Friday, August 30, 2013

 

Why vote Labor on 7th September 2013

Introduction

I am a unaffiliated with any political party. Here I argue why we should vote Labor in the coming election (7th September 2013).

Most Australians prefer Labor

More Australians vote Labor than for the conservative Liberals (Libs) and National (Nats) parties. Neither the Libs nor the Nats can form government in their own right; so they have long since agreed a power sharing deal (Libs-Nats) to deny the majority of Australians their preference. This alone, gives the lie to Tony Abbott's criticism of the Gillard Government's agreement with the Greens and Independents which enabled Labor to form government in 2010. Like all such criticisms from Tony's lips, it is a pure canard, a device to deceive us. Remember that Tony himself also tried to negotiate such an agreement but failed. And it cut him deeply that a woman, Julia Gillard, was such a superior negotiator.

Remember also Tony's ambition. He said he'd do anything but sell his arse to have Gillard's job. Here we have a simple pointer to his character. His ambition is so strong that he would would do anything, and proceeded with a long cmapiagn to trash not only the Government but also our economy. Tony never sought to strengthen the economy, to win the right to govern by solving the problems he perceived, but by trashing our Prime Minister, gutlessly sotto vocce across the Parliaments Table, insulting her and us, by talking the economy down, sowing seeds of fear and doubt in our minds. Is this the kind of perosn, we want to be our Prime Minister; and do we really want the politicians who so carefully elect him to represent their values, to be their leader, their messiah, to win  Government for the next three years?

Nonetheless despite everything that Tony and Company threw at Labor, his gutless sotto vocce taunts across the table in Parliament, Juilia Gillard bested him. Her government passed bill after bill in a hung parliament; some of them the greates reforms in Australian history even in History period.

The success of  Rudd-Gillard Labor in Government is why we should vote Labor into office for a third time. Especially since there is so much at stake, especially since Tony's Libs-Nats will strive to undo Labor's NBN, education, disability workplace reforms.

Despite its shortcomings, Labor serves the Australian Society better than the Libs-Nats. Setting aside their treatment of Asylum seekers, Labor has always been far more humane, inventive and creative than the Conservatives/Tories.

Labor sees beyond the short term monetary bottom line whereas the Libs-Nats do not. Labor aims to achieve multiple socio-economic objectives whereas the Libs-Nats just want the money. Labor's vision is 3D and the Libs/Nats' 2D. 

Labor takes direct action to improve the wealth/quality of life of all of us, whereas the Libs-Nats take direct action to improve the monetary bottom line. Labor invests, the Libs-Nats disinvest.

Labor manages the economy of the whole whereas the Libs-Nats manage the accounts of the parts. In this, the Labor way is the right way; the whole is always more than the sum of its parts. Every time I have examined a public sector development project,  "whole of system" options  have resulted in far greater life long economic returns than component options.

"The Coalition will continue to declare: “You can trust us with the economy. We ran things well before.” Don’t believe them. They didn’t. They were, in fact, utterly incompetent." http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/we-really-must-talk-about-the-howard-and-costello-economic-disaster/
Abott and Company are telling us that they will tax Australia less. Well apparently thats a "whopper". In fact Abbott is planning to ".... impose new taxes, increase taxes and eliminate tax breaks .... to cover the cost of the taxes he's geting rid of and ..to help pay for his new spending promises ..:

  • a 1.5% levy on big companies to cover the net additional cost of hispaid parental leave scheme
  • a 0.5% increase in ALL rates of income tax to help cover the national disability insurnace schem
  • ending the instant assett write-off 
  • removing accelerated depreciation for motor vehicles
  • ending the phase-down of interest witholding tax on financial institutions and
  • ending the "Tax loss carry-back"

See: Why taxes would rise under Abbott" Ross Gittins. Business Day SMH 28 September 2013

Labor successfully managed the economy to minimise the impacts of the GFC on all Australians. Abbot and Company opposed the stimulus and have ever since trashed the Australian economy with the assistance of the Murdoch press and the "radio shock jocks" Yet the Rudd-Gillard Governments have won high praise internationally and the Australian ecomomy is one of the worlds strongest; witness the current historically low interest, unemployment and inflation rates.

The great socio-economic reforms have all been initiated by Labor; consider education, industrial relations, economics, health care, social infrastructure, basic wage, social justice; and our very human rights and freedoms. The Rudd-Gillard Governments continued that tradition. And true to their much vaunted DNA, in every case, the Libs-Nats have opposed those reforms and sought to roll them back; Abbot and Company seek to continue their tradition of resistance to advanced socio-ecomonic reforms; it is, as they boast, in their DNA.

Why is this? Well perhaps it really is the DNA. Labor arose from the populace and thus has a far more diverse soci-economic base. The Libs-Nats base is the much narrower base of business which, naturally, believes that our economy should be run much like a business. They also believe that they are the natural leaders; as putative business leaders they think that they have a modern version of the divine right.

The problem with the business model is that business has one 'simple-simon' objective of maximising the monetary bottom line.

Thus the business CEO seeks to minimise costs and maximise profits and the monetary dividend else they fear the sack. Costs are minimised by massive cost shifting in which a business avoids paying the full costs of production by shifting the burden on to the community. This same principle underpins the Libs/Nats accounting; they seek to shift costs from the Government's Accounts to our accounts; witness, for example, the Libs-Nats' NBN fibre to the node policy: the costs from node to home are shifted to the user; this is an accounting, not an economic manoeuvre. The result will be massively increased costs to the economy as a whole. Cost shifting is a very common account based management device of business and also regrettably, Government Departments; it is antithetical to the Nation's economy.

