Peter Martin has an excellent post in his Saturday Forum wherein he argues convincingly that the system of enterprise bargaining introduced in the 1990’s made Australia’s workplace productivity soar and that the system of individual bargaining introduced to eclipse it is winding those gains back.
This is a scathing indictment of the Howard Government’s claim to be sound economic managers. To exacerbate matters, by winding back investment in research and development, indifferent neglect of childcare and public education at all levels, failure with indigenous affairs, inflating house prices, our war on Muslims and ‘illegal immigrants’, and general pie-slicing demeanour fueled by messianic delusions of neo-con ideology, they have truly and comprehensively diminished the Australian Nation. They’re just upstart coupon clippers.
So now they have no economic credibility, nor environmental credibility, and too many people have been screwed over by WorkChoices. Ironically, every person who signs on WorkChoices is a vote for Rudd.
What’s left after the budget flops? Iraq’s going down faster each day, so the War on Terror will be a two-edged sword. Better not mention the war. I guess that means we’ll be subjected to some more ritualistic immigrant and Muslim bashing, and praising the virtues of Aussie values.
As Costello is alleged to have said, they’re rooted.
The Dog's Bollocks 
No wait…I spoke too soon. Prime Minister John Howard wants to give more power to teachers and principals to crackdown on school bullying saying parents are entitled to more information about the situation. Big bad public schools! Shame! Oh dear.