Archives for January 2015

Why would you still vote for him?

January 27, 2015 by James J. Morrison W.G. Dupree Leave a Comment

Yes it’s odd, isn’t it? I read as many as 28% preferred him as PM ???????
I understand the top 1% supporting coalition government objectives (i.e. Murdoch, Rinehart, Triguboff, Lowy, Forest, Packers, Pratt, Lew & other executives, etc.). They are after all a party of primary support for the wealthy. I can comprehend the top 10% on the economic scale supporting the government financially (i.e. Property & Land Developers, Construction groups, Software & telecommunications, Media, Betting, Agriculture, Food, Banks, Mining & Oil companies, large Retailers and even large right-wing churches, etc), assuming they have no social conscience. As this is a government that pays back its supporters by supporting their financial interests. Look at the intricate web of scandals with ICAC over Developer’s bribes to Liberal party members. So this support for Abbott reaching in the top 10% financially enriched of the population, holds some degree of objectivity from a self-interested perspective. There are people associated with or in this group who, rightly or wrongly, believe there is a trickle-down effect, or have aspirations of becoming part of that 1% demographic, whose financial interests would be served, were they to reach that point. Again, self-interested parties predominately. Understandably perhaps they believe in Tony Abbott’s Australia.

Conservative following

To they for whom take pride in being unengaged

There is a portion of people either from the aforementioned families or belonging to a conservative ideological perspective, who follow in their family’s footsteps and are largely influenced – for reasons little else then – this is the way they have always voted. There is no particular strength of intellectual inquiry involved in that decision. They are more probably disengaged with politics completely, and some take pride in doing so. Of course, this latter type of group belongs to both sides of the political divide. And speaking of the political divide, there are they that swung their vote to the Liberals because of the dysfunction and corruption within the Labour Party. (Given the size of the swing against the Liberals in the last few State Elections, it is probably safe to assume the vast majority of these have regretted their choice.) It’s hard to guess what percentage these disengaged voters are represented by, that still support Liberals but most polls show ambivalent and undecided voters as small single digit figures.

Economic under-performance

It is hard to imagine what other elements of the population that the liberal party serves. Their record after one year of the “Adults” being in charge, is dismal. It is, in fact, severely under-performing. Economically, consumer and business confidence has slumped as Westpac continues to advise. The decline in the Aussie Dollar (the lowest since 2010) and the “weak pace of growth momentum” and “sharp declines in the term of trade” still concern our Bankers such as Westpac. The value of the all ordinaries on the Australian Stock Exchange has fallen and consumer confidence has collapsed. Unemployment is at the highest level in a decade and the government debt has doubled. Let’s not even discuss the false budget emergency or the cuts suffered by everything from the ABC to our children’s education or the removal of major revenue streams (mining & carbon taxes – around 6.5 billion) including the failure to collect taxes from 30% of the countries largest companies. The Hockey budget wanted cuts suffered by everything from the ABC & SBS (despite promises to the contrary) thru CSIRO and science funding (which contribute 145 billion to our economy each year), our aged pensioners and all the way down to our children’s education, medication, disability and legal protection. Of course the continued UNCUT subsidisation of mining & fossil fuels, wealthy superannuation packages, negative gearing, religious organisations (Catholics) could have killed off the “emergency deficit”.

Having a quick look at the list, there are lots of areas we can whittle a bit off here or there to find some slack that doesn’t involve penalizing the poorest amongst us:

excessive tax cuts to richest –> $15.8 billion (per year unless stated otherwise)
fossil fuel subsidies –> 10 billion
superannuation tax concessions –> $36 billion in FY15
capital gains tax discount on home –> $19 billion to FY18
capital gains tax discounts for individuals and trusts –> $28.3 billion in FY18
imputed rent exemptions –> 9.6 billion in FY12
mining industry subsidies –> 4.5 billion (fuel $2 billion)
negative gearing –> 6.4 billion
first home vendors grants –> 1 billion
private education –> 7 billion ($36 billion over 09-13)
private health insurance rebate –> 5 billion ($2 billion in 1999)
housing 2500 boat asylum-seekers overseas instead of in Australia –> 4 billion.
religious organisations –> 40 billion (2008 best estimate of $31bn + CPI)

Instead, Abbott removes the much smaller subsidisation of the car industry which generated 200,000 jobs and $30 billion into our economy, to allow the Chinese & Japanese vehicle manufacturers to dominate our transport markets – which oddly Abbott is so fond of as a means of transportation.

