Coalition's Agrarian Socialism

So the fishing industry needs to be bailed out with taxpayer largesse (The Age, 24/11/05), causing prices to rise because it's "the law of supply and demand". But if those laws aren't working presently, I fail to see how doling out hundreds of millions of dollars of our money will make them kick in.

Why doesn't the industry raise cash by levying all those Tuna Barons and Abalone Earls who, in effect, just won a lottery? Or maybe, given the recent bumper crop (The Age, 24/11/05), the wheat farmers could return their massive free hand-outs to fund the bail out? Let's ask the astute business minds of the "re-trained" Queensland sugar farmers for ideas!

I detect the fishy odour of National Party agrarianism: "privatise the profits, socialise the losses".

Singapore Government Means Business

Punishing shareholders for the actions of their Government is usually morally fraught - who would want to see BHP smacked down because of Australia's foreign policy?

By a great co-incidence, the Singapore Government that sets the death penalty is also the majority proprietor of a number of businesses, such as Optus (63%), Singapore Airlines (57%) and SP AusNet (100%). This introduces enormous moral clarity to the situation, allowing meanginful, direct consumer action to take place without unwelcome side effects.

Interested consumers can find out the moral culpability (as a percentage) of businesses at this website: http://www.temasekholdings.com.sg/, under "Our Investments".

Hanging is Singapore's Shame

I defy any member of humanity to support executions after reading that atrocious bureaucratic letter urging Mrs Nguyen to make her son's funeral arrangements. Singapore's rulers have blood on their hands.

Hubris from Coalition Ministers

After winning the Senate majority, Howard counselled against the perception of hubris. So the emergence of Soviet-style "political cadres" second-guessing government officials does not look good. Education Minister Brendan Nelson uses them to personally review thousands of ARC research funding decisions. In a similar vein, Health Minister Tony Abbott's office exercises absolute discretion with the abortion pill RU486.

In both cases, established arms-length processes are over-ridden by ambitious ideologically-driven politicians pandering to their political base as part of a protracted leadership contest. This might help them in the short-term, but voters eventually tire of arrogant ministers who prioritise pet peeves over the public interest.

Taking the Piss?

Taking the piss is an established and effective weapon against all forms of extremism. Brack's doesn't want it banned as sedition - he'll just ban it as vilification instead!

The French (Cultural) Connection

Chunky gold chains, ghetto-chic brands, immaculate goatees and pimped-out rides blaring Snoop and Dre - those French "radical Islamists" are more Ali G than Osama bin Laden.

Double Standards for Medical Guilds

While Howard and Andrews are sticking it to blue-collar labour with their dodgy IR reforms, it's a different story for professionals. Famed union-busters Abbott and Costello are rolling over for the pharmacists' union on supermarkets (The Age, 8/11/05) after dismissing Productivity Commission recommendations at the behest of the doctors' union. Will the pair get their teeth back - or has the dentists' union got to them too?

Public Transport's Divine Comedy

While I'm blessed to live in public transport Heaven - just a few minutes walk to Jolimont and Richmond stations and three tram routes - I frequently travel to the Other Place (Monash University at Clayton). En route I suffer the cruel torments of delays, cancellations, mis-connecting buses and crowded, airless carriages. The Brumby/Batchleor Government has squandering our taxes on corporate welfare, novelty train stations and bogus "fast" rail. But we cannot ignore the role of comparatively low ticket prices in our infernal network.

How many other commuters would also gladly pay extra for improved service? Just think of it as buying indulgences to avoid the Purgatory of the Jolimont railyards!

BetFair is Good News for Probity

Those of us who believe that gambling has been a net loser for this state should welcome the introduction of UK gambling outfit BetFair. With their much lower margins and higher returns to punters, BetFair will drive down the profitability of Victorian gambling. Not only will this help wean our government off taxes, it will reduce incentives for collusion, lobbying, secret deals and other "rent-seeking" rife in the industry. Minister Pandazopolous' spurious arguments about the integrity of football matches and his churlish threats highlight just how captured by the big incumbents our politicians have become.

I'm more worried about "fixing" between politicians and industry groups than any horse race. By squeezing out profits, BetFair will increase the probity of this dubious duopoly.

Civil Liberty Erosion for Aspirationals

So the erosion of civil liberties in Howard's anti-terror laws isn't getting traction with the aspirational voters. Let's try this: suppose the word around your outer-suburban development is that you had the pool built with black money. The tax office gets wind of it and, lacking enough evidence to charge you in court, simply jacks up your mortgage interest rate by 5%. You have no rights of appeal and if you whinge to Neil Mitchell or John Laws about it, they'll take away your right to commercial telly so you'll have to watch the ABC and SBS. Terrified yet?