Issue No 78 | 17 November 2000 | |
Tool ShedThe Mad Monk Goes Marxist
This week, we welcome back a Tool Shed regular, a man who mixes religion and socialist theory to support his push to get the State out of the welfare sector.
Tony Abbott was in the SMH this week quoting that champion of outsourcing Karl Marx's famous dictum "from each according to their ability, to each according to his need". We doubt Marx had the idea of contracting out welfare in mind when writing his Manifesto and Capital. We are even less convinced that the great man would have had any regard for a spivvy political gold-digger like the Mad Monk. Perhaps Abbot has been reading his Engels and has acted to get government out of welfare after being alarmed by the following: It was found that the state institutions, in which the rule of the bourgeoisie is organised, offer the working class still further opportunities to fight these very state institutions. A fuller reading of just a small sample of Marx's work would come up with the following words of wisdom which might serve as a warning to The Monk and his ilk.
Finally to the Monk's resort to the words of the Pope to fix welfare recipients "in their place" in the social order. Marx may have replied:
But enough of our vitriol for some genuine analysis we hand over Workers Online reader M.Webb who nominated Abbott: "Tony Abbott speaks of mutual obligation for the unemployed however, in the absence of many full time jobs, he is now roping in St Vincent de Paul & charities in general, in his latest effort to shift responsibility from government to individuals and community organisations. Tony Abbott very selectively quotes from the Catholic Church and the current Pope in order to gratuitously advise St Vincent de Paul to follow the Liberal Party philosophy to contract out Federal government responsibility to look after the unemployed financially. Tony Abbott, once associated with Bob Santamaria's National Civic Council. However, even Santamaria believes in support for the unemployed by government and would never burden charities with the responsibility of social security. Tony forgets that the NCC supports the Industrial Relations Commissions and its former role before Peter Reith changed it with anti worker laws. Tony also holds to many North Shore Sydney Liberal views about God and the role of government quite at odds with the old labor views held by the old Industrial groupers he once had an association with before he entered Parliament. Tony is also at odds with the Irish Aussie labor views of many people south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and beyond the NorthSydney Chatswood to Berowra/Hornsby Lib set he hangs out with. If Tony followed St Paul and the church view of real work shirkers, he would honestly have to give himself a real pay cut for his policies on contracting out of the old CES to private enterprise and thoroughly stuffing it up. Generally, as he holds the Federal Liberal cabinet line on selling off public assets, privatisation etc, he should then recognise that as he is 'devolving' himself of government responsibilities to the private sector, that as he is a publicly funded Tory, that he should take a big pay cut and live by his Liberal beliefs. " Nominate a Tool!
|
Interview: Doubly Blessed With that unforgettable name, Grace Grace is making her mark as the first female secretary of the Queensland trade union movement. Unions: On The Line Trade unions this week entered a landmark partnership with the call centre industry to improve the quality jobs in this growing sector. History: Conspiracy or Class? The Whitlam Sacking Never trust a man who wears a top hat and tails in Australia, in Summer. Neale Towart considers this and other evidence of conspiracy in the great shonky dismissal. Legal: Return Of The Lock-out Marian Baird reports on the increasing tendency of aggressive employers to use lock-outs to reduce wages and conditions and promote individual agreements. Activists: Waterfront Hero Bows Out John Coombs, the man the government compared to Ned Kelly - villain to the bosses, the big land owners and conservatives, folk hero to working Australians - bows out of the union movement next month. International: Morocco Stonewalls In Western Sahara Morocco has new king but its old game plan of defying world opinion over its occupation of the Western Sahara continues. Review: The Identity-Shifting Pragmatist If New Zealand should have an Australian as its first Labour Prime Minister, then it is only fitting that Australia should have as its first a man who spent much of his formative years across the ditch. Satire: Hackers Infect Microsoft Computers With Mysterious Windows Virus SEATTLE, Thursday: Shame-faced workers at Microsoft admitted today that hackers had succeeded in penetrating their network's defences and had installed a sophisticated virus on the Apple Macintosh machines used across the software giant's operations.
Notice Board View entire latest issue
|
© 1999-2000 Labor Council of NSW LaborNET is a resource for the labour movement provided by the Labor Council of NSW URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/78/d_pierswatch_abbott.htmlLast Modified: 15 Nov 2005 [ Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Credits ] LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW |