BTW continuing from before - in response to your points mental illness has always been with us ; no doubt drug-taking can increase the risk - But it is far from being the only cause.

May the same principles be applied to you one day as you apply to others. We will see how you feel then.

Tristan,
Not just many other countries; all other countries!
A higher social wage would be better, but how do you measure it?

"Disproportionalities between investment in wages and investment in revolutionising the means of production also mean there is a tendency for profits to fall"
Why?

"Other problems hark back to the oil shocks;"
Wanting to avoid a repeat of the situation where we were so vulnerable to oil shocks is a good reason to keep the wage share down.

"and today the fact that global economic stratification will come under challenge."
Why do you see that as a problem? A good standard of living in first world countries doesn't depend on a continued poor standard of living everywhere else.

"The Swedes tried responding to falling wage share in the 1980s by demanding collective capital share I return for previous wage restraint."
Please explain?

"Those tax cuts (during the Accord years) actually undermined the social wage as well - as the tax cuts were paid for through austerity, user pays etc elsewhere as well (eg: Education) ...."
In the boom times, public sector austerity is a good thing. But there was too much emphasis on cutting taxes rather than giving taxpayers better value for their money.

"Governments should be held to account when they undertake destructive 'reforms' for which they don't have a mandate."
Yes they should, but political strike action is not a good way to do that; it disadvantages too many innocent people, it's usually ineffective against governments, and even where it does succeed, it's likely to result in future governments viewing unions as the enemy.

Civil disobedience to defend democracy and human rights is a good thing, but how many years was it since that last involved strike action in a democratic country?

Tristan

You say – ” See here re university dropouts - the rate of which is actually increasing - probably because of pressures with time, part-time work etc.:”

Maybe one should take into consideration the lowering of ATARS of 60 or below. Maybe, just maybe some of these “newer” students aren’t mentally mature enough for University straight out from year 12? Students drop out from University all the time. Nothing new . Got nothing to do with part-time work. Some even return to Uni several years later, more mature and capable to enjoy their chosen University courses. Let’s see some stats on the above.

The article you referred me to states – “However, in general, these students will benefit from their exposure to higher education and many may return at a later stage. What would assist in following trends would be if the Department of Education and Training were to publish figures each year showing the number of students who returned to study after leaving their studies for more than one year. That would give us a clearer picture of the true nature of attrition within the system”. (Correct!)

You say - re: “The unemployed its not only the 'Left' who is saying the rate of the Newstart allowance is frustrating people in their search for work. Even the Business Council of Australia says its not good enough. And I have heard there is only one job for every five sob-seekers.

Government of the day (either party) sets Welfare/ Newstart Rates. Newstart is “not” a forever and ever payment and wasn’t meant to be. Now back to that $320B deficit. You also state you’ve heard there is only one job for every five job-seekers. Depends on job they applying for and many other reasons. How do you think migrants got along upon arrival in Sydney. No Welfare payments, no money, couldn’t speak English, they got any job available, saved, then brought their families to Australia. Google “History of Westfield”. There are thousands of success stories like him, throughout Australia’s history.

cont'd
You say – “Re: Public sector state school high achievement - you will find a fair share of 'elite' state schools there - such as Melbourne High. You will find much fewer non-elite schools, and especially schools in regions and poorer suburbs. If there wasn't an advantage to be gained why would parent pay $20,000 and even much more sending their kids to private schools?"

My post regarding schools being based on results for Sydney schools. Teaching quality and level of student pride in their school academically, proves one can come from a less affluent suburban school, and be amongst the State’s top achievers. Why do parents send their children to private schools? Many reasons, family tradition being high on choice. Try google the Elliott family, there are many others.

You say – “Further your comments on schizophrenia display ignorance”. “You exhibit an "I'm alright" mindset and do not seem to care one jot for people who are worse off than you. The irony is that everyone suffers when we neglect education and frustrate the unemployed in their search for work. Your comments about schizophrenia - where almost 300,000 can expect to die 25 years before their time exhibit extraordinary callousness. I hope you don't consider yourself a Christian as you appear to have little or no compassion or sense of justice”.

I made no comment on schizophrenia except mmmmm. Please re-read my post

I went on to discuss the cause and effects of Ice, other drugs and alcohol abuse on one’s body, destroying the brain which leads to mental health problems from yesterday’s news. I also made no comment regarding “usual mental health issues” which is an entirely different scenario. Re-read my post.

Instead of attacking me, try googling effects - of Ice, and other drugs, abuse of alcohol – on the brain and body which leads to mental health problems, we are speaking of youth from 15 to 35 years.. Google Medical reports and not newspaper articles. Doctors tend to tell the whole truth, however you may not be interested enough to conduct some research.

Some inconvenient facts – on Welfare rorts. Time’s Up for the Welfare Cheats. Daily Telegraph 23/2/2016 – documents obtained from Department of Human Services.

I quote – “A loophole in the nation’s whopping $7.5 billion welfare system is letting dole bludgers turn down good job offers without incurring a penalty that was originally designed to suspend their payments for eight weeks every time they did it.

The bludgers are rejecting jobs because – shifts fall on their golf day, they don’t want to work hard, I want to follow my dream of becoming an actor, I won’t get out of bed for less than $20 per hour, my car was due for a service as the job started, the office and factory smelled funny, I am going on holiday, I don’t want to work more than three hours a week, my wife told me that the job was unsuitable, I am already working three hours a day, and any more would make me tired.

Newstart Allowance recipients are refusing jobs that pay as much as $27 per hour and are then successfully requesting a “waiver” so they don’t incur an eight-week welfare ban.

The waiver allows them to reject a job and continue to receive the dole if they add on a small work-for-the-dole component to their program.

More than 70 per cent of those on the dole whose excuse for rejecting a job was considered to be unacceptable, exploited this loophole.

Last financial year at least 1,412 penalties were applied for refusing to accept a job to 1,276 seekers.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said there was a bill before the Senate to ban the waiver loophole but it had stalled.

“There are loopholes in the system that are allowing some to get away with making insufficient or inadequate job search efforts without good reason”, she said.
cont'd

Ms Cash said the $150 billion annual welfare bill should only be used for those who desperately needed government assistance.

Australia’s income support system is there as a safety net for people who genuinely cannot find a job – not as an option for those who refuse to work, Australians who pay taxes to fund our welfare system expect there to be sufficient safeguards to ensure that those who can work do work.” (End of article)

So $27.00 per hour on a 40 hr week = $1,080 x 52 weeks = $56,160.00 - not good enough!

I also wonder why the Bill to close the loophole ( in the Senate) has been stalled? I’m sure we all know the answer. Those 70 per centers will have to work - shock, horror.

The sooner the loophole is closed on these dole bludgers/rorters of our Welfare system the better.

The Welfare system is there for the needy in our society - not the lazy, greedy rorters.