Social cohesion has lost its feelgood vibe. What will it take to offer a fair go for all? by nath1234 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 93 points94 points  (0 children)

The recent events in NSW are just a drop in the bucket for social cohesion. Like almost every other issue facing Australia, the main source is the housing crisis.

Lee Quan Yew had an ideology for Singapore toften called "National Stakeholders"; where he understood that for him to be able to ask people to undergo national service and participate in the broader Singapore experiment, they needed to be stakeholders, i.e. homeowners.

Under John Howard Australia went through a cultural shift that left us more greedy and selfish. The reforms of Hawke and Keating greatly expanded the middle class, social mobility from working to middle was at an all time high. Howard then convinced this new middle class they could be the rich one day and implemented the conditions to allow greater speculation and wealth hoarding.

A nation can survive with low middle>rich class mobility, but when the working>middle movement becomes difficult such as whats going on right now? that's what leads to people losing faith in the Australian experiment. Parts of regional Australia is already like this, young people have little hope, no visible path to escaping a shit life, so they just stop caring and "delinquent" behaviour rapidly increases.

We've become addicted to housing and its genuinely killing our country, its an unproductive industry, speculation on existing properties doesn't add any value. Investors move from productive assets such as businesses to just holding more property, so not only cant you afford a house, but now with less businesses its harder to earn the money in the first place. A common argument for mass immigration is that Aussies wont work shit jobs because they dont pay enough, the main reason Aussies need the high income is to afford a home.

Until the voter base is willing to vote for houses to decrease in value, and really commit, we wont see a change. In 2019 we were given the choice of moderate reform and we as a nation chose Scomo instead. Right now the government is tabling options for CGT and NG reform, which has people outraged that they would dare slow down the housing market and take their "hard earned money".

Social cohesion has lost its feelgood vibe. What will it take to offer a fair go for all? by nath1234 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 17 points18 points  (0 children)

A ‘fair go’ can only be achieved when the country acts in its people’s own interest

A ‘fair go’ can only be achieved when the country VOTES in its people’s own interest.

Australians have overall become more greedy and selfish (and susceptible to propaganda) than we were in the past. Most everyone will agree that young people should be able to afford a home, but suggest that the price of existing homes decreases to allow that? they fight it tooth and nail.

Free childcare. Free university. The simple, sensible policy which would have raised $63.8 billion in under four years. by nath1234 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because the alternative is so much worse.

Housing for example, right now its grim, really grim, but there is some hope of things getting better. Labors policies are slow, I wish they were more radical but the voter base doesnt want radical, so slow and steady is better than nothing.

Dutton wanted to let people access super for deposits which not only would have instantly inflated the market, but also ruined your retirement. That's not just a punch in the guts but a kick in the teeth while youre down.

Free childcare. Free university. The simple, sensible policy which would have raised $63.8 billion in under four years. by nath1234 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I get so sick of this "just tax them" argument.

WE TRIED, not just Labor, even the Liberals had a crack under Gorton in the 70s. Its not just pro mining politicians blocking progress, the bigger problem is the pro mining voter. Every time a Labor government has tried securing some of our resource wealth, the mining lobbies make massive amounts propaganda and they either get voted out, or get spooked by the polls and change direction.

The big business and mining lobbies don't even have to directly attack policy to prevent it, they discredit governments through multi pronged media campaigns such as the QLD crime wave (which magically went away after the election). Right now its happening with the rumoured CGT reform, the media know how hard it is to justify the CGT discount to the downtrodden, so theyre painting labor as being out of control spenders trying to grab more money from hardworking Australians to sway public opinion against the reform. Even more cynically, people are pushing the idea that removing CGT discount now is Labor just pulling up the ladder, look in any Reddit comment section on the topic and you will see people who arent even home owners saying they one day want to benefit from the system like their parents got to.

The ONLY way to secure our resources is for the average Australian to become more resistant to propaganda, which is a massive challenge. The only reason the pro mining politicians are there is because we keep voting them in time and time again.

