Labor Australia, Labour UK, Democrat US, Liberal Canada.
All of the above have manual worker beginnings, as downtrodden and abused workers came together and demanded decent pay and rights. The right for workers to strike became entrenched, and I must say abused at times. But the only thing protecting basic workers rights was that they collectively would decide on a course of action against their exploitive employers, and it worked. Pay increased, working conditions improved, and best of all safety for workers in their workplaces improved immensely. From this arose the above listed political parties.
Liberal Australia, Conservative (Tory) UK, Republican US, Conservative Canada.
These are parties built by rich people and wealthy business people. They are anti worker, anti union, anti progressive society, such as gay and trans rights, no care for the disadvantaged in society, anti free public health care and public school education, anti taxation of rich people to improve society, anti big government control, anti regulation of safety in all kinds of areas. Anti tech regulations, anti public transport. Also anti environment over profits, and anti renewable power. Anti brown people, unless they are factory fodder. These parties are anti everything that makes modern society better.
But then we now have far right parties, so much worse than the conservative parties. In the UK, Reform Party, in Australia, One Nation. The US Republican Party has crossed over from being conservative to extreme far right, up there with One Nation and Reform.
To quote the leader of Australia's One Nation, "There are no good Muslims". This from she who said thirty years ago, "We are being swamped by Asians". She has also been heard spouting anti African immigrant comments.
I have my opinions on immigration and how it could work better for Australia, one being don't take too many at once from one country. There are refugees all over the world, and many well educated possible immigrants. Many of our successful immigrants are those who came here as students and received permanent residency before becoming citizens, my hope for Phyllis and Kosov.
I could never vote for conservative parties simply because everything they stand for goes against my values. And OMG, voting for the felon, war monger and pederast, the Orange TACO, aka the 47th President of the United States. You just can't.
I'll try to be less ranty at the weekend.
I have only ever voted for Labor since I was able to vote, I think I was 20. The only thing I disagree with them on is the high number of migrants. I think we could cut down the numbers. Refugees yes, but there are way too many so called skilled migrants, and then their extended families.
ReplyDeleteJ, it is a fine line about immigrants. We do need some, so it boils down to numbers, and where there are labour shortages.
DeleteLiberals were in government when legislation was passed for gay marriage to be legal. I know because my partner and I married.
ReplyDeleteGillard enabled legislation. to disempower biological and then redefine what it is to be a woman.
However Whitlam introduced Medicare and its offshoot Medibank which I joined way back in the 1970s. As a result Australia had a sound health system though at the moment Labor has been tardy on PBS management .and on many other issues.
I was always in the teachers union because I believe in unionism in its true form.and we belong to an industry fund However the CFMEU however is corrupt and is doing great damage to our country in many ways. Just like one nation
Democracy is a treasure and a privilege , and no one should be blind or biased about all political parties and their real policies and intentions
They did, after that the awful plebiscite that was so upsetting for so many lgbti folk.
DeleteGillard also would not endorse gay marriage, and wouldn't even admit that she was ok with it.
In my lifetime, the construction industry and the construction unions have always been corrupt. Remember the names Norm Gallagher and John Halfpenny.
It will be interesting to see if One Nation's current popularity turns into votes in Victoria's forthcoming state election and the next federal election.
Rant on, Andrew. I agree.
ReplyDeleteI do like a good rant, Kirk.
DeleteI applaud this blogpost Andrew. You and I - we sing from the same hymn sheet. The workers united will never be defeated...
ReplyDeleteBUT...
"sprouting anti African immigrant comments"... I believe you mean "spouting".
Corrected. I'm obliged.
DeleteI hate that One Nation leader with the intensity of a thousand fiery suns. The Greens party too, they have evolved too far away from their original ideas.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely description of your dislike of Hanson.
DeleteIt's a new scandal or drama a day here, with our current admin. The reflecting pool fiasco is wild! Just one of the daily barage of tantrum dramas that now reflect what our country has become. I could never vote now for a single person claiming that party, which has become I don't know what. They stand only for enriching the already rich. I can't id a single value they possess or stand for.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, the pool business is hysterical, and there are some terrific memes around about the pool. At least you live in a blue state.
DeleteI'm lucky to live here. People sure are having fun with it. I can't believe they drove a motorcade through it.
DeleteThe Front National Party in France is also fearsome. And Brothers of Italy vetoes all equal opportunity measures for women in the nation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Hels. We receive so little news about Europe in our general media.
DeleteWith you 100% Andrew!
ReplyDeleteI guessed you were, Cloudia.
DeleteThe place/country is in rather a mess as I see it, Andrew. It will be interesting to see it all unfold in time!
ReplyDeleteThe US Margaret? Yes it certainly is in a mess.
DeleteSpeaking as the middle of three generations of trade union members, I'm with you on pretty much every point, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteI check the news every morning to see if he is dead yet.
ReplyDeleteAnd now in the UK we have Restore, which is even more to the right than Reform! I was listening to a podcast yesterday in which a political scientist observed that right-wing parties are being continually outflanked by those even further to the right. Apparently the appetite is there for that kind of extremism, which is troubling.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and rant, the world is atrocious right now. I agree with Travel, one of the first things I do each morning... while singing a little ditty in my head.... "ding dong the dump is dead"....
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on our conservative parties, provincial and federal!
ReplyDelete