In this 2013 election Labor has been transparent in displaying its policies, costs and benefits. Not so the Libs-Nats. The Libs-Nats are being very opaque, very shifty indeed. Replay the Sinodinos interview, ABC News, Mid-day, Saturday 31 August:
  • the Libs/Nats will not display their costings and budget bottom line,  until the 11th hour, 
  • all commitments are off; 
  • every thing will be reviewed and revised after the election. 

So, what can we expect from Labor and the Libs-Nats in government, post 2013?

Social Justice, economics

Libs-Nats
  • Return to 19th century ideas: Government getting out of the way; Adam Smith, Milton Friedman et.al;  if the private industry isn't doing it then government shouldn't (more or less); witness the Libs-Nats NBN policy; they believe in the so called free-market, progress through let it rip competition not collaboration, co-operation or partnering; a world of free-wheelers, spseudo entrepreneurialism; de-regulation (code for return to the bad old days). Look at the low wage societies of USA and Asia for a picture of what it would be like; do you really want those kinds of societies, their vast rich-poor gaps. 
Labor
  • A partnership between the public and private sectors; partnership between Labour and Capital, employers and employees; a managed economy for the benefit of all in our society.

Education

Libs-Nats
  • More public funding to the Private Sector hence less to Public Sector
  • Increased user pays fees and charges to Public Sector education at all levels
Labor
  • Funding according to need at all levels of the system regardless of sector

Health Insurance

Libs-Nats
  • More public funding to the Private Sector profit based companies and hence less to Public Sector
  • Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme DisabilityCare; DentiCare weakened; 
Labor
  • More to Public Sector than Private Sector. 
  • Medicare and PBS strengthened
  • Implementation of Disability Care, DentiCare

Health Service Delivery

Libs-Nats
  • Reduction of Public Sector; increase in Private Sector businesses subsidised by Government
  • Weakening of Medicare Locals  hence community health service provision
  • Local Hospitals Boards; (this risks huge wastage and unsafe care)
Labor
  • Improved planning, and management of health service provision.
  • Strengthening of community health services - Medicare Locals
  • Extension of Medicare to cover DentiCare

Communications

Libs-Nats

  • NBN to the node somewhere. Consumers pay for node to home.
Labor
  • NBN to the home

Transportation

Libs-Nats
  • more investment in roads than public transport
Labor
  • more investment in public transport than roads

Employment

Libs-Nats
  • see what the LNP is doing to Queensland's economy ""Unemployment soars in Queensland to 10-year high of 6.4 per cent.." Courier Mail July 12 2013
  • "International ratings agency Fitch has downgraded the Queensland Government's credit rating.... from AA-plus to AA ..". ABC News Sep 13 2013
Labor


  • Australias unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.7% in July 2013 in both seasonally adjusted and trend terms. 6202.0 Labour Force Australia July 2013. ABS.
    • Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has reaffirmed Australia's AA credit rating. SMH July 18 2013
    • And Australia's productivity has increased under Labor 






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    Saturday, August 03, 2013

     

    Asylum seekers and the Australian response

    The year is 2013. Asylum seekers continue to come to Australia by ramshackle boats, mostly from Indonsesia. This has been happening for more than a decade. The flow has been variable but is a much greater volume now than hitherto. And in all this time, Australian Governments formed variously by the members of two clubs, the Liberal / National Party Coalition and the Australian Labor Party have been unable to do other than play to the ugly and ignorant xenophobe in our midst.

    Bereft of any morality in this matter, for more than a decade, our political elite, by definition the members of the Australian Parliament governing in turn, have led us into a most dreadful place. Each and every Australian has been and is disgraced by the Governments led by Howard, Rudd and Gillard since 1966. Many of us thought we had emerged from that darkness long ago.

    Well, Howard, Rudd andGillard and their ministers may lead their teams and the members of their clubs but I don't follow them; they are not my leaders. In this matter, I oppose their decisions, I oppose their ethics, I oppose their moralities. I oppose their false arguments. I abhor their demonising of my fellow humans. I abhor their denial, to the most vulnerable people, of the most fundamental human rights. I abhor their imprisonment without trial of people who are not charged with any crime. On this issue I regard their Governments with contempt.

    The difference between the Morrison-Abbot-Bishop triumvirate's treatment of our refugees and Hitler's -and other governments in times past - treatment of the Jewish peoples is just a matter of degree. What is the distinction? That we are not so brutal, do not kill, do not torture? Not so brutal? Do not torture? Really? Consider the latter again and tell me that indefinite detention - that is, the denial of a future, and the denial of human rights in the most isolate parts of the world - is not a torture. And answer this: would you find it acceptable that your family, your grandmother, mother, father, wife, sister child should be so treated if they they presented to say, North Korea? And how many of our imprisoned refugees have to suicide before the Gaoler-Government can be called to account? You may consider this a bit extremene, but I see it as a matter of degree only; the outcome is the same, the only difference lies only in the numbers and that they died by their own hand.

    I call upon the present and future Australian Governments to cease and desist;  to adopt a policy of doing no more harm; to accept refugees into our midst and afford them the same rights as other members of the Australian community; to work with Indonesia and other source countries to find other ways of stopping human trafficing; to apply the highest principles and ethics of our society to the policy and processes of managing this matter. If the Government could do that that, Australia would be a better place; indeed, to all those who worry about the effects which the above would have on the "economic bottom" line,  the trusth is well known, asylum seekers contribute to our economy as effectively or better than rest of us - google the issue, read the analyses of the Australian Department of Immigration and others;  not only would our economy be bigger, we would regain our self respect and who knows, Members of Pariliament may again be worthy of their honorific.

    Post script: we worry about what will replace the 'mining investment boom' here is the answer: immigration; consider the work which flows from housing a productive population influx.

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