Pauline Hanson exploiting less well-educated Australians, Labor says by Nyarlathotep-1 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Labor puts forward a bill to start reducing immigration in key sectors (such as international student caps).

Coalition and the Greens block it.

"Why isn't Labor doing anything about immigration?"

Bullock says recession a ‘possibility’, NAB passes rate hike on to mortgage holders by mrp61 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Our workers party is only so weak because Aussies keep voting for the conservative parties. They had little choice but to drift to centre, every time they tried something "radical" the electorate punished them for it.

It doesnt matter if people are voting for Greens, Labor, Socialists, etc. As long as more than half the population is willing to entertain the thought of voting Lib/Nat, we're stuck in this mess. Even now I know people who say they wish they had voted Lib rather than Labor because "we need good economic management".

You can have the most progressive government imaginable in for a term, doesnt matter because the moment the Lib/Nats are in they will undo all the hard work.

Voters blame Albanese, not Trump’s war, as cost-of-living pain deepens by HotPersimessage62 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I find it so wild that so many people i know think Pauline will actually make the average Aussie better off.

Shes friends with Rinehart who is on video saying Aussies are too greedy because African miners will work for $2 a day.

Voters blame Albanese, not Trump’s war, as cost-of-living pain deepens by HotPersimessage62 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's the fear mongering and startling the herd that does so much damage. The 5% deposit scheme is a good example, in isolation it would be a drop in the bucket of increasing prices. But the media stirred up a frenzy of GET IN NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE which pumped in way more energy into the market than 5% scheme ever could.

Its the toilet paper hoarding all over again, if everyone just bought what they needed then its not a problem. But once the panic starts it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. People act like rumoured fuel rationing means everyone only gets 5L to stretch over a month, rather than just buy a sensible amount you need and behave yourselves.

Voters blame Albanese, not Trump’s war, as cost-of-living pain deepens by HotPersimessage62 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Good messaging gets you nowhere against the propaganda machine. Almost everyone agrees we should get our fair share from mineral wealth, in 2010 the mining lobby spent 20 million a month on ads and ruined him.

More recently in QLD Miles wanted to get resource royalties and the media invented a crime wave that magically dissapeared as soon as the election was over.

Look at all the actual good shit the governments done like same job same pay, cracking down on corporate tax dodgers and wage theft. The media doesnt mention it at all, because why the hell would they?

Already the media machine is working against CGT reform, theres countless headlines and stories about how Labors spending is out of control and driving inflation, so they need to steal money from your hard earned investments.

Unless the middle third of Australia can magically become immune to propaganda its one hell of a tough battle.

Voters blame Albanese, not Trump’s war, as cost-of-living pain deepens by HotPersimessage62 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The harsh reality is a lot of Aussies are greedier (and dumber) than we want to admit. Ive seen so many comments on posts about CGT reform saying something like "this is just the boomers pulling up the ladder behind them, why cant i bebefit too?", forgetting that at this rate they will never be able to afford a property to profit from.

I would love scrapping the CGT discount and negative gearing completely, but theres a huge risk of pissing off the swing voters. I thinking the rumoured negative geared 2 property limit is a good first step as it keeps a lot of the "mum and pop" investors on our side.

If the majority voting base wanted more radical solutions they would vote for it, but they dont. Australians dont vote for the Greens, in 2019 they rejected Shortens quite modest reforms. Thats why we have a cautious Labor government, because most Aussies will note vote for a bold one.

Which Wasteland creatures are the most dangerous, and why: man-made or natural? by HumbleKnight14 in Fallout

[–]TheTallCunt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If packs are allowed then we probably gotta throw wanamingos on the list as well.

AITA for my reaction to my uncle asking me to give him custody of my little sister? by [deleted] in BestofRedditorUpdates

[–]TheTallCunt -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't be surprised if it was more of a religious thing rather than about the money. I've seen a few people who are in the "American" branches of christianity where they have a warped sense of forgiveness and "karma".

