Tristan,

At a time when France is ripping itself apart and has 10% unemployment, and Germany more than 12% unemployment - I tend to think the tide of history is against following this path of the 35 hour week and state pension for life.

I also note that most of Western Europe has the highest levels of retirement per capita after Japan!

It seems to me that the dynamism of long term education for more and more people, markets driving growth, and interest rates set by independent central banks is a third way worth striving for.

Australia has done very well - save that it is under-investing massively in education. Even more than the IR changes - this will be the real divide in income across the community.

Australia has an obligation - even a mandate - to resist the excessive individualism and underinvestment in people that America's poor face and another obligation to be a trading nation first and resist the rigidity and sluggishness of Europe.

My friend you are on the wrong tide of history! So is Hamilton!

You guys have lost along with the other socialists in history. Real social democracy has a market basis and an investment in people - talk of heavy rigidities, big limits on productivity and worker freedom, oposition to private initiative, and to global investment - sounds like a lecture from the disposessed SOCIALISTS wing of the ALP. You keep that Red Flag close to your chest but it gets less and less relevant to most people.

Cheers, good article by the way,
Corin

What France and Germany are experiencing, is the logical conclusion to rampant capitalism. The economic growth which fueled their economies (like Britain) was initially kick started by colonial exploitation. Their current wealth is based on injustice against others and the momentum of the Industrial revolution. (Treaty of Nanking, Opium wars etc)

Once a man realizes that he can catch a fish to feed him for a day, but if he catches 3 he can sell them to the village further interior, he will then catch more and more, sell more and build a bigger humpy/lean-to, and voila....no more fish. This is followed by the "glazed eye/Furrowed brough" syndrome.. "What the heck will I do now"?

Capitalism without environmental/social conscience is doomed. Couple this with basic human greed,.... hmmm yep, I think that confirms it.

A 4TH WAY.

The article said

[“shopping has become the dominant response to meaninglessness in modern life”. Alienation, rather than injustice, is seen as the core social problem confronting affluent societies.]

The hyper individualism and 'me me me' of modern Western society can have only one outcome "alienation" Once all the froth and bubble of the shallow, empty, selfish grasping after meaning has subsided into a depressing puddle of stagnant philosophical ooze, we are faced with the ultimate questions "Why am I really here ?" "Where am I going" ? "Whats it all about" ?

I believe the alienation we experience is fundamentally found in our alienation from our Creator. Rudderless ships in the sea of life. Aimless, lacking a framework other than 'eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die' yes.. hedonism is probably the only honest response to this alienation, or... perhaps we can resolve the fundamental problem by becoming reconciled to God, through Jesus Christ ?

Alienation=>Depression=>grasping for validation=>hedonism, mysticism, nihilism, humanism,spurious religions, existentialism (hedonism in a new suit)

11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.
14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all" (from 2Corinthians5)

Hence, we share the word of repentance, forgiveness, Renewal and reconciliation.

Monash Libiterian.
You are of course quite wrong mate, the rich would have been much richer if not for the union movement making and sustaining a case fot the producers of wealth {the workers} to have a tiny share in the prosperity.

Are you another educated idiot? Who can see theories, but is unable to apply them in practise, unless it is to a set of figures. Life is a lot more "real" to some of us, especially those who have found themselves through no fault of their own in the bottom 20% of poverty stricken Australians, for whom it would seem you have no feelings, or compassion, sell, sell, sell, greed, greed, greed.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Corin

I don't think you're in a position to say what 'real' social democracy is. Social democracy was originally indistinguishable from socialism and only was seen as a separate movement after the First World War split. (in which the communists had the moral upper hand) In so far as socialism is the movement that responds the 'the social problem' on the basis of egalitarian politics, it is probably better to reunify the socialist and social democratic streams rather than 'widening the divide' by liquidating social democracy into neoliberalism.

Also - all this talk a 'rigidities', 'worker freedom', 'flexibility' - you sound a bit like Kevin Andrews. Workplace 'flexibility' means nothing when it's the 'flexibility' for the boss to impose upon you a 60 hour week with little or no time for family or personal space. A 60 hour week achieves productivity but at what cost? With your politics it seems we never would have achieved the 8 hour day. We have to get our priorities right - is productivity and end to itself - or is it but one of many means of trying to achieve 'the good life'.

On the other hand, I agree that we need to invest in people. Howard has slashed some $4-$5 billion from higher education. But what do we get from the ALP? Instead of policies restoring funding to the sector we get calls for 'real' tax cuts for 'middle Australia'. A far better move wouild be to encourage moves from welfare to work with a tax credits scheme aimed at lower income earners - paid for by restructuring the PAYE income tax scale.

As for social democracy having a 'market basis' - I agree that the market has a big role to play. But why not enhance the market, democratising it by giving support for co-operative enterprises?

Tristan

Shonga/Ewins

Here is a little live, on the ground reality; a reality mostly reserved for the lower 20% discussed in the above article.
ACTU Media Release 05 April 2006

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said the Federal Government's new work laws were to blame for the terrible situation that the workers at the Cowra Abbatoir had been put through.

Mr Combet said it was good news that the workers would get their jobs back but the fact remained that it was legal to act as the company had done.

"The Government has created the laws used by the Cowra Abbatoir to sack their workers and put them through this terrible ordeal," he said.

"Now they have obviously agreed after pressure from the public, unions and the government that they should not have done this.

"But the fact remains that the Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has not said that the behaviour of this company was illegal.

"Kevin Andrews knows what this company did was not illegal under his new laws but it was unfair and unpopular.

"My concern is that there will be cases like this all over Australia now and if they don't attract a great deal of publicity and there is not a union involved then the workers and their families will suffer.

"These laws allow people to be sacked for no reason. They allow people to have their wages and conditions reduced. They are unfair and un-Australian.

"This Cowra solution does not mean that a single other worker in Australia is protected from this type of action by an employer.

"If the Government wants to protect people from being sacked and rehired on lower pay and conditions then it should change its workplace laws," Mr Combet said.

This is OK in your brave new world is it MonashLibertarian?

Too tired at the moment to read the comments and debate seriously, I'll just say that fortunately neither Hamilton nor Ewins will ever have much influence on policy.