"The Left"

[MaddAdam]

SA is taking a bit of a hit right now, but I think Weatherill is pointing it in the right direction. The dawning realisation that Roxby is not going to be the saviour is healthy. I'd love to see us develop our education sector even more, Rann was spot on the money, Adelaide can be a great uni town.

Agreed, it can, but as the survey released the other day shows, the demand in a uni town is about more than just having quality institutions like Uni SA and Flinders etc.

Its all about "quality of life" and with Melbourne's established massive Asian population - growing daily - and Indian, and the support services that go with that for those communities, SA has a long way to go.

 

[Sugar2Sideshow]

Everyone thinks that their opinion is smack bang centre so anyone more socialist than them is left, and anyone more conservative is right.

 

[The Speaker]

Exactly. And we were lucky in Vic in that we lived in an age when the wealth of digging shit up was largely - or at least a decent proportion - invested in lasting stuff. We have public architecture and infrastructure to show for it.

Queensland's "coal future" is dead before the digging has really started and its dawning on WA that they got rich for ten years as well paid serfs for gangster capitalists like Rineheart who now will offer them $2 an hour to guard the robots at the mines.

I'm not sure what NSW does, it may turn back to its original piratical self and launch war on New Zealand to siphon out the excess Sydney surburban population.

But Victoria is the only state with a genuine long term plan that could work in the modern post capitalist economy. We'll end up like say Pittsburgh, which reinvented itself from steel to healthcare. Victoria is the only state that can genuinely support a true knowledge economy.

The stuff about China's devaluations of the yuan should terrify Australian policymakers.

If they were interested in being terrified they would've done something by now.

As it is they've allowed our economy to be based around building houses and nothing else, and are now sticking their fingers in their ears.

 

[smokingjacket]

Yeah, I'm generalising and I certainly don't lump Ludlum in with the Silicon Valley types like the Uber flogs who don't believe in tax or regulation. As you say, he's more Chomsky/Assange (natch, the two are good mates). Point being the Greens themselves actually have a wide variety of "factions" and I actually think they'll struggle to hold some of their action together as the old Tasmanian environmentalist "cred" wing fades into history.

They'll basically become the old Labour Socialist Left run out of Victoria.

I'm not so sure. As long as they can present themselves as the most environmentally sensitive party (not hard currently) there will always be a core group of people willing to vote that way. With looming change to our natural environment you might that some of those issues become somewhat more pertinent. Plus every left movement needs something they can protest about. The hippies in the trees at least believe in something.

They've seemed to want to expand in to rural areas first, realistic or not. Might have been the last wish of the Tasmanian's, save the non-organic farmers, they know not what they do!

 

[smokingjacket]

Exactly. And we were lucky in Vic in that we lived in an age when the wealth of digging shit up was largely - or at least a decent proportion - invested in lasting stuff. We have public architecture and infrastructure to show for it.

Queensland's "coal future" is dead before the digging has really started and its dawning on WA that they got rich for ten years as well paid serfs for gangster capitalists like Rineheart who now will offer them $2 an hour to guard the robots at the mines.

I'm not sure what NSW does, it may turn back to its original piratical self and launch war on New Zealand to siphon out the excess Sydney surburban population.

But Victoria is the only state with a genuine long term plan that could work in the modern post capitalist economy. We'll end up like say Pittsburgh, which reinvented itself from steel to healthcare. Victoria is the only state that can genuinely support a true knowledge economy.

The stuff about China's devaluations of the yuan should terrify Australian policymakers.

Ahem. I will add that we might have been able to build something better than a football stadium, had we received our GST in full...

Bloody Victorians. Timing a mining boom before Federal redistribution. Or Federation. Typical.

You are essentially 100% right though. Another thing to add in to WA's double death spiral is power prices. Power is roughly twice the price as Victoria and it has absolutely zero to do with renewables. Manufacturing got away with it in the boom because of mandated mine fabrication and whatnot in WA, with the miners throwing around more money than they knew what to do with, and the generally buoyant economy but now things have slowed down, firms are leaving in their droves.

 

[MaddAdam]

I'm not so sure. As long as they can present themselves as the most environmentally sensitive party (not hard currently) there will always be a core group of people willing to vote that way. With looming change to our natural environment you might that some of those issues become somewhat more pertinent. Plus every left movement needs something they can protest about. The hippies in the trees at least believe in something.

