So, it's Black Friday already ....

[Matilda]

can't describe how depressed I am about Howard's total control. I
could accept your average conservative, even though I wouldn't like
it, but I really hate what this ugly little man is doing to my
country.

Playing on people's prejudices, appealing to the very worst in human
nature - and to see it working just disgusts and depresses me. All
week, I've thought I'd post on some topic, and then I find myself
thinking, what the hell, we can't do anything anyway. Australia
has got what it wanted.

And unfortunately, while I don't have much time for Mark Latham,
I think there was more than a bit of truth in what he had to say
about Labor. There's no way that Beazley is ever going to make a
dent in Howard's armour. I think those people who say any revolt
will come from Liberal wets are right - Labor has lost its fire, and
there just aren't enough Greens to make a difference - yet.

[shraby]

1. We feel your pain...we have Bush a bird

of a similar stripe.

[patrice]

2. Does seem like Labor need Viagara these days,

here in the US too. Sad to say.

[charlyvi]

3. You get used to it.

You don't LIKE it, but you get used to it.

[gemini_liberal]

4. I was upset when they won re-election easily,

but I actually cried when I found out they would either control the Senate or the Fundamentalist First Party would hold the balance - the first time an election result has ever made me cry. Coward is the most radical Prime Minister we have ever had, and now he can do whatever the fuck he wants. Some Nationals are claiming that they won't be a rubber stamp for him, but Coward just needs to throw in a few racist, bigoted laws and a few "punish the many urban citizens to reward the few country citizens" policies and it'll shut them up. He says he won't abuse power, but of course he will - then, about 6 months before the next election, he'll play Mr Moderate again (with the help of the useless media) and probably win.

As for a new Liberal leader, I can guarantee you that Coward is going to be staying for as long as he bloody can, because he is the arragant type who won't let go of anything willingly. It's probably foolish to think the leadership will go to the more moderate Costello, as the Coalition rank and file are mostly bitter, hateful ultraconservatives, with most of the moderates sitting at the back. They'll elect one of their own (if I were a betting man, I'd say Pope Tony Abbott.)

As for your comments about Labor, I completely agree. However, I can see them picking things up and maybe actually being valid competion by the end of the decade. They need to stop promoting their relics from the 80s and keep going with a fresh team. They also need to establish themselves as an actual progressive party that stands for progressive values (and demonstrate how they arebetter for Australia) rather than just a party that is focused around working class values - while it should never abandon those, it needs to realise that many potential Labor voters don't identify themselves as working class, and thus don't identify with such sentiments. It needs to stop being so scared about gay rights as well. I have quite a few gay friends who saw both the parties as old fashioned, homophobic, establishment parties. This definately needs to change.

However, having said all that about the ALP, I am glad that they have my state government. I am South Australian (yes, I am sorry. I know my state is where most of the bitter conservatives come from)and while I am no fan of my Premier, Mike Rann, I will take him over any Liberal any day - especially considering that it's the only thing that stands in Coward's way.

Anyway, as for those who feel like it's helpless over th next few years. It isn't, we need to stay strong and try and fight every attempted change (even if it's just a silly petition or something.) I know they aren't perfect, but we need to keep our state Labor governments in power, and most importantly we need to keep the pressure on our non-conservative representatives, both federal and state, to adamantly oppose the Coward government's moves and remind the ordinary voter of every slip up, every mistake and every bad policy that they make. If those bastards are going to have their way, they're not taking me lying down!

Forgive the big rant...

[Matilda]

5. Trouble is, it was Labor they took lying down.

You're forgiven - I think we all feel a bit that way. But I feel
terribly let down by Labor.

They can't stop the industrial legislation, but why can't they really
bucket Howard for the petty meannesses of it? Such as loss of equal
pay for women - are the mums and dads out there really going to be
outraged if Labor calls Howard on that one? There's no rationale for
it, except to save some big industrial companies a bit of money on
wages, but there hasn't been a peep out of Labor. And overtime -
really, is Australia so badly off that we can't pay working men and
women a little extra for working longer hours, when the big execs
get paid millions to walk away from jobs they've stuffed up?

As for student unions - that shows just what a fanatical bigot
Howard really is - the word "union" is the only thing the students
have in common with trade unions, and we all know that so many
services will go down the gurgler when the student unions go. By
all means, bring in rules that prevent the money being spent on
political activism if they must, but otherwise leave them alone. Why
hasn't Beazley stood up and questioned the government members one by
one as to how they were funded at uni - there'd be very few who
didn't get their degrees gratis courtesy of the Whitlam government.
They might not be able to stop the legislation, but they could show
these hypocritical, self-righteous pricks up for what they are -
starting with Nelson, who definitely went through uni free.

