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Issue No. 176 | 02 May 2003 |
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Solidarity Forever
Interview: Staying Alive Bad Boss: The Ultimate Piss Off Industrial: Last Drinks National Focus: Around the States Politics: Radical Surgery Education: The Price of Missing Out Legal: If At First You Don't Succeed History: Massive Attack Culture: What's Right Review: If He Should Fall Poetry: If I Were a Rich Man Satire: IMF Ensures Iraq Institutes Market Based Looting
The Soapbox Solidarity The Locker Room Postcard Bosswatch
 Is Labor History?Bob Gould Sprays Gerard HendersonWar and PeaceA Strange LightA Little HistoryDoes It Have To Be?
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Letters to the Editor A Strange Light
I appreciate your editorials and wish you all the best. As a member of the ALP for over 25 years, it saddens me to see such a right-wing regime dominating Australian politics. Unfortunately the Federal ALP has been no match for Howard and his propaganda. But I do see a strange light appearing. If we view the current dispute between Simon and Kim from the point of view that "there is no such thing as bad publicity", we may at last see both of these leaders state clearly to the public, the party faithful and their peers what there policies would be in government on the environment, human rights of refugees, aboriginal reconciliation, medicare, education, etc, etc. In my humble opinion, the reason why Simon, and Kim previously, failed to make the impact to gain public support, is that their sentences are guarded by conditions and equivocation. But more importantly, they are responding to Howard's agenda and look a bland shadow of the PM. What the weary electorate want to hear Simon, or Kim, talk about is how workers are now working their guts out at a time when all of their safety nets are disappearing. Almost every worker in all facets of employment is NOT "comfortable". They work longer hours, have less job security, feel powerless and are made to shoulder higher taxes, more responsibility and less benefits. As a scientist, I must scream out that we are rapidly going down the brain-drain and why the lack of vision in science, technology, information technology and innovation are leading us to a second or third rate nation with respect to manufacture and industry. We are now in a position where most of our industries use imported, second-rate technology and to be competitive on that basis we have to mass produce like developing world economies. Consequently our living standard, if it wasn't for our export of minerals and farm produce, would be the same as our struggling neighbours. Howards policies on the further destruction of higher education and training of our young people will get us there faster. Just keep in mind that the only reason an advanced economy can pay its people higher wages is that its people are producing the cutting edge products (ie videos, telephones, IT, etc). These types of new products are purchased by consumers at premium prices. While second rate technology produces products that struggling economies produce and they pay their work force a struggling wage. This is the direction in which we have been travelling along for many years. I could go on, but it is a voice in the wilderness. Best wishes and keep up the good work, Paul Smith
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