Day to Day Politics: Conservatives in a class of their own
Tuesday 1 May 2018
One would think that Australia would be the last place you would find “class warfare”, but we are full of it. It is generated by a capitalistic economy that favours the rich and creates a demarcation between rich, middle class and poor.
When you have an inequitable distribution of the country’s wealth it is obvious that people will be divided by income if nothing else. In 2013, the then Treasurer Wayne Swan wrote an essay about the ever-increasing inequality that had invaded our society.
The right-wing Murdoch press and conservative politicians immediately attacked his piece as class warfare.
So what the hell is this class warfare everyone talks about? I would have thought that there was less class distinction in Australia than in most countries. At least on the surface.
We do however have an attitude known as “them and us” syndrome. This phrase speaks of the wealthy who are privileged beyond conscience and then, well there’s us.
Those we refer to as them have all the wealth but “us” collectively spend more than “them.” Consequently, we pay more tax.
We are the battlers with aspirations to also be wealthy (and I am assuming that class presupposes wealth) but with common sense to know that not everyone can be.
Although if you are one of them of course (the wealthy) it does afford you a better class of education, of medical treatment and access to the law.
In fact, it gives you distinct societal advantages. Like tax havens, tax avoidance, and superannuation discounts not available to us. Oh and I forgot negative gearing and a myriad of other concessions.
It is a carryover from the United States where they worship the “Great American Dream”. That being that in the land of the free anyone can aspire to be rich. And the poor actually believe it. The constitution tells them so.
So the dream is perpetuated on an unsuspecting population who support the wealthy because the dream will happen to them someday. Some say it is called thus because you have to be asleep to dream it. In Australia we are more circumspect.
From the land where greed is good with a gospel that preaches wealth, hallelujah.
The term “Class Warfare” originates from the USA and has been a favourite form of attack by Fox News and the Republicans against President Obama and Democrats in general.
Like most things that have a basis in the worship of wealth and privilege the right in Australia adopt the same negative position. Fox News also uses the term “War on wealth” in their efforts to support wealth as a national goal. Everyone should aspire to be rich even if everyone cannot.
Who is waging this war?
Who is waging this so-called war? I don’t see the middle and lower classes up in arms over their treatment. But I do see the wealthy and the super-rich getting cranky every time there is a threat to their privilege, or at the suggestion that they should contribute more to the public coffers.
In fact, never in the history of this nation have the rich and the privileged been so openly brazen about their economic self-righteousness.
We only have to look at conservative politicians when their expenses are threatened. They throw tantrums like children who have grown up being taught that it is their divine right to the spoils of office.
They are ably supported by the Murdoch press who invariably perpetuate and use the phrase “Class Warfare” in a manner that suggests the lower and middle classes and particularly the Labor Party are at war with the rich. But ask yourself who is doing all the complaining. It’s the wealthiest, it’s “them” not “us”.
An observation
” Never in the history of Australia have the rich and privileged been so openly brazen”
When for the first time Australian mining companies campaigned against a government effectively telling them how much tax they were prepared to pay, they were playing the class warfare card.
Such was the power of wealth that Gina Rinehart, Twiggy Forrest and Clive Palmer got away with it. The fact that the minerals belong to all of us seemed unimportant to them.
Not to mention the enormous taxpayer-funded subsidies they receive. They don’t seem to understand the concept of fairness. There is “them” and ”us”.
Even the banks in support of their wealth and how they acquire it had Conservative Government support in trying to protect it.
When Wayne Swan made his speech encouraging an equitable share of the country’s wealth he was accused of engaging in class warfare. Isn’t tax meant to be redistributed?
Even newspapers like the Herald Sun who pitch to a common man demographic, pander to the class of rich without hesitation. Perhaps it’s because they are owned by one of the world’s wealthiest men. Ironic, isn’t it?
Who pays the most tax?
Let’s look at the GST for example. It burdens the poor and those with the least capacity to pay. It discriminates against the poor and the pensioners who are living a hand-to-mouth existence and spending the bulk of their income on the necessities of life— clothing, rent, heating, power etc.