Who’s left to vote?

So the quandary one has to ask oneself is, why is there close to 28% of the population (aside from certainly the top 1% and maybe as much as 10% of income earners, which I do understand) feel the need to vote against their own best interests. What is the intellectual process – if there is any – that occurs for these people that encourage them to continue in their current voting pattern, given the manner in which the political process has mismanaged the social & financial economy this year. Is it merely a matter of ignorance about the state of the nation or misdirection by right wing oligopolies that control the media? (i.e. Murdock) Surely they can’t all be fascists, OR racist OR angry unemployed bogans raging against the perception that jobs are being taken by foreign nationalities & refugees OR the pretentious bourgeoisie of prosperity doctrine bound right-wing church demographics that rage against the sins of left-wing thinkers who support gays, indigenous people, refugees, disabled folk and the rights of women. Is this from what the remaining approaching 18% of Tony Abbott’s support is constructed? Is this a situation resolved by education & rational discussion or are these entrenched values of this group beyond the possibility of rethinking their values? As higher education grows more swiftly beyond the reach of the hoi polloi because of progressive deregulation of the education market, is entrenched ignorance and resilient attitudes of folk who feel the need to “Reclaim Australia” the future support of the Liberal Party?

Whats for dinner?

January 26, 2015 by James J. Morrison W.G. Dupree 1 Comment

We the people of Australia elected Tony Abbott to be our chosen and democratically elected leader because we trusted him with the role of representing both us to the world and the ideology we would be guided by! ….. <sigh> …..Perhaps next time we’ll take seriously politics instead of having some perverse pride in being “Aussie” and apolitical. Instead, guided by three word slogans, family influences, uninformed opinions, Murdocks papers (despite many of you being acutely aware of his bias) many made the decision with as much thought you give to what you’re going to have for dinner. Almost unbelievably, surveys have shown many voters make up their mind on the day of voting. Many folk, like far too many Australians, feel you shouldn’t get involved in politics or make a stand for a more egalitarian society. The perception of a need to be “apolitical” dominates our thinking like a slow acting Cancer. By the time you realise the disease needs to be acted on, it has eaten away most of you leaving you wasted and without resource to fight. But after this Australia Day we have found some energy. What is interesting in the energy of reactions to disrupting our education, health, climate response, taxation, treatment of the poor & refugees, electricity prices, Welfare, regulation, expert advisory panels, transport and science funding, industrial relations, employment and etc have not matched that generated by giving a foreigner a knighthood. This act of knighting a Prince is what get’s up our goat. It’s all too hard to think about, isn’t it! So what’s for dinner?

https://independentaustralia.net/australia/australia-display/pm-abbott-awards-imperial-bauble-to-prince-philip-time-to-end-the-farce,7298

So what is disturbing is the suggestion that 3 marginal seats have shown little reactions to disrupting our education, health, climate response, taxation, treatment of the poor & refugees, electricity prices, Welfare, regulation, expert advisory panels, transport and science funding, industrial relations, employment and etc but may, in fact, be disturbed by Abbott giving a foreigner a knighthood? Am I the only one that finds that a completely out of proportion reaction? Is it something so bloody inconsequential to Australian’s lifestyle and ethics, that is likely to turn people around?

