I don't know about you Belly, you say you're a strong member of the Labour party yet you are always bagging them. Sounds like your are more of a follower of Abbott and his cronies - certainly you'd be expelled from any branch that I'd have anything to do with, if for no other reason for treason towards the party and the branch.

If you support Labour as you claim, prove it by sticking up for them, instead of continually putting them down. OK.

misanthrope,

Perhaps "Labor" ain't what they used to be.

Perhaps some people have principles.

Perhaps some parties (who ain't what they used to be) should listen to constructive criticism from their "supporters".

OK

As usual, I'm with you on this, Poirot.

When the PM challenges Abbott to a finger-wrestle, and demands to know if he will support policy x or y, all he has to do is say, "Of course, as long as it turns out that there's money in the Treasury for it. Can you assure the Australian people that there will be ?"

And what can she say ? He's on a winner either way.

Cheers,

Joe

I cannot believe how stupid humans are.Private banks now create money from nothing as debt to equal increates in our productivity + inflation + pop increases.

Unless we get back to Govt banks who create money from nothing to equal increases in productivity etc,we are totally stuffed.

This means the more growth we have,the more debt we incur.The debt can never be repaid unless we sell off resources and energy for next to nothing.

China is now accessing cheaper resources/energy from Africa and we are going the way of Cyprus.

Labour supporters always find a way to justify outright wastage. Despite years of National Broadcasters apologist they are still in for a hiding. Our postion on the economic ladder is very much despite the Government as the voters know.

I am blue in the face. I wish I could believe in representative democracy in this country. It simply doesn't exist.
Honestly, how many parliamentarians in your lifetime have behaved or acted in your or even the general populace's interests? Put simply, anyone you vote for is bound to follow the party line.

Take the sell-out of Australia starting with the Hawke regime's adoption of the neo-liberal free market mantra. Who when they voted, knew that they were giving him a mandate for such a drastic adjustment to Australia's social and economic welfare?

Privatization; who has seen a reduction in the cost of essential services?

Opening the country to foreign direct investment; well basically anything which used to turn the country a profit is now turning a profit for some outsider including the much favoured mining industry.

Floating the dollar, for god's sake we don't even control the value of our own currency, ask any Australian based trader about the complications this causes.

Smaller Government, well they've just about outsourced their own necessity, why do we allow them to pay themselves for not actually representing us.

De-regulation has locked Australia into an already passé economic model which is widely recognised as having comprehensively failed the the wider global community. Fortunately many countries have escaped the yoke of IMF and World Bank austerity and have now regained democratic control of their social and economic futures. There are signs of hope.

Until our politicians understand and are prepared to address this reality they will continue to swing around with one foot nailed to the floor and take the also naïve populace with them.

Economics is actually quite simple; 2+2 makes 4, Add, subtract, divide or multiply by any other number and it will alter the equation but no amount of hype will make the least difference to the science.
Much of the world and Australia sadly is caught up in the hype.
Den 71