One aspect of this campaign that has staggered me is the falsehoods peddled regarding the interest rate question.

From my point of view, it is Economics 101 to suggest that supply is pretty much fixed at the moment (skills shortage, relatively full employment). As a result, throwing truckloads of money at the economy, thereby increasing demand can only push prices up.

And the interest rate thing has become pretty easy to predict these days. Inflation flirts with 3%, interest rates go up - game over.

Would be nice to hear some more sophisticated economic debate al la the 80s. A few questions I’d start with:

• How much money needs to be pumped into the supply bit of the economy to increase productive capacity, and therefore remove the danger of price rises?
• Where is this money best spent? Is it skills as a primary goal, then broadband? Is it roads and rail?
• How long will this take to have an effect?
• Why aren’t we holding off on some of the tax cuts and increases in non-infrastructure spending until the productive capacity is increased?

There are people out there who know the answers to these questions. I’m just not sure how many of them are standing for office.