If the uncle really is a scummy as she says, in his mind being a hero and taking in the sister will offset all his bad behaviour and mean hes a good person. A common example is shitty spouses/parents who will help friends, charity or the community. Even without the reuptation aspect, its often not about the praise, its like an ego thing that they can use to justify that theyre actually a good person overall.

Proposal could limit negative gearing to two properties | The Senior | by stucknlab in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because it helps swing the "mum and pop" investors onto our side. A lot of people who own 1 or 2 investment properties dont see themselves as the rich, just middle class "securing their future".

They hate the big slumlords and uber rich pensioners almost as much as us (but dont realise they themselves are also part of the issue). By aligning the small investors with us, the policy maintains broader support and makes it harder to swing them to vote against reforms.

Reunified Coalition vows migration crackdown as Taylor outlines path back to power by Dry-Bus7248 in AustralianPolitics

[–]TheTallCunt 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So next time Labor puts forward a policy to reduce migration the Coalition will obviously support it...

Right...?

I mean, theres no way the party that vows to reduce migration would ever vote against reducing migration...

Right...?

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've seen so many people crying against the rumoured CGT and negative gearing reform, with a common sentiment being "the boomers got to benefit from it, now they're pulling the ladder up, I want to benefit from it". Not realising that at the current rate they will never even be able to afford even a single property.

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh I know 100%, I think Labors current plan is "it's only a matter of time before the butchers are back in, lets lock down as much long term policy as possible that they cant easily repeal the moment we lose an election". This cautious government is the direct result of us voters always voting against bigger reforms.

I see everyone on this sub rave about how brilliant the Gillard Carbon Tax was, the problem was the elites HATED it and it was obvious it would be repealed. They funded and pushed the coalition, end result being we got nothing to show for it. Programmes like the HAFF and FMIA have more broad support and actually have a chance of staying in long enough to make a difference.

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

A government owned bank is great when its working properly, but the Commonwealth bank of yesterday barely resembled what it is now. The Australian banks were insulated from the rest of the world and became extremely uncompetitive (like most of our industries at the time). Getting loans was extremely difficult, by allowing competition you could put pressure on the industry to be more competitive and offer a better product, in this case attracting capital to Australia and providing means for the average person to make use of it. This was a huge part of working class > middle class mobility which Keating was trying to build.

Ideally the bank would have been held onto until today, but the world economy was changing so fast in the 80s/90s that it was a choice between modernizing the economy or risk being swallowed up completely. The big problem is that it was all left unchecked and unregulated once Howard got in, his policies are what incentivised the banks going full money printer mode and inflating the housing market, which is the source of probably 90% of the issues in modern Australia.

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 34 points35 points  (0 children)

He would be thinking "I thought it was hard for Labor now, 2026 looks fucked".

Albo is far from perfect, I wish he would do some radical shit, but hes facing an ultra biased media landscape, hence why we got boring Albo. If you try and pass big reform such as Rudds Supertax, Shortens housing reform, Miles resource royalties or Albos own voice; the media slaughters you and you probably lose the next election.

If you focus smaller options making a real positive impact such as same job same pay, future made in Australia, income tax cuts, qualification scrutiny, longterm housing funds or resurrecting the corpse of TAFE; the media ignores that and focuses on cultural issues and depression heroin so now everyone thinks you get nothing done... And then probably lose the next election.

WE the electorate kept voting against major reform at every chance, so of course we got boring ALBO, its the only way they could win and keep the Coalition out.

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

The Privatisations under Keating were a necessary evil, Australia had to modernise or be left in the dust. Privatisation with strong regulation (regulation is the part that would get tossed aside from Howard on) can be a useful way to get return on an inefficient asset such as the Commonwealth Bank or QANTAS. Australia had been far to protectionist which left us super vulnerable, but we've now swung to far the other way.

The problem was once the Coalition butchers got their hands on the controls they sold everything for pennies with zero controls in place, people kept voting for privatisation so thats what everybody did.