The middle and lower classes pay much more GST than the rich but I don’t see them in open warfare because of it. Goodness, once the rich had to pay a luxury tax of 33% on their BMWs. Now it’s 10%.
When the wealthiest in the land, have for years virtually been practicing tax avoidance literally paying no tax and large corporations following suit, who is playing class warfare?
When such behaviour is questioned the right-wing media portray it as an attack on the wealthy. “It’s class warfare” they shout.
How Murdoch helps
Media commentary research shows that the Murdoch press is the major contributor to this supposed idea of a class warfare. The Australian Financial Review has recently run 10 articles on this theme. The Daily Telegraph 21 and The Australian 77. Add to that a few disgruntled Labor hacks who couldn’t get their own way and you can identify who is leading the chorus. Not us, we seem to be leaderless.
Who is leading this so-called “Class warfare”?
Remember the time when the Coalition planned to cut the rebate for low-income earners (mainly women) and take away the school bonus subsidies the war becomes a one-sided impasse. And when Abbott’s 2014 Budget was universally condemned as the most unfair ever because it placed the burden of budget repair on the poor, pensioners and the middle class, the right had the audacity to call it class warfare on the rich.
What about equality of opportunity, fairness and values?
Yes, the rich are in a class of their own. And their success is judged on the size and value of their assets. A poor measure by any standard.
Even when it’s suggested that equality of opportunity in education is a noble pursuit, and the right of every child people like Christopher Pyne say it is class warfare and he ludicrously described the Gonski reforms as such. Mind you he confessed to never having read the report. Yet, the words from his mouth are the standards we aspire too.
When a person like Pyne suggests that the implementation of Gonski is practicing class warfare it’s easy to see who is actually practicing it. Those elitist bastards, not us.
The war it seems is only being waged against those who are wealthy and can afford it. Poor buggers. I’m tempted to donate 10% of my pension if they are doing it that bad.
So the “Class War” would appear to be a Clayton’s one at best. Only one side is fighting it. It’s ”them”, not ”us”. And it’s very hard to get through to a class who believes that what’s theirs is theirs and what’s yours is negotiable.
They want all the excesses that come with wealth and then they want some more. As for us, we don’t confuse what we want with what we need.
When you consider that currently taxpayer subsidies given to mining companies, the taxpayer-assisted negative gearing, the tax loopholes and the wealthy who just don’t pay tax at all, is it any wonder the rich feel threatened?
And with a growing awareness that banks and big business are ripping us off, it’s the rich who are practicing a class warfare that is breeding a growing inequality. Yet this Government wants to reward the banks with billions in tax cuts. It’s immoral, to say the least.
You can be assured of one thing: When a conservative Government and right-wing MSM refer to class warfare they are simply saying “they are trying to take something from us that we deserve, it’s not fair”. Remember that Maggie assured us that the poor would be looked after by the drip down effect of the rich.
My arse it will! It never has before.
My thought for the day
“The left of politics is concerned with people who cannot help themselves. The right is concerned with those who can”.
23 comments
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stephentardrew -
Terry2 -
Florence nee Fedup -
Bert -
helvityni -
wam -
Kronomex -
helvityni -
Matters Not -
New England Cocky -
Glenn Barry -
flohri1754 -
townsvilleblog -
Kronomex -
Andrew Smith -
wam -
margcal -
Terry2 -
helvityni -
townsvilleblog -
townsvilleblog -
Kronomex -
diannaart
Return to home pageOn the money as usual John.
I recently encountered a situation that I found quite disturbing and a reflection on how our health system has been allowed to deteriorate as this government forces us into private healthcare at the expense of Medicare.
Being a man of a certain age I had to have some prostate tests which included an MRI with the possibility of a surgical biopsy to follow.
Living in a regional area where there are no MRI facilities I had to travel to my nearest large centre – a three hour round trip by car – where private MRI facilities exist but there is no Medicare refund available for this service. It was a very commercial transaction and you don’t get beyond the front counter until you have handed over the $550 fee : I joked,‘first you scan my credit card and then you scan my prostate,right ?‘. That didn’t go down too well.
