- 11 Jan 2004 14:04
#76248
An excellent article in this weekends Sydney Morning Herald by Geoff Kitney was a real eye opener:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/ ... 67392.html
Howard has a very deep personal ideology about emphasising the strength of the individual in society. Fortunately for Howard, Australian society changed dramatically in the late 1980's and early 1990's and became more egocentric, and this change was successfully exploited by Howard. The then labour government didn't grasp the significance of this and was defeated in a landslide by Howard. The change was a backlash against the perceived dominance of the elites who were obsessed with "state of the universe" issues (environment, anti descrimination, multiculturalism etc) - issues which the common man had lost interest in. Howard recognised that the common man, the "battlers" wanted to vent their anger against so called "political correctness" and the perception that they were abandoned by the political establishment. Howard provided them with that forum.
Since the Howard takeover, a culture of selfishness has developed, according to Kitney. Crucially, the continued path of deregulation (started by the labour government in the 1980's), and the continued fall of interest rates has resulted in a borrowing spree, which apart from anything else, makes people feel good about themselves. Suddenly, people are far more concerned about investing in their homes than concern for the environment.
The dark side of this, acording to Kitney, is that Australians have become less tolerant. This has found expression in the way we treat assylum seekers. The fact that Howard won the last election purely because of his perceived tough stance against the tampa and "children overboard" refugees is testament to this. moreover, the sense of community is breaking down affecting social cohesion and community values - ironic since one of Howard's platforms has always been the strength of the family.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/ ... 67392.html
Howard has a very deep personal ideology about emphasising the strength of the individual in society. Fortunately for Howard, Australian society changed dramatically in the late 1980's and early 1990's and became more egocentric, and this change was successfully exploited by Howard. The then labour government didn't grasp the significance of this and was defeated in a landslide by Howard. The change was a backlash against the perceived dominance of the elites who were obsessed with "state of the universe" issues (environment, anti descrimination, multiculturalism etc) - issues which the common man had lost interest in. Howard recognised that the common man, the "battlers" wanted to vent their anger against so called "political correctness" and the perception that they were abandoned by the political establishment. Howard provided them with that forum.
Since the Howard takeover, a culture of selfishness has developed, according to Kitney. Crucially, the continued path of deregulation (started by the labour government in the 1980's), and the continued fall of interest rates has resulted in a borrowing spree, which apart from anything else, makes people feel good about themselves. Suddenly, people are far more concerned about investing in their homes than concern for the environment.
The dark side of this, acording to Kitney, is that Australians have become less tolerant. This has found expression in the way we treat assylum seekers. The fact that Howard won the last election purely because of his perceived tough stance against the tampa and "children overboard" refugees is testament to this. moreover, the sense of community is breaking down affecting social cohesion and community values - ironic since one of Howard's platforms has always been the strength of the family.
- By Negotiator
- By litwin
- By Tainari88
- By FiveofSwords