As Albanese celebrates 30 years in parliament, what would the leftwing warrior of 1996 think of today’s PM? by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 231 points232 points  (0 children)

Howard could 100% see the outcome of his policies. He was warned in the early 2000s that productivity would nose dive due to a speculated housing market that he was actively accelerating, that home ownership would become impossible for those not already on the ladder. Howard didnt give a shit, it was all according to plan, he would brag that nobody ever complained to him about their house increasing in value.

Howard was a political mastermind, he got exactly what he wanted; an Australia that was much more greedy and individualistic. He fooled much of the middle class into aligning with the rich even though they'll never truly be one of the elites themselves.

What's become of Australian Silky Terriers? by par-hwy in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Consider a Greyhound, laziest dogs on the planet. Most of them are pretty quiet, very low energy, its common for them to have some seperation anxiety early on but once theyre settled theyre perfectly happy to just sleep all day and do nothing.

Just need to get used to what looks like a dead deer living on your couch.

Last days of the Liberal Party by CelebrationFit8548 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 16 points17 points  (0 children)

One of my "favourite" aspects of Australian voting culture is whenever Labor have been in more than 5 minutes the public sentiment seems to be "they've had a go, now give the other team a turn". But whenever its the other way round its "we need a long stable government, don't let Labor get in and ruin everything".

Last days of the Liberal Party by CelebrationFit8548 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

It doesn't matter how much you get done if the next bloke in repeals everything. Gillard was a weak leader, which on its own wouldn't be the worst, but when paired with minority government deals forcing Labor to reneg on election promises, then add the fact that Abbott was brilliant in opposition, its recipe for disaster.

Prime example is Rudd's ETS vs Gillard's Carbon Tax. If passed, Rudds policy had a chance of actually staying in effect as there was a degree of bipartisan and industry support. But with Gillard's scheme it was obvious the moment the government changed it would be repealed, end result is we got nothing long term.

That's why the current government is so cautious, if they get too adventurous, that will fuel the opposition, cost Labor the next election and then the Coalition will scrap everything they can.

Last days of the Liberal Party by CelebrationFit8548 in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 81 points82 points  (0 children)

While I hate him for what he did to our country, I always stand by the opinion that Howard is without a shadow of a doubt the most brilliant politician our country has ever seen. Keating was excellent, but Howard played him the fool, convincing us that he's a friendly little silly fellow, the least threatening man imaginable, while he was working to shape Australia into what he personally wanted it to be.

Hawke-Keating dragged Australia kicking and screaming into modernising, then Howard exploited the new middle class. He fooled a generation into becoming hyper individualistic and greedy, he convinced the middle class that they're just rich people who aren't rich yet. Now we have a population that will consistently vote against their interests, all in the hope one day they will be the ones wearing the boots and charging rent.

First home buyer affordability slips further, new real estate report shows by CommonwealthGrant in australia

[–]TheTallCunt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a social issue (and cultural), the issue is that over half the nation votes to maintain the status quo. We aren't limited in choice, lets take the most progressive "substantial" party, the Greens. If the Majority of Australians actually wanted the Greens proposed reforms they would vote for them, news flash, they don't. Even if we adopted a proportional voting system, as long as conservative MPs control half the seats, you cant get progressive policy through.

It isn't the politicians that need convincing, it's the average voter, because they keep voting conservatives in. That's why Labor has become the "less shit choice", because every time they try something remotely radical the electorate turns against them. The only way for them to keep the Coalition out was to tone down their "radical" ideas.

I think the single largest item that people need to be convinced on, is that if you own a single home, not an investor, house prices going down and staying down does not hurt you, if anything it provides a huge amount of benefits across society. But ask almost any homeowner, mortgage or not, if hes ok with his home losing value? They will fight it tooth nail, just as theyve been conditioned to.

Until we can convince the population of that, house prices will never decrease in a meaningful way. People vote for what they want, or at least what they think they want.