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Issue No. 130 | 05 April 2002 |
Lights Out on The Hill
Interview: Change Agent Industrial: Balancing the Books Unions: Breaking Out Politics: Pissing on the Light on the Hill History: Of Death and Taxes International: Now That's a Strike! Satire: Mugabe Voted Miss Zimbabwe: Denies Election Rigged Poetry: Flick Go The Branches Review: Red, Red Clydeside
Brogden's Worker Creds On The Line Melbourne Faces Budget Day Gridlock Unions Call for Middle East Peace Queensland Casuals Step Forward Worker Stood Down for Dunny Action Indigenous Jobs on Union Agenda Building Workers Honour Fallen Cop Robbo and Latham to Go Three Rounds ACT Health Workers Flex Muscles Casual Rights On Agenda As Full-Time Jobs Collapse Workers Health Centre Offers Affordable Care
The Soapbox Sport Week in Review Postcard
Chikka's Legacy Socialists in the UK Organising Globally Grape Disappointment Union Resignations : Crisis or Opportunity?
Labor Council of NSW |
Editorial Lights Out on The Hill
At a recent forum organised by the Fabian Society, senior Liberals were decrying the fact that the modern party had little connection with the principles of Liberalism. Dumped candidate Greg Barnes flailed the party for its position on asylum seekers, mutual obligation and work for the dole, arguing that none of these polices have anything to do with the ideas that spawned his party. And Liberal stalwart Billy Wentworth sounded more like an anti-globalisation activist as he railed against the way governments had abrogated their responsibility to the people by deferring to the whims of the corporate giants. As these principled Liberals spoke, I couldn't help thinking that the crisis of ideology had crossed the political spectrum. You could have substituted 'Labor' for 'Liberal' and had a very similar debate. Today, both the major political parties see corporate globalisation as inevitable, yet neither has developed a roadmap for dealing with the complex dynamics that govern the process. Both take the view that we should accept the pain is doing us good, without caring to quantify the benefits. The only difference today appears to be in the extents they help the victims deal with the pain. With the National Australia Bank poised to embark on a mind-boggling series of job cuts and branch closures, politicians of all colours will feign outrage; yet the market will reward NAB and its shareholders. As Geoff Walsh concedes in this week's interview, government has less power than it did 20 years ago when it opened up the economy; the challenge is how to harness what influence it retains. While some in the party call on the ALP post-election review to dump the 'Socialist principle', the real challenge is to come up with a story that melds the simplicity of the Labor project - egalitarianism, equity and a fair go - with the complexity of the age. If our political parties can not grapple with these issues and instead continue to follow the polls and pander to the prejudice and fears fueled by the forces that it allows to run unabated their future is certain. No contest of ideas, no reason for people to get involved and, ultimately, no one to support them either. Peter Lewis Editor
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