This is what disapppoints me - Labor isn't making them sweat, isn't
causing any one of them to lose a wink of sleep. I don't see any
commitment, I don't see any guts, I don't see the passion. They're
all too busy fighting amongst themselves for their precious factions,
shooting themselves in the foot over and over and never, ever
learning a damn thing.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. But the editorial in the Australian says it's a wonderful era dawning!

"WHILE this winter weekend might not seem special, it marks the beginning of a new era in politics, one which brings opportunities for change we have not seen for a generation."

"At last year's election, the Howard Government was given a mandate to deliver people more of the prosperity they have got used to."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15718733%255E7583,00.html

Australia has got what it wanted and I'm not going to feel any sympathy with what's to come for those who voted for Howard. They deserve it all plus more - I'll save my sympathy for people who voted for the Greens (and to a lesser extent Labor)

Violet...

[Matilda]

20. Slutty Murdoch thought the Iraq war would be great too.

"It will mean cheaper petrol" he chirped.

[no safe haven]

7. I’m really hoping that the unions will keep up the momentum

of demonstrations we’ve seen over the past couple of days. ACTU president Sharan Burrow is the strongest voice speaking out against Howard and his coterie of pompous jackasses. This should be the job of the Labor Party. There exists now an almost total disconnect between the Labor Party and the actual labour movement. Until Labor reconnects to its grassroots, I can’t see it winning another election, even if we are faced with the ultimate cringe factor of an Abbott & Costello government.

On the positive side, the Nats seem to have grown a spine in their new leader Barnaby Joyce, with him threatening to cross the floor over Telstra and industrial relations ‘reform’. Even Family First says it will vote against the IR bill, as much as I despise the existence of a foreign based religious group in government.

It may be as you say, Matilda, that the Howard govt will crumble from within. Any change probably won’t come from Labor as it now presents itself. This country has lost so much in the 10 years Howard has been in power. I used to think Malcolm Fraser was a total POS, but he’s a veritable compassionate progressive compared to the group of clowns running the place now.

[velvet]

8. it never ceases to amaze me

how much Fraser has changed since he was in government. To think we once chanted "Shame Fraser Shame" in the streets. Maybe he was ashamed.

That placard in Sydney today, "Australia, One Big Sweatshop", has got to be made into a bumpersticker.

[foreigncorrespondent]

9. Here ya go!

Sapphocrat knocked this one together:



If you are interested in getting it, you can grab it here: http://www.cafepress.com/lavenderliberal.25460858

Also, if you are interested, she knocked this one together for us Aussies as well:



Which you can find here: http://www.cafepress.com/lavenderliberal.25459154

[velvet]

10. Wow, that was quick!

Thanks FC. Good work, Sapphocrat.

I want to grab the Sweatshop and slap it on my bumper-bar this minute, but I don't have a credit card. Too unemployed. However, I should be able to twist someone's arm to do it for me. Thank you.

[foreigncorrespondent]

11. I know that feeling!

There are a lot of things I would love to buy as well. BUt no credit card, and like you, unemployed as well.

Life under Howard, truly sucks!

[Matilda]

12. Some small comfort ......

"The AC Nielsen poll in today's Sydney Morning Herald shows the Prime
Minister has suffered the biggest plunge in his personal approval
rating since taking office nine years ago."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1407007.htm

It's all the fault of the unions and their lying campaigns, of
course. It couldn't possibly be because Australians might be
starting to wake up to the real ugliness of this government.

[foreigncorrespondent]

13. Well it is about damn time!

I only said the other day to someone that Howard is hitting the low to middle class right where it hurts now. This will screw up his election chances come next election.


My dream now is that Howard continues to not listen to the people and goes ahead with his shallow minded thinking. His polls will plumet even further to the point he won't be able to fix it. No matter what promises he makes. Come next election we will get an ALP government no matter who they run. Then we won't see a liberal government back in federal power for a hell of a long time.

And of course with a new government they can fix the Howard damage, which of course will make their polls rise even higher.

Sometimes in order to hit rock bottom we need to take a hit. And work place reforms is truly a gift horse for those of us on the left. After all there happen to be a hell of a lot more low to middle class families in Australia than rich small and corporate business owners.

I hope that makes sense!

On edit: typo

[Violet_Crumble]

14. I doubt it'll hurt their election chances...

I'm really cynical and don't hold much faith in there being a long attention span with most voters. The Howard govt will bring in all the unpopular changes in the first year of the new term under the proven assumption that most voters will have forgotten a few years down the track under the weight of election campaign sweeteners and bribes. And what bothers me is that one of the polls on industrial reform showed that 60% of people who were aware of the changes opposed them. What about the other 40? Are they just so frigging stupid that they don't understand what it means?

I just saw a govt spokesperson on the news trying to put a good spin on the plans to cut back workers annual leave from four to two weeks under new individual agreements. He said the employees were the only ones who could agree to it, not the employers, but that shouldn't fool anyone. If an employee says they want their four weeks leave what's the bet they'd be out on the street and someone will be employed in their place who will accept taking only two weeks leave? So much for balancing work and family committments...

Violet...

[Matilda]

15. No arms will be twisted on annual leave, of course not.

And pretty soon two weeks will be the norm, but will people really
forget what they've lost?

I'm surprised there hasn't yet been an outcry about loss of equal
pay - once it goes amongst the unionised workforce, it's bound to
creep in everywhere. Perhaps most people aren't yet aware of it.

In a perverse way, I rather hope this sort of thing keeps up, because
it is going to affect a lot more people than trade unionists in the
end. Surely even apathetic Australians can't let this sort of thing
slip by them. And I hope it leads to a resurgence in union
membership.

[no safe haven]

16. Meanwhile, Howard takes a nostalgic journey back to 1998

and his groundbreaking waterfront 'reforms', remembers his old friend Peter 'Release the Hounds' Reith with his legion of mercenaries and rottweillers, and hatches a cunning plan to unleash his current industrial vision/nightmare onto an unsuspecting Australian public.

Reduce workers' pay packets, holidays, holiday loading, overtime and the Libs will have hell to pay.

[anakie]

17. and they seriously believe that in reducing allowances

such as penalty rates, compulsory overtime at normal rates and the fear of unfair dismissal will increase productivity. I will tell you one shift worker who will not be working weekends or holidays for no reward.

Yet, as stated above, the ignorance among the great unwashed is astounding. I am telling my colleagues about this threat to our shift rates and they tell me it won't happen. Fortunately for the present I am on a state award but should they legislate to ban all state IR schemes we will be up shit creek.

Still it is good to see his approval rate fall - pity is of course that two time loser Beazley still can't get close.

And isn't Kevin Andrews a slimy turd. I have hated him with a passion since he sponsored the bill to overturn the NT's voluntery euthanasia legislation.

[Matilda]

18. I heard Beazley last night,

and it was a waffling "Australians don't want the American system
of just two weeks' holidays a year ..." etc. It should have been
more of "this MEAN government is out to roll back all the
entitlements Australian workers have won during the last century -
trade unionists today, white collar workers tomorrow - all Australian
workers should be very afraid" blah, blah. He needs Bob Ellis to
write him something really punchy.

[no safe haven]

19. Kevin Andrews is a lackey of the elite

What would he know about negotiating with employers about workplace conditions and pay? Nothing, not a clue. Probably never did a day’s hard work in his life. Blisters? Only on his bum. Polies like Andrews legislate their own pay raises, no need to negotiate with the corporate sector.

How can you ‘negotiate’ with an employer when he/she holds all the cards and can sack you without reason any time they want or not hire you in the first place? What a load of old bollocks. Without standards in place (which is what will happen if this legislation is passed and IR is taken away from the states) we’ll be back to the 19th century. Next step, abolish the minimum wage.

Beazley and Labor have to step up and be a credible force in Australian politics once more, but I’m not holding my breath. Not happy Jan.

[velvet]

21. amidst all the fear and loathing

This made me smile (wanly) ...

WORKPLACE RELATIONS STAFF STRIKE OVER CONTRACT DISPUTE

Staff from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations have stopped work today to protest against the use of individual contracts.

Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) members from the department's Canberra and Darwin offices walked off the job at midday in protest against delays in formulating a new workplace agreement. Similar action has already been taken by department staff in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

{SNIP}

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews says existing employees in the department have the right to negotiate collectively if they wish.

He says there is no need for today's action as no-one in his department is being forced onto an individual contract.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1407855.htm

[Matilda]

22. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this was the beginning of the end

for Howard?

But meanwhile, the Democrats are signalling that they may support
the IR legislation if wage cases are kept in the IR Commission.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/democrats-offer-carrot-on-industrial-relations/2005/07/05/1120329448483.html

From the Party that gave us the GST. Don't they ever learn?