You can forget the big issues when it comes to politics. Rant and rave against war; challenge the gradual diluting of democratic rights till the cows come home; bemoan the rampant corruption which seems to take up so much of our lawmaker’s working day; or just save your breath. A recent poll in Australia shows that the conservative Howard government is heading for a fall, their days are numbered. But the reason has nothing to do with those weighty issue, it is about jobs and income potential.
LABOR has moved into a decisive election-winning position as nervous voters turn on John Howard and his Government's workplace reforms.
There could well be a lesson for the Democrats in the US in this finding. The turnaround for Beazley’s Labor comes a month after he promised to scrap individual work contracts if Labor won the next election.
Beazley has pledged to tear up the Government's workplace reforms, which make it easier for bosses to sack workers and undermine the role of unions in negotiating wages and conditions.
He has also seized on a raft of horror stories flowing from the Government's new industrial laws amid concerns the changes have undermined employees' capacity to bargain, particularly with rogue bosses.
Those promises were amplified last week when the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) organised well-attended protest rallies across Australia during a national day of action.
On the downside, while concentrating on the hip-pocket nerve of voters, there are no guarantees that the greater fundamental issues will be addressed by a change in government.
Howard’s workplace practices are a vital part of the watering individual rights and must be rolled back.
But will a Labor government in Australia or a Democrat majority in the US see it as in their interests to roll back those laws and engagements which benefit the party in power?
The current obsession of political leaders with personal enrichment and more focused power should be the issue causing sleepless nights for the average voter.
Governments need to be told that their excesses, in total, are unacceptable. It is not in our interest to simple engage with one issue and allow them free reign elsewhere.
I fear that those who see the folly of our current political dynamics will gain no great pleasure out of simply changing the guard on a sectional concern. The fight for greater accountability and transparency of government will continue.
3 comments:
And, I'm afraid, so will the fight against greater accountability and transparency. And so far, the bastards are winning.
abi, yes, alas. I do try to inject the positive but it does sound far fetched in this case.
kvatch, I'm sure the issue is out there. But the Dems need a fire in the belly now as well.
I can't understand why Dems can't come up w/ a program that appeals to middle and working class people who have been screwed in this Bush tax cut and spend economy. They should be hammering these fuckers on fiscal responibility, fiscal fairness, etc. Tar the Repubs as the party of the CEO. Hell, it's true and I bet people would listen to that message. That's why Bush has 29-33% approval ratings on the economy.
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