They've seemed to want to expand in to rural areas first, realistic or not. Might have been the last wish of the Tasmanian's, save the non-organic farmers, they know not what they do!

They are also expanding - wisely - into Lib seats in Melbourne. It will help their Senate vote and force the Libs to start defending seats they never thought loseable.

Jason Ball in Higgins is a great example. Lot of QCs daughters voting Green.

 

[MaddAdam]

Ahem. I will add that we might have been able to build something better than a football stadium, had we received our GST in full...

Bloody Victorians. Timing a mining boom before Federal redistribution. Or Federation. Typical.

You are essentially 100% right though. Another thing to add in to WA's double death spiral is power prices. Power is roughly twice the price as Victoria and it has absolutely zero to do with renewables. Manufacturing got away with it in the boom because of mandated mine fabrication and whatnot in WA, with the miners throwing around more money than they knew what to do with, and the generally buoyant economy but now things have slowed down, firms are leaving in their droves.

Yep, WA is copping a savage version of the "Dutch disease" in a 21st century iteration.

 

[smokingjacket]

They are also expanding - wisely - into Lib seats in Melbourne. It will help their Senate vote and force the Libs to start defending seats they never thought loseable.

Jason Ball in Higgins is a great example. Lot of QCs daughters voting Green.

Yep. Same phenomenon over here in sunny WA. The Greens took more of the Senate vote in Curtin than Fremantle at the first count.

Labor's vote at the Federal elections in WA has been hands-in-the-heads low. Even with some rebound at the next election it looks like the Greens will be Julie Bishops main opposition at the next election.

 

[MaddAdam]

Yep. Same phenomenon over here in sunny WA. The Greens took more of the Senate vote in Curtin than Fremantle at the first count.

Labor's vote at the Federal elections in WA has been hands-in-the-heads low. Even with some rebound at the next election it looks like the Greens will be Julie Bishops main opposition at the next election.

Didn't WA have Doctors for Forests or similar.

 

[smokingjacket]

Didn't WA have Doctors for Forests or similar.

Liberals for Forests. As it sounds. A splinter group of WA's professional elite (doctors, lawyers etc.) who opposed old growth logging and commercial development in Southern WA. Mainly near their holiday homes and vineyards if I'm being cynical but 'Self Interest' is a good horse.

Greens candidate running against Bishop in Curtin is a neuroscientist actually. Harangues me at the market about the bloody black cockatoos.

Adele Carles ex-Green member for Fremantle was more blue-green than red-green too.

It's a weird place.

 

[skilts]

Liberals for Forests. As it sounds. A splinter group of WA's professional elite (doctors, lawyers etc.) who opposed old growth logging

The most execrable pun in BigFooty history. You sir, are a disgrace. Well done.

 

[smokingjacket]

The most execrable pun in BigFooty history. You sir, are a disgrace. Well done.

What can I say? It's the little things.

 

[MaddAdam]

Liberals for Forests. As it sounds. A splinter group of WA's professional elite (doctors, lawyers etc.) who opposed old growth logging and commercial development in Southern WA. Mainly near their holiday homes and vineyards if I'm being cynical but 'Self Interest' is a good horse.

Greens candidate running against Bishop in Curtin is a neuroscientist actually. Harangues me at the market about the bloody black cockatoos.

Adele Carles ex-Green member for Fremantle was more blue-green than red-green too.

It's a weird place.

Well, as we saw this week the Libs themselves have moved so far right they've managed to leave Christopher Pyne behind.

Politics these days is desperately unpredictable. I think in Australia what we'll see is European style permanent coalition government. Either via the existing one, or de facto red/green.

 

[04 Durif]

Great post Keithy George

I was trying to think of the article that really got my blood boiling from Miranda Devine and this is it, called a Darker Shade of Green.

To use the rape of someone as a platform to start attacking environmental policy shows that she is an absolute horrible and despicable human being.

Wowee!!! That was certainly something. What an impressive person she ain't

 

[Contra Mundum]

The most execrable pun in BigFooty history. You sir, are a disgrace. Well done.

I like corney ones like that!

 

[blackcat]

I like corney ones like that!

neil hamburger
#DragCity

 

[Tassieboy]

Anyone who doesn't agree with the far-right is a 'lefty' or a 'communist'. Conversely, disagreeing with the far-left makes one a 'bigot' or a 'racist'. It's just a cover preventing us from debating the actual issues at hand.

