Both the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government and now the Abbot LNP gang are carrying out racist, xenophobic and inhuman policies on refugees, shunting them off to Manus and Nauru. They should not just be welcoming refugees when they arrive on poor fishermen’s boats, they should be organizing them to fly safely down from Indonesia to settle in Australia. Australian society and economy can easily cope with all of the refugees currently waiting in Indonesia. Australia has a $40,000 per capita income economy; Indonesia only $3,500 per capita. The Indonesian society and economy should not have to bear this burden. At the same time, we should be aware that neither Gillard/Rudd/Abbott nor the Yudhoyono government in Indonesia care anything about the welfare and rights of the refugees (or any other ordinary people). They both rule for the elites. Personally, I don’t care much if Abbott and Yudhoyono don’t get along. What is important is that there are links at the grass roots between the forces for progressive change in the two countries.

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Race-caller, sports reporter ABC hack, Barry Cassidy, complaining because there is no match to report – as if politics is nothing more than a question of who has fumbled the ball, who has scored an own-goal, who is a good kicker, who missedthe pass etc., whether idiot A or idiot B would be the better captain. Actually, politics is another word for the affairs of the people; what determines their survival, dignity and culture or how they can determine these things themselves. …. No, not for the contemporary (mainstream) “journalist”: its just a sport to report on and have a career. (see http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-27/cassidy-while-labor-looks-inwards-abbott-goes-untested/4983264)

September 27, 2013

Why is it that in a AAA credit rated, 2.6% growing, 14 years non-stop growing economy (Australia), rated no 14 in this extremely huge world economy, that so many people feel economically stressed and both economically and socially on the edge. Is it because (a) the way the wealth is (not) distributed, via the wage-profit divide up and via provision of social services; or (b) who controls the wealth and decides on its use (the 1%); or (c) who controls jobs (the 1%) and therefore who doesn’t have real job security (the rest). Or ‘all of the above’.
There is no “win-win” strategy to achieve redistribution of wealth, let alone control over wealth. Redistribution: take from some, distribute to others: yes, ala Robin Hood. And the Sheriff and King John always use the Sheriff’s men to get it back. (Of course, all this ongoing tug-of-war would be unnecessary, if society as a whole collectively controlled the production of its wealth and how that was used.)

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Only two logical possibilities to explain Abbott’s decision regarding gender balance in his Cabinet. Either (1) despite being around at least 70 years, the Liberal Party has not attracted or recruited any (conservative) women with the required talents and abilities to be a Liberal Minister or (2) they have attracted and recruited such women, but men are given preference, and women discriminated against. Either way ………………………

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The media news in the capitalists’ society operates on a “need to know” basis, i.e. what they think we need to know.

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The reactionary Liberal Party government, having won 53% electoral support with the support of the for-profit media and the ABC, is being sworn in today. While the reactionaries are clear that the wealth of the elite must be accumulated through systematic taking from the rest of society, their opponents in parliamentary politics (ALP, Greens, who got around 40-42%)) keep looking for solutions that are “win-win” for the big business elite (big capitalists) as well as the rest of us. There is no “win-win” solutions under capitalism, when it comes to ensuring the people’s welfare, material, social and habitat (environmental)..

18 September, 2013