Mark Textor on the requirements of a leader and other news and views

Why modern leaders need more than bold vision - Mark Textor writes: "...  any politician who has an expectation that they should be able to spruik, unfiltered, to the mass public, is kidding themselves. And they are delusional if they think the public “jury” assesses them on their words alone anyway. Framing the debate is still important, and rhetorical prowess is always a good skill to have on the hustings; I’d rather be advising a candidate who is comfortable debating a point than one who can’t string two words together. But it is not enough. More than ever, as voters have become more media-savvy, and more adept at deconstructing “political-speak”, we are entering a period of evidentiary politics."

U.S. Will Track Secret Buyers of Luxury Real Estate - Concerned about illicit money flowing into luxury real estate, the Treasury Department said Wednesday that it would begin identifying and tracking secret buyers of high-end properties. ... It is the first time the federal government has required real estate companies to disclose names behind all-cash transactions, and it is likely to send shudders through the real estate industry, which has benefited enormously in recent years from a building boom increasingly dependent on wealthy, secretive buyers.

Towards a global narrative on long-term real interest rates - Interest rates have been unusually low for a long time. This column suggests that persistent global trends – in particular demographics and shifts in preferences – are the culprits and they are unlikely to unwind anytime soon. The implication is that the global rate will remain low, perhaps settling at or below 1% in the medium to long run. The zero lower bound looks set to frequently constrain monetary policy in the years ahead.

Rupert Murdoch Is Marrying A Climate Hawk

Sexual Attacks Widen Divisions in European Migrant Crisis - “This has been the elephant in the room that no one is prepared to acknowledge — that the great fear is the fear of Islam,” said Alexander Betts, director of the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford.

Where Police Violence Encounters Mental Illness - There are two simultaneous national crises — one of police violence and the other of inadequate mental health treatment — and we are making a mistake if we focus blame only on the police. They have become, by default, the way in which our society chooses to deal with people with mental illness in crisis, particularly in poor and minority communities. We need also to address the declining state of mental health services across the country.
The Long Journey To Nauru - 30 years ago, it would have been unthinkable to Australians that they would lock up men, women and children without charge, in conditions likened to a concentration camp. And yet, here we are. In this special feature, Julie Macken charts the course that made Australia an international pariah for its treatment of the world’s most vulnerable people – those seeking asylum.

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