scared yet...mission accomplished

On the anniversary of a multi coloured banner, we should not forget that today also marks a very special occasion in the symbols stakes for the world. Today a whole bunch of dutch creationists completed a full scale, living replica of Noahs Ark. Why is is so symbolic? Well, to me its the living embodyment of ideology over any form of sense, we see this because, despite their fabulous efforts in re-creating this mythical zoological QE2 party fun liner, they havent stuffed if full of two of every animal on the face of the earth, and dont plan to anytime soon. Its fine to build a structure 300 cubits long, and then say "behold, the spa, ye it be good and bubbling, and the ballroom, mighty spacious", its another to then stuff the hold with two of each and every bird, mammal, reptile and still have room for the microwave to feed the critters for the next 150 days. If they can do this and not get jailed by the RSPCA (or their dutch equivalent), then I will admit there may be some more flesh to their creaking ideological bones.

Now the same can be said of the current frenzied scare campaign being run out of the PM's office over Labors new IR laws. They so far conform to the frenzyied mishmash of scare tactics that greets each and every new poll placing the ALP in the drivers seat for the next election.

Look at the facts as spewed forth by the ideological princesses of industry and the government:

on global warming : if Labor gets into power, all industry will instantly shut down and the french will inherit the earth.

on IR reform: if labor gets into power, all industry will instantly shut down and then some mumbling about the french and the UN invading the world

In yesterdays Fin Review, Peter Hendy, chief exec of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gave an impassioned review of why he opposes the IR changes by refering back to the straw man of industrial chaos and rampant strike action. Where has this man been since the late 1970's? His justifications and over the top critisism's are based upon an Australia not seen since Howard was treasurer, and certainly not based upon anything that came after the asscendancy of the Hawke years. Of course, his pedigree of being Peter Reiths close and faithful protege and all his words and actions could have spewed from any liberal party branch zerox machine. If at any point he could have been considered an impartial comentator on these matters, his latest ridiculous, spurious reasoning just places him as a Howard hack, regurgiating the Liberals upcoming election scare campaign. The man naught is more than a stooge, his claims are just not sustained with any facts or even a hint of balanced reasoning.

His look backwards to a distant, imaginary past are pure Howard ideology, bare on the bones and tilting at illusions of windmills. While Howard makes much of interest rates under Labor (he doesnt like to mention interest rates under his treasury stewardship), he is ever so careful never ot mention that under Labor, worker productivity rose by an average of 3% per year, while under his shoddy PMship it has barely made it to 1%. So what does that do to his claims of fine economic management, it shines a disturbing light on this governments chronic underfunding of education, infrastructure and new technologies, just witness the witless performance on telecommunications, Helen Coonans prnouncements that everything is wonderful and we have never had it so good, pure, unadultated shit.

The we have the rabid anti-unionist Rio Tinto making alarmist claims that the minerals boom will somehow instantly disapear the moment a labor victory is announced. So somehow the Chinese, Japanese and the rest of the world will stop consuming thier goods because of a union offical marching up to Rios front gate. What a joke this hyperbole of shit has become, rather than placing the blame squarely on government underinvestment in bottlenecks, it layers its arguments with groundless, factless ideology. Prior to the advent of these pre-dikensian work place laws, Rio Tinto under the foaming right wing ideologue Hugh Morgan, paid workers a bonus of on average $17,000 in a lump sum to walk away from their unions and join onto AWA's. Wasteful bliss, according to our present leader, but surely just another reason why the minerals boom has created a series of slush funds for corporations to tackle their own ideological mantras rather than productive investment in the future.

