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The Labor Party was in some respects (not all) a lesser evil than the Coalition. For example, Labor promised to increase the unemployment benefit, which had been kept at a poverty level for decades. However Labor refused to commit itself to a specific amount, saying this would be determined by an enquiry. This would have meant unnecessary delay. Still, it would have eventually resulted in an increase. On many issues Labor agrees with the Coalition - for example, continuing the detention of refugees on islands in the Pacific (Manus and Nauru), and continuing the policy of turning back refugee boats. However Labor did promise to restore the meagre financial support given to asylum seekers currently living in the Australian community, which had been cut off by the Coalition government. On some issues Labor failed to take a clear position (for example, on the proposed Adani coal mine). But there were enough issues on which Labor had a somewhat better position than the government that we could say it was a lesser evil. After the defeat one Labor politician has said the party lost because it was too left-wing. I would not be surprised if the Labor Party moves even further to the right. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: Marxism <marxism-boun...@lists.csbs.utah.edu> on behalf of John Edmundson via Marxism <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> Sent: Sunday, 19 May 2019 8:27:02 PM To: Chris Slee Subject: Re: [Marxism] Australia: luck running out? | Michael Roberts Blog ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. ***************************************************************** A comment about Union independence from Labor aside, this GLW article still seems to see a Labor win as a positive thing . . . Cheers, John On Sun, May 19, 2019 at 6:49 PM Chris Slee via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > Michael Roberts notes that opinion polls were predicting a Labor Party > victory in the election. But this did not happen - the Liberal-National > Coalition has won. (There are still some undecided seats, but these will > not enable a Labor victory. At best they might force the Coalition > government into reaching an agreement with some right-wing independents). > > One factor affecting the result was a huge media campaign by Clive Palmer, > a wealthy businessman who spent an estimated $60 million on advertisements > attacking Labor. This amount is roughly equal to the combined spending of > Labor and the Coalition. > > On a more positive note, the Victorian Socialists - a coalition of left > groups and individuals in the state of Victoria - averaged about 5 percent > in the 3 electorates it contested, which is much larger than other election > results for left groups in federal elections in recent years. > > Here is an article about the election result by Jim McIlroy in Green Left > Weekly: > > https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/coalition-win-makes-fightback-urgent > > Chris Slee > > > > ________________________________ > From: Marxism <marxism-boun...@lists.csbs.utah.edu> on behalf of Louis > Proyect via Marxism <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> > Sent: Saturday, 18 May 2019 10:03 PM > To: Chris Slee > Subject: [Marxism] Australia: luck running out? | Michael Roberts Blog > > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > Australia may be a ‘lucky country’ but luck can change. The economy > relies on raw material exports and so is vulnerable to any plunge in > commodity prices and if China were to slow down or the trade war with > the US really spike, then Australia is vulnerable. The OECD put it this > way “a negative external shock cold prompt a sharp cut to incomes, a > rise in unemployment and downturn in consumption. This would increase > mortgage stress and further escalate a fall in house prices. A currency > depreciation would also be likely.” > > > https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2019/05/17/australia-luck-running-out/ > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/chris_w_slee%40hotmail.com > > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/johnedmundson4%40gmail.com > -- The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from the goose _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/chris_w_slee%40hotmail.com _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
