Bill Shorten Declares Class Warfare!
Shorten has begun class warfare!
I know this because I read it in “The Herald-Sun”.
Ok, I didn’t actually get to read more than the headline and the first paragraph, because I was reading over someone else’s shoulder and he shut the paper and said to me, “Do you mind?”
Well, actually I did because I was reading the article and so I pointed out to him that he seemed perfectly happy reading something else on the same page until he realised that I was also reading from the paper, and that if he’d just open the page again, I’d be finished in no time and he could do whatever he liked with the paper.
“I’m not going to do that,” he told me.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because I own the paper!”
Well, he didn’t really look like Rupert Murdoch, but I’ve never seen Rupert in person, so perhaps it was actually him, but I thought it unlikely and so I didn’t follow Bill’s call for class warfare and strike the first blow by assaulting this person claiming to be a newspaper tycoon and encouraging others to make him the first to be lined up against the wall when the revolution comes! I’ve been waiting a number of years for Russell Brand to lead it, but he seemed content with encouraging people not to vote…
Instead I decide that I could probably find the story online. Although Rupert puts most of his stuff behind a pay-wall. He argues that people should pay for quality journalism, but that doesn’t explain why he puts articles in his papers behind a paywall…
And then, of course, I did have to consider which side I wanted to be on when it comes to class warfare.
Actually, I’ve considered that many times and I’ve always thought that it was best to be on the winning side, but I digress.
According to the first paragraph, Bill Shorten has declared class warfare by announcing that he wants to crack down on subsidies to the rich and tax concessions. Well, what’s the point of paying tax if you can’t negative gear property to such an extent that you’re considered a low-income earner and eligible for welfare?
Anyway, I guess you all remember Malcolm Turnbull’s putdown of Bill a few months ago, when he suggested that Shorten was a social climber and he was just a sycophant trying to ingratiate himself to rich people. And I guess you’re all aware of the Liberals’ accusation that the Opposition leader is just a captive of the unions and he’ll do their bidding when becomes PM. Personally, I find putting those two things together rather difficult.
Similarly, when the Murdoch press is suggesting that Shorten is declaring class warfare, I’m not sure whether they expect me to think that he’s declaring war on the poor on behalf of his rich mates or declaring war on the rich because his union bosses demand it… I guess this the problem with not reading more than the first paragraph, but that’s what happens when someone rich enough to buy their own newspaper stops you from reading articles because they don’t understand the way things work in the 21st century!
Whatever, I’m pleased that we now have Peter Dutton in charge of almost everything to do with security. Any day now, I imagine Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull being whisked away and held in a detention centre because they weren’t carrying their passports, leaving Dutts to run the country in the manner that an ex-policeman from Queensland thinks fit.
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Return to home pageIf you want to know what is happening in a department put an idiot in charge.
Bill Shorten hasn’t declared class war. We have been assailed by the capitalist and neoliberals for decades. What is happening, we are now fighting back, demanding a fair share and a fair go. No more, no less.
Funny how all the accusations of Class Warfare always seem to come from the top down and never from the bottom up.
It’s the accusation the wealthy always make when they feel under threat of being caught out rorting the system or having their special treatment exposed.
When people feel helpless or their situation is hopeless many lash out the only way they can – through the ballot box. That’s how they end up with things like Brexit or Trump but ultimately that only makes their situation worse. The rich still win.
“There’s class warfare all right, but it’s my class – the rich class – that’s making war, and we’re winning” – Warren Buffett.
The Herald Sun is arguably Shorten’s best friend in these uncertain, changing times from the security of neoliberalism for the complacent, socio-economic secure members of our community.
When HS says BS is bullshit, his supporters get upset and say Billy is good.
Others on the anti-LNP side of the equation, who also see BS is bullshit albeit for different reasons, hope it means Labor wakes up to itself and replace Billy with a proper progressive and reformist Labor leader.
I suggest Catherine King or Linda Burney, as reasonably new bloods with burning lights and respect.
“If a Third World’s laborer has been forced to live on less than $5 a day and a corporate executive sits on top of hundreds of billions of dollars of business empire in the Wall Street, neoliberals don’t find anything wrong with this travesty.”
