plantagenet,

for once I and many conservatives agree with you that Abbott's PPL is a ridiculous scheme. In fact any scheme that encourages mothers to dump their kids off at a young age if foolish.

Hi runner

In appreciation for us being as one on this point here's another religious skit http://youtu.be/umRRCkspaQU .

Regards

Pete

The fairness to help yourself to the taxes of other people is not fair at all.

We have to have a better idea of what is "fair". Is it fair that the majority, many of whom we can presume might be looking with envy at anyone richer, can decide what is fair for those richer?

And here we have the nightmare of a longer lived democracy; that once we legitimise the rule by the majority, we have opened the floodgates to plunder of the better off by the worse off

... all in the pursuit of fairness, you understand.

Yes, fairness matters. And it is fair to say the better off (not the fairness gestapo) can decide how to spend their earnings, and the worse off can go earn their own or accept whatever handouts they are given without the intelligentsia going all huffy about "fairness'.

Too right Col. The vast majority, who are takers, would gain much more respect from the givers if they would just appreciate the efforts of them and drop the tall poppy masks.

Fairness? What is fair? Some will surely say; in any situation, “fairness” is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. In some respects that may be true, but Australia, more than other countries, prides itself on, being fair… it espouses “the fair go”. It barracks for the underdog, holds foolish authority, braggards and egotists in disdain. It sees itself as a classless society. Or did.

Does fairness matter? Yes it does if we call ourselves an egalitarian society. Or if we wish to strive towards becoming more egalitarian. But in Australia, as the saying goes; some are more equal than others. As an Australian I see this as where the “fairness” comes in. At a very basic level it is about “playing by the rules”, biding your time and not pushing in front of those already in the queue. That’s only fair, right?

Is it fair to keep a section of society living under the poverty line? Is it fair to exclude people from employment due to their age?

Today’s polity, has to me, sunk to new lows. The quality of our representatives, year after year, seems to be diminished. The quality of their advice and from advisors likewise. Politics has become: incestuous and isolationist. It has become divided like never before, where the good of Australia and Australians are not the prime motivation of the political parties and their members. Where hatred and lies are espoused daily. This cannot be good for our future.

For example; Labor now sees itself as excliusively a Progressive Party and the Conservative voices within it have been silenced. If I was to start another party it would state:

Clear thinking, straight talking, and a “fair go” for all Australians.

The Conservative Labour Party of Australia defines its CONSERVATISM as: a political philosophy advocating the preservation of the best of the established order in society and opposing radical change, or simply change for its own sake. The Party recognises the majority “conservative” nature of Australians and as such sees Conservatism as the core tenet of the party.

Doesn’t that seem fair?

Fairness is largely in the eye of the beholder.

It is unfair that someone has more money than someone else, or is it unfair that someone that works harder and smarter than others gets the same?

The collapse of communist countries showed clearly that without incentives no one would be prepared to work harder, nor take risks. Similarly, economies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few waste human capital and also eventually collapse. The optimum is somewhere in between where the most disadvantaged are protected without removing the incentives for the entrepreneurs to produce the wealth.

Where Australia is now in my opinion is on the verge of swinging too far to the left. Labour costs are pricing workers out of a job, and welfare and health costs are consuming nearly all the budget. Productivity is dropping and so are real incomes.