“Economics is like a tyre lever: it can be used to solve a problem, or to beat someone over the head” -- Richard Denniss

Laura Tingle will be joining us for Politics in the Pub to launch Richard Denniss' new book Econobabble: How to Decode Political Spin and Economic Nonsense.

What is econobabble? We hear it every day, when public figures and commentators use incomprehensible economic jargon to dress up their self-interest as the national interest, to make the absurd seem inevitable or the inequitable seem fair. This book is designed to expose the stupid arguments, bizarre contradictions and complete lack of evidence upon which much ‘common sense’ about the economy rests in Australia.

Econobabble is for those who, deep down, have never believed that it makes sense, economic or otherwise, to help poor people by slashing public spending on the services they need. It’s for those who have a sneaking suspicion that it would be cheaper to avoid the effects of climate change than to let them happen and then ‘adapt’. And it’s for those who think it would be more efficient to reduce unemployment than to ship jobs offshore or blame those who are out of work.

Richard Denniss will be signing books on the night, and you'll be able to pick up a copy of Econobabble if you haven't already.