Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston |
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It's Time
As the dust settles on Labor's federal problems, at least for a while, am left in recollection of a comment I left here a week or two ago, contemplating upon the ineffectuality of the Abbott Opposition, even at Labor's worst moments.
This week parliament has resumed, yet nothing relevent seems to issue forth from the opposition, to my thinking.
Scott Morrison's grubby asylum seeker comments, the attempts to bag Defence Minister Smith for his attempts to draw the armed forces out some of its more primitive traits and the nonsenses about gun battles in Sydney's west ( a state issue, surely?) were an instant turn-off: there must be a milion relevant issues for them offer ideas up about?
But this was only superficial to even greater absurdities, this time opposition to the mining tax, designed to be used to help businesses in the rest of the economy stave of some the problems that have arisen for Australians, through the high dollar, through marginal tax cuts.
The weird thing is that Abbott opposes the company tax cut, but opposes the mining tax. Apart from the weirdness of the ideological implications here, how is right to keep taxes high for struggling employers, yet not tax a an industry rolling in money?
As it happens the Greens will combine with the Coalition to block corporate tax cuts, for far different reasons than the opposition, but ultimately the deal will be that small business is not penalised.
But without the mining tax, how can Abbott pay for his maternity scheme and maintain adequate government spending in other areas. If local business have to lay off workers because of uncompetitiveness,how this be anything but a strain on the economy?
Don't forget, he also wants to be shot of the carbon tax, because he is a flat earth climate change denialist, rather than for a better more rational reason.
I guess for me, the question is, how can the coalition continue to present as an alternative government , running on a heady dose of Abbottist illogic?
MalcolmTurnbull at least makes sense when he talks of tax cuts and the like (eg falls in revenue during harder times) and the lost of directedness as to vast amounts of money that could be employed to set the country up should harder times come, and for his troubles he's been assailed by various Tory columnists for not going along with American style quack economic remedies of the sort that have left America in such a mess, as the 1% socialise corporate debt and privatise wealth- "free markets" bunkum.
I sincerely doubt whether Turnbull is a raging trot, but he at least sounds comparatively rational when holding forth on these things.
Why won't the Coalition do themselves a favour , by replacing the scatty Abbott and his religious fundy mates for Turnbull, who is as narcissistic as any of them, but at least still seems rational?
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Pea and thimble, smoke and mirrors..
Another antic the Australian community are to be subjected to is the Pacific Free Trade Treaty negotiations, to be held largely in secret, if Christine Milne and her site and other sites are correct.
Am moved to comment on this, on Richard's ETS observation but am disappointed of course, the Chaser team has been driven off the ABC, so there will be no cavalcade this time.
Marilyn 's comment also. Marilyn realised a long time ago that the detention of boat asylum seekers provides marvellous opportunities for offshore corporations like Wackenhut and Serco and like Richard grasps that the main purpose of the Australian community is to operate as a cash cow for offshore corporations largely involved in the merchandising of snake oil.
Am just listening to the tyro Senator from NSW, Bob Carr, delivering his maiden speech before the august body of the Australian Senate. He is delivering a rational comment on global warming in contrast to his immediate predecessor, Sen Matthias Corman, who was disturbed that mining magnates should cough up a few billion on a mining tax, despite these being nurtured to undreamed of opportunites in the very bosom of one of the world's advanced democracies.
But beyond this, one worries.
Why are trade negotiations negotiated in, and the results largely kept secret, if international business practice is in step with humanitarian social and ecological concerns.
Surely, "reform" in this context means closing loopholes of the sort that have had LYNAS rare earths processing with its toxic byproducts moved to heavy populated Malaysia from its source out in the WA desert; surely a safer place for integrated mining and processing.
Currently, it seems, the plant goes to Malaysia, gerry-built with little concern for safety and ecological concerns, arguably to save a few bob for the company. Arguably this occurs because of current trade treaties health and safety factors are now subservient to the whims of corporations and others will point out that poor countries with corrupt governments will bow to corporate pressure under circumstances of economic necessity.
The issue for me is, if there is nothing to hide in these treaties, why are the contents hidden?
Perhaps it is more to the point perhaps alluded to by Prof John Quiggin, at his site, concerning the attempt of the US on behalf of US pharmaceuticals to in effect dismantle Australia's superior health system to enable another rigged market for companies posing as medicines manufactures who are actually rent-seekers.
Quiggin appears to be suggesting that the current negotiations will be not so much about fair, rational free and open trade, as an attempt by the US to wipe out anomalies in previous treaties, bought about by resistance to the worst excesses of virtual gunboat diplomacy.
The new treaty in effect apparently supercedes the AUSFTA as to things like drugs and gas fracking offshore companies, as concerns the relative inputs, for fair reasons, of local communities and the narrow interests of off shore corporations.
Once again I ask, if free trade treaties are such marvels, why the secrecy?
The treatment of Craig Thomson
Now borders on persecution as he has not been found to have done anything remotely criminal, has been charged with no crime, found guilty of no crime and yet the media go on and on an on and on even when he is bloody sick.
They need to leave him alone.
Gough was the last great brain
Where the rot came from
The ancient Athenians invented direct democracy. We have what we call representative democracy, but is it democracy at all? Is it democracy when it creates a caste of superiors who scheme to get re-elected and then receive large payments from us to scheme among themselves, play the silly game that is politics at our cost, and when they have amply demonstrated in all fields including foreign affairs that Marilyn Shepherd's description of them as mental pygmy ants is accurate?
An important difference, apart from direct voting on issues, was that the Athenian leaders were elected from the citizenry, but they were elected not by the citizens voting for candidates, but by lot.
Election of our representatives and ministers by lot would give them total independence from all the interested parties who want to manipulate politics and policitians for their own ends.
And the draw would be much cheaper than elections.
It would be like being called up for jury service, except that one would be called up to sit one term in parliament and draw a parliamentarian's salary for that term, and one of us would be called up to serve one term as prime minister.
The worst that could happen is that some of the people elected by lot would be mental pygmy ants. On the other hand, the calibre of ministerial advisers would improve.
Our pretend democracy was invented by people who were afraid of democracy, whose principal concern was to protect property.
Goes to show what a load of bull it all is
Years of crap, from the orignial thoughts of an ETS onwards, lead to last night:s whimper-not-a-bang. Fankly, I'm over this game.
So, it would seem, is Slipper. I enjoyed yesterday's Question Time. All those games under Jenkins are being tossed out the political window.
gobsmacked
And the Senate has passed the mining tax, but Abbott promises to rescind it, should he gain government
Any suggestion as to why Abbott would think this promise to be a vote grabber at next poll day?