Hello from London. It's not just an Aussie thing. Same here. Not across the channel, though. Seems to be an anglophone issue, suspiciously, in countries where Digger Murdoch has embedded his talons.
I agree with your points, but perhaps not all your conclusions. It is unlikely that we are more complacent than any other groups of 25 million. What we are, is a Petri dish experiment in late-capitalistic propaganda, conducted by the Murdoch family. All the issues you enumerate can be traced back to the persuasive power of News Ltd. Kevin Rudd is focussing his energies on that, because he understands that that is how one wakes up an electorate.
To be more meta (word of the decade), all the issues - including Murdoch - can be sheeted home to late capitalism. The least successful economic structure, except for all the others. Or is it? I think totalitarian societies like Singapore and China will eventually win out, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Yep fabulous piece. We are all different. My wife and I have 3 Grown up boys, we are both reaching our retirement age( fuck cant wait). We only have our suburban home which we nearly own and our super. we have no investments or a negative geared house, our investment is this home and our super, that's it. We both have worked hard, scraped and saved to pay this off luckily for us its made a ton more money than we have just by sitting here. If house prices plummet it takes our investment and what we have strived to own with it, and unfortunately while house prices stay high our boys cant afford to get into the property market and we aren't in a position to help them buy property. When we die they get everything we have amassed and it all should be worth a considerable bit more than it is today.
So what is that answer? We can thank Paul for making us have Super I suppose
I'd like to say your wrong, but your not. One thing that you didn't cover was also inherently the cost of living in those capital cities. I didn't believe it myself until I took a 25% pay cut and moved to a regional city.
Our standard of living actually increased, and within 3 months we were able to buy our first home. Having said that, alot of others did the same thing and moved here too and now the prices are jacked up on the property - so much so our home has more equity in it after 6 months than we needed for our deposit to buy the thing in the first place.
I also lived through the casualisation of the workforce and it still gives me nightmares of what my kids are going to go through as my mother gave up the Australian dream to give us a better standard of living.
Hi Tug, it has taken me awhile to pen this response, I was hoping to catch up at Singo and have a chat ( I was on a Triumph Bobber) but it seems everyone there was looking for their 'ten seconds and a smile' so to quite one of your previous columns.
I agree with all of the points, having also come from a single income family in the sixties. Always had food on the table etc.
The term 'working class' has become muddied over time. Having lived in places where there seems to be a two speed economy, Mackay, QLD comes to mind. Those working class people from the mines, who seem to the have the latest of everything and some have two or more houses versus the working class from the Woolies/Council/garbos etc.
It is the unions who have managed to secure the miners there lucrative wages, and no gripe from me on that one, having been in a union for more than 30 years.
It is a wonder how many of the labor union movement, purporting to be a democratic socialist party (in the National Constitution of the ALP, I believe) are wedded to capitalism.
Anyway, just my ramblings. Love your work, and hope the COVID lurgy doesn't knock you around too much.
Whilst there may be a class warfare here, in many cases even the rich locals are missing out on properties to even richer foreigners. Which of course is the direct fault of the Federal government.
Hello from London. It's not just an Aussie thing. Same here. Not across the channel, though. Seems to be an anglophone issue, suspiciously, in countries where Digger Murdoch has embedded his talons.
I agree with your points, but perhaps not all your conclusions. It is unlikely that we are more complacent than any other groups of 25 million. What we are, is a Petri dish experiment in late-capitalistic propaganda, conducted by the Murdoch family. All the issues you enumerate can be traced back to the persuasive power of News Ltd. Kevin Rudd is focussing his energies on that, because he understands that that is how one wakes up an electorate.
To be more meta (word of the decade), all the issues - including Murdoch - can be sheeted home to late capitalism. The least successful economic structure, except for all the others. Or is it? I think totalitarian societies like Singapore and China will eventually win out, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Yep fabulous piece. We are all different. My wife and I have 3 Grown up boys, we are both reaching our retirement age( fuck cant wait). We only have our suburban home which we nearly own and our super. we have no investments or a negative geared house, our investment is this home and our super, that's it. We both have worked hard, scraped and saved to pay this off luckily for us its made a ton more money than we have just by sitting here. If house prices plummet it takes our investment and what we have strived to own with it, and unfortunately while house prices stay high our boys cant afford to get into the property market and we aren't in a position to help them buy property. When we die they get everything we have amassed and it all should be worth a considerable bit more than it is today.
So what is that answer? We can thank Paul for making us have Super I suppose
I'd like to say your wrong, but your not. One thing that you didn't cover was also inherently the cost of living in those capital cities. I didn't believe it myself until I took a 25% pay cut and moved to a regional city.
Our standard of living actually increased, and within 3 months we were able to buy our first home. Having said that, alot of others did the same thing and moved here too and now the prices are jacked up on the property - so much so our home has more equity in it after 6 months than we needed for our deposit to buy the thing in the first place.
I also lived through the casualisation of the workforce and it still gives me nightmares of what my kids are going to go through as my mother gave up the Australian dream to give us a better standard of living.
What is the solution Tug?
Yep. I despair for my kids knowing what sort of system they are about to be subject to. Things need to change, but they wont, I fear we are fucked..
Hi Tug, it has taken me awhile to pen this response, I was hoping to catch up at Singo and have a chat ( I was on a Triumph Bobber) but it seems everyone there was looking for their 'ten seconds and a smile' so to quite one of your previous columns.
I agree with all of the points, having also come from a single income family in the sixties. Always had food on the table etc.
The term 'working class' has become muddied over time. Having lived in places where there seems to be a two speed economy, Mackay, QLD comes to mind. Those working class people from the mines, who seem to the have the latest of everything and some have two or more houses versus the working class from the Woolies/Council/garbos etc.
It is the unions who have managed to secure the miners there lucrative wages, and no gripe from me on that one, having been in a union for more than 30 years.
It is a wonder how many of the labor union movement, purporting to be a democratic socialist party (in the National Constitution of the ALP, I believe) are wedded to capitalism.
Anyway, just my ramblings. Love your work, and hope the COVID lurgy doesn't knock you around too much.
All great points, but one key element is not mentioned - foreign investment. https://firb.gov.au/about-firb/publications/insights-foreign-purchases-and-sales-residential-real-estate-2018-19.
Whilst there may be a class warfare here, in many cases even the rich locals are missing out on properties to even richer foreigners. Which of course is the direct fault of the Federal government.
The people from Serco (et-al) are concerned about you Little Toot.