because the pandemic had closed our borders to all “imported labour” for two years – ended up falling to its lowest rate since 1974.

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So, everything in the garden’s now lovely until, suddenly, we find inflation shooting up to 6.1 per cent and headed higher.

What do we do? What we always do: start jacking up interest rates to discourage borrowing and spending. When demand for goods and services runs faster than business’s capacity to supply them, this puts upward pressure on prices. But when demand weakens, this puts downward pressure on prices.

One small problem. The basic cause of our higher prices isn’t excess demand, it’s a fall in supply. The main cause is disruption to the supply of many goods, caused by the pandemic. To this is added the reduced supply of oil and gas and foodstuffs caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. At home, meat and vegetable prices are way up because of the end of the drought and then all the flooding.

Get it? Once again, we’ve taken a problem on the supply side of the economy and tried to fix it as though it’s a problem with demand.

Because the pandemic-caused disruptions to supply are temporary, the Ukraine war will end eventually, and production of meat and veg will recover until climate change’s next blow, we’re talking essentially about prices that won’t keep rising quarter after quarter and eventually should fall back. So surely, we should all just be patient and wait for prices to return to normal.

But it’s our misdiagnosis of the “coronacession” that’s left us with demand so strong it’s too easy for businesses to get away with slipping in price increases that have nothing to do with supply shortages.

Why then are the financial markets and the econocrats so worried that prices will keep rising, we’ll be caught up in a “wage-price spiral” and the inflation rate will stay far too high?

Short answer: because of our original error in deciding that a temporary government-ordered partial cessation of supply should be treated like the usual recession, where demand is flat on its back and needs massive stimulus if the recession isn’t to drag on for years .

If we’d only known, disruptions to supply were an inevitable occurrence as the pandemic eased. What no one foresaw was everyone cooped up in their homes, still receiving plenty of income, but unable to spend it on anything that involved leaving home.

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It was the advent of the internet that allowed so many of us to keep working or studying from home. And it was the internet that allowed us to keep spending, but on goods rather than services. It’s the huge temporary switch from buying services to buying goods that’s done so much to cause shortages in the supply of many goods.

But it’s our misdiagnosis of the “coronacession” – propping up workers and industries far more than they needed to be – that’s left us with demand so strong it’s too easy for businesses to get away with slipping in price increases that have nothing to do with supply shortages.

Now all we need to complete our error is to overreact to the price rises and tighten up so hard we really do have an old-style recession.