In a tight labour market (such as mining) with employers willing to go to great lengths to ensare any qualified workers, where is the incentive for the individual worker to increase their productivity. In the areas where AWA's have slashed the pay and working conditions of employees, espcially those lower skilled workers, who would have the incentive to boost their productivity when all it leads to is permanent insecurity and a decline in your paypacket. I and many others have said it before and will continue to ask, when will the Government release the accumulated data it has sitting in its vaults on AWA's? No need to be shy about the stunning success that they are Joe Hockey, like apples compared to oranges, I can tell the difference between horseshit and bullshit, one is pouring from your mouth, the other is carried to my car by a clerk in a store who has just had his pay and conditions slashed and will get no pay rise whatsoever for the next five years.

We have entered that era when the US system of wages has enveloped our economy, so get set for ten years of zero wages growth for the average worker and record profits for Corporations and CEO salaries. Apart from early Bush years where they had a strange anomaly, a jobless recovery from recession, they are now experiencing a period of record growth in two dispparet areas, the very poor and the very wealthy. Absolute poverty has increased, from just under 15% of the US population, to now over 17% under Bushes watch, the most daming statistic that I can find is a bizzare one. Over the last three christmas's, two companies have set record sales, one was Tiffany's, the other Walmart, these represent the extremes of the market, the very wealthy and the very poor. What this also means is the slow constriction and destruction of the middle, the true driving force of any economy, just watch our corporate leaders salivate about the rise of the Indian and Chinese middle classes and of how they would love to place one sock upon each of their increasingly wealthy feet while kissing the other in supplication. Workchoices will do the same in australia, increase our already growing wages disparity, force more of those working full time jobs onto the welfare roll as a top up to inadequate wages and eventually lead to a two tiered society of rich and poor, with the middle squeezed out of any opportunities.

Throw into this mix the self destructive mantra of anti-unionism, a crusade against organised labour, of pitting the paltry rescources of the individual against a thousand corporate lawyers, and conditions are ripe for a stagnant economy while profits reach record levels. In china, the trade imbalance, shoddy quality control, exploitative wages and conditions, record worker deaths and accidents are all the result of a lack of Unions. How many Chinese are going to strike to get the bare minimum of conditons in the face of jail and death? All you need to remember is that each and every condition you now enjoy in your workplace was fought for by a union, in the face of industry wailing the end of civilization as we know it. Organized labour has its vices, but the good far outweighs any bad, no matter what hugh morgan or Reiths whore, peter hendy may tell you.

Im not a Kevin Rudd man, never have been and I doubt wether I ever will be, give me Keating any day of the week, so I fall into that camp of "anyone but Howard". Howards legacy will be of a similar ilk to his ancient hero, Pig Iron Bob. Menzies stood by watching the money roll in from the farming sector while nascent Australian computer, electonics and space industries were all wiped out under his watch, wher would our economy be if these 21st century industrial powerhouse's were finally reaching there peak here today, and Howard is doing the same. Watching the cash roll in from the rescources boom while our best and brightest flee overseas with new technologies be it in software, telecommunications, alternative energies, bio tech industries and a host of developing industries of the new era. We will pay for 11 years of ideology over sense for a very long time unless we change course immediatley, and if you think its your mortage payment that will steer your vote this year, then you deserve everything that will come to fuck up your world.

The fact is that it is only the continuation of the drought that has focused the voters minds on global warming, and by extension the wasted oppotunities already going begging in the renewable energy sector. I know its cruel, but I wish the drought to continue at least until the election, as I fear that the voters will simply dance in the rain and forget what waste 11 years of this government has been.

Like the modern Noahs Ark, this government refuses to follow the logical conclusion of its accusations and prove that it has performed or even if there is any truth in shallow trumpeting, even as it shouts to the rooftops about its achievements. Stuff the Ark full of two of every animal, lets see if they all fit. Give us the facts about AWA's, lets see if they fit the foaming rehtoric, or are just more ideological bullshit. Give the opposition a chance to steer our future, I can guarntee that industry will not stop dead in its tracks the day after a Rudd government is elected, nor will the mining boom cease because of a change of leaders, who knows, we may even be all just a bit wealthier for following sense over groundless fear and superstition.