Sunday, February 24, 2019

Win At Old Trafford Could See Reds Lift Trophy on May 4

As per a reasonable scenario where they would win 7 of the remaining games (excluding today's result), draw 3 and lose one. City would get the same number of points from its 11 last games but increase its goal difference by an extra 6 goals compared to Liverpool. Should the Reds get only 1 point from Man Utd today they would have to wait for the final match day and hope to at least draw against Wolves at Anfield.

This would essentially bring us back to a situation like the final game of 1988/89 where the Reds needed just one point against Arsenal to win the League but ended up losing the match (they won the title for the last time the following year). If they lose tonight City would win by a better goal difference on May 12. This assumes for example that the Citizens draw at Crystal Palace one of the four teams that have beaten them this season. Not a given.

Hope your heart is in shape. 

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Why Singapore's GDP Per Capita is 2X Japan's



On a PPP basis that is. And more than three times that of Malaysia. So location doesn't explain everything. Making the purchase of cars difficult has helped quite a bit. It was not a bad idea to keep good ties with the British either – something which Mauritius also did – and having the government intervene heavily. 

Friday, February 1, 2019

Massive Irony Lost on Too Many

The Truth and Justice Commission was set up in March 2009 to look at the complex consequences of slavery and indentured labour. The thing is that this happened at a time when trickle-down economics – the closest you can actually get to slavery in a democracy without recall elections and statute referendums – was implemented in Mauritius for the first time. And this happened a bit after new labour laws which many have regarded as being regressive and have been fighting to get repealed since were passed.

Fixing the pain and injustice of the past requires the same two ingredients as good government: money and talent. Money has obviously been in short supply – there was at least Rs300 billion missing in the government till at the end of last year compared to what the flat tax was supposed to bring in – and so has talent. This has led to an expected deterioration of the living conditions of way too many people. Add the massive disappointment with parties that had members of Cabinet over the last 13 years and you have the recipe for another shock general election.