Whilst there, I met another codger who who also came from the country and had a twelve hour round trip so he and his wife stayed overnight. He said that they had a public hospital in his small town but no MRI facilities ; he told me that he almost didn’t come to town to have the scan as the travel and accommodation plus the non-refundable fee made it a major imposition for a couple living on a pension, but his wife insisted that he do it. It made me wonder how many old blokes in regional areas just let it go and take their chances.
I took the opportunity of writing to Greg Hunt, the Health Minister to draw attention to this anomaly – the fact that an essential medical procedure the MRI was not refundable under Medicare – that was three months ago, I have received no reply.
Class warfare, perhaps. A two tier health system certainly.
The Diagnosis Imaging I go to have posters on the wall saying Medicare is sick. Seems government has changed the rules.
“It is a carryover from the United States where they worship the “Great American Dream”. That being that in the land of the free anyone can aspire to be rich. And the poor actually believe it. The constitution tells them so.”
A quote from Don Henley of The Eagles sums your comment up perfectly,” there is a fine line between the great American dream and the great American nightmare”. Substitute Australia for America and that’s how things are here.
Further, if you want to see the class divide in action check out the northern midlands of Tasmania where the squatocracy is very much alive
Before coming to Australia, I did not know what words ‘class-envy’ and ‘bullying’ meant…I suppose I knew the translation of those words, but they were not familiar concepts to me.
Well, the people in UK know their classes, and the America is a country of the very rich and the very poor.
Oz always looks for models from those two countries….
‘Never in the history of Australia have the rich and privileged been so openly brazen”?
2013–14 median household was $80,704, and the average of all households was $107,276. Where does rich finish and the poor start?
“We only have to look at conservative politicians when their expenses are threatened. They throw tantrums like children who have grown up being taught that it is their divine right to the spoils of office.”
Rudd chucked a few tantrums and the divine right to vote was removed when Gillard set up the ‘independent’ tribunal to save the conservative politicians from the embarrassment of voting for payrises. (burke’s robbie williams and Uluru holiday negates)
ps Terry2 when I go to the doctor no cost as age and health problems when my wife goes $85. Similarly x-ray services zero me $600 to $800 for her but she has found a bulk biller? So no payment for either doctor or xray??
“The Great American Dream” is the 10% controlling 99.99% of the wealth (not so different here) and begrudgingly allowing the rest of the population to use the other 0.01% because most of that will make its way into their pockets anyway.
…and in Denmark all dental care for children up to the age of 18 is free. This includes braces, oral surgery and orthodontia…
Sometimes even the good guys with guns are banned. Is the NRA in retreat?
Excellent objective analysis John, thank you. Warren Buffet has it correct; the wealthy are using all of their networks to denigrate the working masses while ripping them off no end. But THAT is the misgovernment that Australian voters elected!!
There is more GST paid in a year on essential items of living, like tampons for ladies, than is paid on an imported Ferraris or other super expensive vehicles usually the dream of a male.
Then “the American Dream” has become “the American Nightmare” for the aspiring masses as documented by Michael Moore in any of his movies, and numerous other independent sources like ABC Four Corners programmes. Would YOU vote for Trumpery??
OED: trumpery, n., showy but worthless.
helvityni – you have somewhat confirmed my impression that the anglosphere is mired in toxic social engineering and inequality. Unfortunately we have the LNP government fundamentally obsessed with assimilating the worst economic and dysfunctional social elements from the UK and US of A.
This is so much more galling when there are a myriad of examples of functional and successfully socially progressive countries to emulate.
We still essentially behave as an imperial administration from the 18th Century in so many ways, and in the realms where progress has been made, they are trying to drag us backwards.
Good one, John … and an apt comment Glenn Barry. Just why do some people believe they deserve (and, yes, need) so much of the the commonweal?
Why, why, why are the general public not getting angrier and angrier concerning this situation?
This evil little man is starting to become truly frightening, ably backed up by his henchmen Pezullo and Moriarty.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-01/cyber-spy-agency-expansion-should-be-considered-dutton-says/9715176
Interesting how corporates, plutocrats, media, Brexit, Trump etc. change the meaning of language AKA ‘ class warfare’, ‘elites’ etc.; pots and kettles to aid confusion, angst and fear in ageing electorates.
