Tag: Hawke

History

The Hawke Files and the Birth of the 51st State – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The close relationship between actors in Australian and US intelligence of course goes back prior to the Prime Ministership of Whitlam, as evidenced by Australia’s secret role in the overthrowal of the Allende Government in Chile and the Sukarno Government in Indonesia.

As the war hawks today swirl at the spectre of a Chinese paper tiger, it seems we are locked into a more offensive UK-US alliance structure and a government determined to undermine our rights and welfare at every turn. What a betrayal those days of Hawke now seem to those who long for a country that supports social justice and an independent foreign policy. Surely this is the task of a new Labor Government.

 

Source: The Hawke Files and the Birth of the 51st State – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Neoliberalism

How the Myths of “Progressive Neoliberalism” Hollowed Out Australia’s Left

Neoliberalism now dominates Australia’s formerly left-wing institutions, marginalizing working-class and socialist politics. Yet the center-left “progressive neoliberal” consensus shambles on, a corpse in search of a decent grave.

Source: How the Myths of “Progressive Neoliberalism” Hollowed Out Australia’s Left

Abbott, Uncategorized

‘Pea for a heart’: Tony Abbott refuses to back down on partisan tribute to Bob Hawke | Australia news | The Guardian

Tony Abbott has drawn strong criticism for the partisan tone of his Twitter tribute to Bob Hawke

In 2011, Hawke described Abbott as a “not a bad bloke” but “mad as a cut snake”.

via ‘Pea for a heart’: Tony Abbott refuses to back down on partisan tribute to Bob Hawke | Australia news | The Guardian

Neoliberalism

The restoration of malpractice (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Hawke provided Australia with the opportunities of the freshly imported economic neo-liberalism: the rule of the market, privatisation, re-regulation, cutting public expenditure for social services, the elimination of the concept of public good or the sense of community, and all that to be replaced by individual responsibility. Hawke had been captured by the simplistic mantra of Ronald Reagan: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

‘Privatisation’ – the selling of everything which stands or moves because ‘private management is better’ came around with Paul Keating. He added trade liberalisation, corporatisation and small government.

Neo-liberalism was more subtly, albeit quietly, redirected towards a particular organisation of capitalism; despite the slogan of the small government, the basic feature of such reorganisation was the use of the government and the facilities of the state to protect capital imposing market imperatives on society and by curbing the power of organised labour.

via The restoration of malpractice (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network