I've on multiple times been called a 'commy' and a 'lefty', so I suppose the assumption is that I am left of centre. But I think this is just in a conservative Australian context and I'd be very close to the 'centre' in somewhere such as Britain.

These are some thoughts which people consider to be of the 'left':

• I have no intention on judging colonists but what happened to Aborigines is, whilst interesting, deeply sad. I find it disappointing there's no commemorations of frontier wars in my own state of Tasmania where large swathes of Aborigines and colonists lost their lives. Their history has been forgotten.
• I would prefer Australia was more nationalistic and adopted our own flag and our own head of state.
• I'd prefer is multinationals and the very wealthy got taxed as an ordinary company/citizen would.

In an international context I don't think they're too radical.

 

[medusala]

But Victoria is the only state with a genuine long term plan that could work in the modern post capitalist economy. .

What plan? No natural resources, no chance at manufacturing, can't compete with Sydney in financial services.

Victoria is the only state that can genuinely support a true knowledge economy..

Tasmania would be the richest state very, very quickly if it became a tax haven. Now, that's a real knowledge economy. Flogging passports to Malaysians and calling it "education" isn't comparable.

The stuff about China's devaluations of the yuan should terrify Australian policymakers.

Too busy with gay marriage and carbon emissions.

You did hear about their first budget over there in Cameron's failing state didn't you?

Cut spending by less than 3% IIRC. At least tried to and gave up. Hardly neoliberal.

Cameron's failed state going a lot better than most. How is Scottish independence looking with oil at under $50/bbl?

Now there is a failed state.

 

[Power Raid]

Anyone who doesn't agree with the far-right is a 'lefty' or a 'communist'. Conversely, disagreeing with the far-left makes one a 'bigot' or a 'racist'. It's just a cover preventing us from debating the actual issues at hand.

I've on multiple times been called a 'commy' and a 'lefty', so I suppose the assumption is that I am left of centre. But I think this is just in a conservative Australian context and I'd be very close to the 'centre' in somewhere such as Britain.

These are some thoughts which people consider to be of the 'left':

• I have no intention on judging colonists but what happened to Aborigines is, whilst interesting, deeply sad. I find it disappointing there's no commemorations of frontier wars in my own state of Tasmania where large swathes of Aborigines and colonists lost their lives. Their history has been forgotten.
• I would prefer Australia was more nationalistic and adopted our own flag and our own head of state.
• I'd prefer is multinationals and the very wealthy got taxed as an ordinary company/citizen would.

In an international context I don't think they're too radical.

Your comment on international tax is very important. Our tax laws actually promote Australians and Australian businesses to become non-tax residents.

So much so, it is difficult to gain foreign investment in some industries here in Oz unless you restructure overseas.

It would take 15 minutes to fix the tax laws and simply tax residents and non tax residents the same on interest, CGT, royalties etc.

 

[Seeds]

Everyone thinks that their opinion is smack bang centre so anyone more socialist than them is left, and anyone more conservative is right.

I don't think I'm centre. some of my views are extreme left (massive taxes on inheritance, legalising public nudity for example) and some are extreme right (pro a rise in gst and greatly reducing income taxes).

 

[Schache It Off]

I don't think I'm centre. some of my views are extreme left (massive taxes on inheritance, legalising public nudity for example) and some are extreme right (pro a rise in gst and greatly reducing income taxes).

I don't think that is extreme right dude...

I do agree with it though.

 

[blackcat]

I don't think that is extreme right dude...

I do agree with it though.

#greygrey4taytay

 

[Lebbo73]

I don't think I'm centre. some of my views are extreme left (massive taxes on inheritance, legalising public nudity for example) and some are extreme right (pro a rise in gst and greatly reducing income taxes).

I could go along with that except for the inheritance tax. I picked a couple of mates up from the airport in Brissy yesterday and they said that most of Europe makes us look like a Nanny State.

 

[smokingjacket]

Your comment on international tax is very important. Our tax laws actually promote Australians and Australian businesses to become non-tax residents.

So much so, it is difficult to gain foreign investment in some industries here in Oz unless you restructure overseas.

It would take 15 minutes to fix the tax laws and simply tax residents and non tax residents the same on interest, CGT, royalties etc.

What about franking?

 

[smokingjacket]

I could go along with that except for the inheritance tax. I picked a couple of mates up from the airport in Brissy yesterday and they said that most of Europe makes us look like a Nanny State.

Bad experience at quarantine?