Innovation

A great article on innovation by Terry Cutler in Crikey today - here. I had a few other words to say about innovation last year.

It's scary that the nation and the vast majority of our people and politicians and so-called leaders seem to just bumble along - all living on the wealth generated from the mining boom. Because that is what has been happening for quite a while now.

We had a lucky escape from the full impact of the GFC and most of us didn't even seem to notice. The thing about living in "The Lucky Country" is that eventually our luck will run out. I suspect that it already has - it's just that we haven't noticed yet.

Two things define for me how dumb this "lucky country - she'll be right" attitude is.

* The housing bubble which just about everyone (except Steve Keen) seems to think is a permanent paradigm shift and;

* The acquisition by many people of truck like 4wd's for their daily transport.

These two things symbolise our national stupidity identity. They should be on the national flag and displace skippy and his mate from our coinage ;-)

We have been madly pouring our resources into a housing bubble that has the potential to decimate the personal wealth of a large number of our citizens - when it goes *poof*. What then Virginia?

For nearly a decade we have been ignoring productive business investment and hoping to get rich quick by buying jerry built McMansions and on-selling them to other gullible bogans.

And the inconvenient truth is that most of us know we are severely impacting the planet but we have such a cavalier attitude that we don't seem to care about that - and continue to acquire monster fuel guzzling vehicles as if there was no tomorrow. Perhaps there isn't.

And Terry Cutler wants to see some more innovation - it won't happen here mate because we just aren't clever enough.