The most pernicious imo is ‘globalisation’, another favourite applied to (-ve) issues of employment, migration, trade agreements, and anything else; just another old trope from 1930s Germany etc. referring to ‘rootless cosmopolitan Jewish banking cabals’ wink wink.
When one hears ‘leaders’ such as Erdogan, Orban et al. making aggressive pronouncements directed at an externality, one assumes they are basing on their own biases that lack any substantive evidence.
Townsvilleblog if you read your own spiel and the efforts of mr lord you will find the answer to your question.
Anger, controversy and sex sells, Boring bleeding heart opinions and pleading to be heard doesn’t!
The LNP know how to sell labor doesn’t. Labor relies on a great leader like gough and hawke, a showman like rudd cojoined with a LNP disaster.
Any listening at a bbq with 34-45 families or at pub or a golf club will show the slogans lnp goooood, labor baaaad still rule our political thoughts.
So what did john lord or any labor spokesman say that would get anyone angry or get anyone even listening?
Similarly any conversation with the general public real or on facebook will show asylum, overseas aid and climate change are low priority.
So, mr lord, revisit John Kennedy, not the septic, but the real AFL john kennedy. You and labor would do well to heed his words.
Terry2, if you’re an OAP, get out of private health insurance! I haven’t been able to afford it since I left my ex 20+ years ago.
For emergencies you will be treated immediately regardless and for anything else, the waiting times aren’t too bad – for what I need at least.
When I retired 3+ years ago I took up seeing doctors for a hobby – i.e. when I got back from my Last Hurrah OS trip I promptly got a DVT followed by a PE. The scans found all sorts of things inside me so now I’m declared “interesting” – not what you want to be when it comes to things medical.
Anyway, I have regular scans – ultrasound, CT, MRI. I’ve lost count of the number. All are free, as is everything except medication which I get at pensioner rates. That’s not only in the public system. I see a urologist* privately and sometimes get scans for him done privately, again at no cost.
* It’s weird being the only female in the waiting room to see a urologist!
I’m in the city so it makes all this a whole lot easier. But it shouldn’t make any difference to payments. Look into it.
And good luck!!
Thank you to everyone who supports our public health system. It has it’s problems. Fight that it doesn’t get worse.
margcal
You make some interesting points.
In regional areas many (perhaps most) people don’t carry private health insurance as there are no private hospitals in country areas and when sick or in an accident they go to a public hospital. If you go to see a GP there is very little bulk-billing in the country so you pay a co-payment and claim the balance through Medicare.
There is no point in paying out thousands of dollars in private health insurance premiums as you will never get to use it unless you are referred to a major centre for surgery or tests that seemingly can only be done by a private operator e.g. the MRI I referred to.
It’s a minefield created by this government who, whilst not selling off Medicare as suggested in the Mediscare campaign they are degrading the public hospital system by underfunding and pushing people towards private insurance and operators.
I don’t have the answers but I can see what is happening to what was a universal healthcare system that was of world standard.
Take Care
wam,
‘Similarly any conversation with the general public real or on facebook will show asylum, overseas aid and climate change are low priority
I’m afraid you are right; we don’t talk about the plight of Rohingya people either.
As for Erdogan and Orban, did we learn from them to be heartless, or they from us….
Australia has only ever had two classes, the working class (employees) and the ruling class (employers) most people fit into one or the other. Sadly The Devil intervened a long time ago with people who felt that they were just a little bit better than their fellow Aussies, (delusional) and he convinced those working class people that they should vote for the ruling class, and that they would feel better about themselves by doing so, and so it continued to this day.
Terry2 I think you would be surprised at how much of Medicare has been privatized behind the scenes since the last election.
No it doesn’t, it puts the money where it deserves to be, in the pockets and bank (off-shore and other wise) of the 10% Club, and that’s just the way they like it. I wonder how much Mr. Lowe has stashed away?
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/low-wage-growth-diminishes-our-shared-prosperity-rba-governor-philip-lowe-20180501-p4zcob.html
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In A Class Of Their Own
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