Angus Cattle

January 25, 2015 by James J. Morrison W.G. Dupree Leave a Comment

Angus Houston ( former RAAF) became head of the ADF under Howard in 2005. He distinguished himself by recommending to the Gillard government that Nauru and Manus Island be reopened. He continued distinguishing himself by never challenging Abbott and Morrison on Nauru and Manus and then further distinguished himself through a futile and extraordinarily expensive search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 plane long after there was any hope of recovery of anything worth the expense. It did allow Abbott to take credit for falsely giving hope to Chinese audiences that its location was to be discoverable. Then there are questions as to how he was involved in the secret pact between members of the Joint Investigation Team examining the downed Flight MH17. Another matter full of evidential discrepancies and hidden truths as to whom was responsible for its destruction. He appears to excel at being of service to the government in dubious circumstances. I have watched his near silent acquiesce to Morrison’s shameless exploitation of refugees when broadcast on the ABC. He only speaks to parrot his master’s comments about “on water matters”. Thin on substance and a strength of character obvious to any audience watching him. One wonders if “Sir Angus of On-water Matters” will answer any questions at all during any press conference about his Knighthood being awarded by Abbott. I assume his knighthood was being awarded for his continued sycophancy to the government’s will, no matter the moral ambiguity of his role in it. He’ll just shuffle along with the rest of the cattle in the Conservative pens.

But let’s be fair, he isn’t doing anything we in Australia aren’t doing. It isn’t that unusual at all. Most of us are just as happy to continue our sycophancy to the government’s will and direction, no matter our personal moral ambiguity and complacency. We are all just glad to chew the chud and follow the herd. Why stick your neck out in this day and age? Angus is no different to the majority of us; he just received an award for it. Half his luck!

Prisoners of War

January 2, 2015 by James J. Morrison W.G. Dupree 1 Comment

Australia as a land of a fair go has had its fair share of Prisoners. Let’s face it that’s all we were to start with, a prison colony! So you’d think with that past we’d know how to treat prisoners. You’d think that if we set up detention centres for people we had to hold for one reason or another, there would be a historical preference for not being the complete bastards the English were to us. And in fact if you look at the guidelines for treating prisoners, you’d have to say, they get a fair go.

Australia’s Treatment of Prisoners

“GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PRISONERS” from the Australian Department of Justice.
“Correctional services in Australia seek to improve and maintain the safety of and confidence in the correctional system by managing prisoners consistently and with reference to the guiding principles that prisoners are:

Managed and contained in a safe, secure, humane manner.
Managed equitably, with recognition of their diverse needs.
Actively engaged to make positive behaviour change (inclusive of accessing intervention programmes, education, vocational education and work opportunities) with the aims of preparing them for their participation in and return to the community, as well as reducing re-offending behaviour.
Provided opportunity to make reparation to the community.
Managed consistent with the Acts and Regulations applicable to each jurisdiction, and the sentences and requirements imposed by the Courts.
Held at a level of security which is commensurate with the level of risk posed by that prisoner.
Where practicable, placed in correctional facilities with a regard to their community of interest and other support needs.
Supervised fairly and consistently with the aims of encouraging positive behaviours and maintaining security.
Provided with access to health care, to the same standard as in the community, in response to need, with an appropriate range of preventative services, and promoting continuity with external health services upon release.”

What we do in order to stop the Boats — What we do to stop the Boats

Now given that is how we are supposed to treat thieves, murderers and rapists in our community. Compare any of these requirements with what we treat people who have done nothing illegal and merely run away from people who act in the same manner as they which we deem imprisonable! We refer to these INNOCENT people as Refugees! We hold them for months if not years in multiple Gulags run by our country both inside and outside of Australia for longer than any nation who is a signatory to the Refugee convention does. During that time we abuse and mistreat them in a manner that would remind our diggers (if they were/are alive to witness our actions) of how another nation once treated them as prisoners of war. Certainly not the way we civilizedly treat our real criminals. We do this in the name of “stopping the boats” so they don’t drown. Really? We are concerned that they don’t drown? Well, how do other nations who are concerned that refugees don’t drown act?

This article (below) spoke of how Refugees are treated in other countries – not quite as evil and bigoted as us – and delivered to Gallipoli. That country ring a bell with anyone? Perhaps were we allegedly once fought for the freedom of ….. Umm … forget it; I’m sure such principles are long lost in this country … <sigh>.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/italy-saves-970-asylumseekers-abandoned-at-sea-20150101-12ga0r.html