July Sloan has an article in today’s Australian she titles, “Robust views build better debate, so let’s have them“. I don’t mean to quibble but there is plenty of debate, just little engagement. No one who visits this site can be in any doubt that there are critics of economics around as not a few of us here bound into the various inanities that are prevalent everywhere.

I have written books and papers and blog posts about Keynesian economics but no one amongst those economists wishes to take me up on any of it or at least not for the past three years. Even Judy, in her article, never mentions Keynes and Keynesian economics although she lists “the wisdom of the fiscal and monetary policies implemented in the US since the global financial crisis” as her number one problem and uses Paul Krugman as Exhibit A of an engaged economist.

In fact, both so far as politics and policy are concerned, the Keynesians have been routed. I would be glad to hear from any of them who in 2013 would like to repeat in public all of that nonsensical “Keynes the Master” we not so long used to hear about ad nauseum. The stimulus has been an unmitigated disaster everywhere it has been applied with no exception. And slowly everyone is withdrawing the spending (except in the basket case economy of the US), even though all have high rates of unemployment, as they edge their way towards a return to prosperity. From Greece to China, in Australia and across the world, Keynesian theory is dead except in our economics texts.

And it’s not just in macro that the academic world of economics is fading. In my Free Market Economics I go after the marginal revenue-marginal cost analysis as shallow to the point of vacuous. I teach marginal analysis, of course, but heaven forfend that I should inflict any of that on my poor unsuspecting students. I also get not a little vexed about the term “perfect competition” which so far from being perfect (not to mention literally impossible as defined) is the kind of world in which no Microsoft, Apple or BHP could every exist. In my view I teach one of the finest economics courses in the world. But engagement from other economists over anything I write, never a word is said or written.

And then again re Keynes, I have written in a published article how he poached immense amounts from others in putting together The General Theory. No one has ever written a reply. I bring it up in conversations and no one even thinks even to attempt to rebut what I say. Try this on yourself if you are an economist. The term “Say’s Law” and the phrase “supply creates its own demand” are not classical in origin. Both are twentieth century, the first entering into common discourse in 1921 and the second first found in a book published in 1933 which Keynes is absolutely 100% certain to have read while writing The General Theory. So how did they get into the book? You tell me without having to acknowledge that there are things about how The General Theory was written that I know and no one else does or if they do know feel free to ignore.

And lastly, as far as individuals declaring themselves Democrat or Republican in the US, everyone registers with one side or the other so that they can vote in the primaries.