“It really stretches the limit of human credulity that how easy it has been for the mainstream media to sell “fake news” and false narratives to its uncritical audience.”
What you are saying is you take out blame and divisiveness you might end up with a cohesive society.
The Herald Sun doing it again – inadvertently, clumsily, giving Bill good publicity! Remember a couple of weeks ago a full cover great shot of Bill, and a “warning” list of the “awful” things hes going to do when PM. Most of which most of its readers would think were good things!
Saw Bill Shorten interview by Barrie Cassidy on Insiders. Cassidy was rude and interrupted, but Bill was superb – didn’t miss a beat, little chuckle instead of getting annoyed, and answered everything well. Loved it when Cassidy snartarsed slyly “Do you resent the wealthy?” and Bill said no he didnt, he respected that they had a done well, but they were well able to look after themselves. “They’re not the reason I get out of bed every morning.”. My goodness Bills presentation and public speaking have improved in the last couple of years. So refreshing not to hear waffle and spin and opponent bashing.
Hear that? That’s the sound of marching jackboots… And fascists have no sense of humour…
That’s not jack boots you idiot thats the sound of a stamped.
Yes, Bill has declared war, and about time. Up until now there has not been any opposition to the oppression which has slowly crept over or society. Defying this oppression requires someone to declare an end to it. Two opposing sides might at last get into a fight. So far Labor has tried negotiation and co-operate, with several declarations of ‘Peace in our Time’ while dealing with the oppressors. No more: Let the war begin.
It’s about time war was declared on the basis of class the working class has been copping an absolute thrashing for decades and we must fight back or surrender absolutely, a class war is inevitable so bring it on…. Before you say well I’m ‘middle class’ remember one fact, that if you must get out of bed to go to work, you are in fact working class, pure and simple be you a labourer or a doctor.
Hat a great start had me waking with a laugh.
For donkies ages pollies, like corbyn, have called for a shareholder revolt and a cap on CEOs and trickle downers, like alex edmonds have refuted the cappers and the use of wage ratios.
Perhaps a comparison with politics top to bottom for pollies is about 2 /1 in business 300/1?
All fired up and then I remember peter singer and realise that I sit on my altruism and live on my ‘unger’ bugatti.
ps Rossleigh,
What class are the writers here?
Poor man child Turnball, cedes power to Dutton, who is now the leader of the LNP, then has Abbott take over the running of the NSW Liberals. Not much longer to go now Mal, the title of PM is just about lost.
Zathras, you say: Funny how all the accusations of Class Warfare always seem to come from the top down and never from the bottom up.
I think it’s because the jobless poor are too busy trying to find something to eat; they have no time or energy to start wars…
I always believed that the people belonging to the working class had to be, well, WORKING..
It looks like Australia is developing a new class; the bed-less, the foodless ,the toothless, a bit like the Indian caste, Untouchables; the beggars that sometimes receive a huge gift of five dollars from the our kind PM…..The money is thrown into the beggars’ beanie, no physical contact…
Bottom line The Conservative LNP have no Class at all.
Jack Straw, 🙂 that thought crossed my mind too, nothing classy about that despicable lot….they have slipped below the Bottom Line…
How much truth there is in satire, how much indeed?
The satirist exposes the irony which in my view requires the truth, to have meaning as satire
Thank you Rossleigh
Helvityni – The working class had to be well, Working
CLASSic
S G B
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/24/scott-morrison-claims-inequality-in-australia-is-not-getting-worse-but-better
Of course it’s getting better, much better for the 10% and in particular the 1% and big business. Oh yes, and the LNP coffers and other assorted dodgy and dirty bank accounts.
Shorten should always say that he is actually being extremely conservative, as it is the modern neo-con conservative that is destroying traditional values such as a fair go.
The top tax rate in 1980 was 60%.
That great bastion of tax reduction Howard introduced legislation to curtail the massive ‘bottom of the harbour’ tax avoidance schemes.
Unions have traditionally been a part of Australian society.
Utilities such as electricity and gas were once under gov control and quite successful in providing services. Although conservatives favour private ownership this did not extend to utilities.
Employees could expect adequate recompense for the downsides of weekend work.
Large companies actually trained staff, rather than only employing those already trained.
457 style visas were not abused.
Etc etc