Are the political ideologies of today suited to address the problems of tomorrow?



A disintegrating politics in Australia is being replaced by philosophical totalitarianism where unbridled deceit and greed seek to enslave the minds of the masses.
winston Close Political Commentator
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Are the political ideologies of today suited to address the problems of tomorrow?

By johnlord2013 on March 1, 2014 • ( 6 )

Before we can even begin to answer that question we need to have a
clear understanding of just what they are. But we have to keep in mind
the often subtle (or not so subtle variances) differences and
interpretations that universally exist. For example, the term Liberal
means an entirely different thing (it means socialism) in the USA. And
in the United Kingdom it takes on another meaning. Even Democracy itself
has interpretations that take on complex variances from country to
country. Socialism takes on many shades of grey often depending on an
historical time frame.


In a recent piece I was presented a case for “The Common good” being
at the centre of every political philosophy. I described what I thought
to be the fundamental political ideologies. They are as follows.


What is a conservative?


I would say that Conservatives (LNP) believe in personal
responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty and
traditional values. They believe the role of government should be to
provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals.
Conservative policies generally emphasise empowerment of the individual
to solve problems. And they are cautious about change or innovation,
typically in politics or religion.


What is a neo conservative?


Neo conservatism goes back to the 30s however in its modern form it
is identified with George W Bush who embraced unbridled capitalism,
corporate greed together with literalist Christianity to form a modern
neo conservatism. Carl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld and others added global
superiority to the mix believing that America in all aspects was above
the rest of the world. A further element in this mix is Tea Party
Republican politics.
Excerpt of the article by John Lord

Click on the link to read the full article
http://theaimn.com/2014/03/01/are-the-political-ideologies-of-today-suited-to-address-the-problems-of-tomorrow/ 

Coalition lags behind Labor in Victoria on back of jobs woes



THE LIBERAL BUBBLE HAS BURST.

Coalition lags behind Labor in Victoria on back of jobs woes

Date

March 1, 2014

Josh Gordon

The new Age/Nielsen poll.

The Napthine government risks being swamped by a tide of
concern about the outlook for jobs and the state economy as it
languishes in a losing position nine months out from the state election.
In a sign the government is failing to gain traction at a
critical point in the political cycle, an Age/Nielsen poll has found the
Coalition lagging behind Labor 47 per cent to 53 per cent in two-party
preferred terms.
It follows a barrage of bad news for the state economy,
including the looming demise of the vehicle manufacturing industry and
deep cuts announced by Alcoa and Qantas.

Illustration: Ron Tandberg.

The poll of 1000 Victorian voters taken during the past week
shows the Coalition's primary vote stuck at 41 per cent, well below the
peak of 45 per cent achieved at the November 2010 election, with Labor
on 37 per cent and the Greens on 13 per cent.
With Victoria's unemployment rate at the highest level for 12 years, job security has become a central concern for voters.
Health and hospitals ranked as the number one issue, followed
by employment, education, financial management and public transport.
Suggesting the government's signature infrastructure project,
the east-west link, may not be producing the political gains first
hoped, roads ranked at the bottom of the list, behind law and order and
the environment.
In a worrying sign for the government, 44 per cent of voters
rated Labor as best at creating jobs, compared with 36 per cent for the
Coalition.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/coalition-lags-behind-labor-in-victoria-on-back-of-jobs-woes-20140228-33rgj.html#ixzz2ueb8fqh5

Corruption fallout hits O'Farrell

Corruption fallout hits O'Farrell

Date

March 1, 2014

Sean Nicholls

Sydney Morning Herald State Political Editor

EXCLUSIVE


Voters have turned on the O'Farrell government and are
threatening to throw it out of office after just one term in a dramatic
resetting of the political contest in NSW.
Three years after Barry O'Farrell was swept to power after
an historic rejection of the long-serving Labor government, the latest
Fairfax-Nielsen poll shows Labor is leading the Coalition 51 per cent to
49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. The turnaround represents a
15 per cent swing since the March 2011 election and is the first time
Labor has led the Coalition since 2008.
Labor's primary vote, which crashed to an historic low of
25.6 per cent in 2011, has recovered to 35 per cent - an improvement of
12 points since the last Nielsen poll in March 2013.
The Coalition's primary vote has fallen to 40 per cent from
51.2 per cent at the last election - down 12 points since last year's
poll.

If the 15 per cent swing was applied uniformly across the
state it would see the Coalition lose up to 25 seats - wiping out gains
it made in western Sydney, the central coast and the Hunter three years
ago.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/corruption-fallout-hits-ofarrell-20140228-33r7p.html#ixzz2udXqDyli

ACTION: Last chance to save whale hotspot, Kangaroo Island

ACTION: Last chance to save whale hotspot, Kangaroo Island



"Kangaroo Island’s whales and dolphins are still at risk from oil and
gas exploration and this is our final chance to protect them.
Bight
Petroleum are still ploughing ahead with their application to conduct
seismic testing off Kangaroo Island, despite the previous Environment
Minister twice demanding a higher level of environmental assessment  for
this proposal.
Worryingly, Bight Petroleum’s plan to carry out
seismic testing in this whale hotspot is one of many development
proposals for the wider Great Australian Bight (GAB). BP has already
carried out a huge seismic surveying program in the GAB and further
seismic surveying has been proposed or is already under way in the
area."
As per Article by IFAW.ORG

Barry O'Farrell's Look Back

Abuse of power does nothing to protect us

Abuse of power does nothing to protect us

"Politicians who cynically misuse the power
of the state for personal or political benefit are a far greater threat
to democracy than criminals, even organised gangs, write Gary W Crooke
and Tony Fitzgerald, who were responsible for the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

Almost
all politicians, even those who care only for ideology and power and
who regard both democracy and "ordinary people" with contempt, claim to
represent and speak for those "ordinary people".

Politicians also
commonly manipulate and exploit the same "ordinary people".
Long-established tactics include populist propaganda; appeals to
ignorance, emotion, fear and prejudice; untestable claims to know, and
unachievable promises to provide, what "ordinary people" want; lies;
half-truths; omissions; and distractions. Unpopular groups are demonised
and used as scapegoats. Crises are manufactured and exaggerated and
used to justify immediate action and increased state power. Deliberation
and rational discussion are scorned. Critics, including moderate,
thoughtful people and institutions, are falsely accused of weakness,
elitism, not understanding or caring about "ordinary people", failing in
their duty and even improper conduct. "

excerpt from Article