Being in government isn’t a licence to impose your privileged ideology

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Another good piece by Jennifer Wilson of No Place for Sheep on the turnbull regime’s latest blow for the privileged. Yes, this is class war – and they started it! As always, thank you, Jennifer.

Look, you may already be across this but for various reasons I’ve only just caught up. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull actually proposed that the states take on the entire responsibility for funding public schools, while Turnbull’s own government, proposing nary a cent to the project of educating children who don’t attend private schools, is happy to continue its excessive fiscal support of educational privilege.

Aside: It’s usually against my personal code of not wasting time with click bait to read, let alone link to Mamamia, however I like to think I’m big enough to overlook that code under exceptional circumstances so I did.

I cannot see any sense, decency, respect, care or concern for the country’s future in such a move. It is pure ideology. It comes a mere two weeks or so after the appointment of new Liberal Senator James Paterson, who declared that public school kids lack a work ethic found in private school kids, an interesting indictment seeing as he is himself the product of the public school system.

Oh wait. Paterson probably thinks he’s exceptional. Believing yourself to be exceptional is a core requirement for membership of the LNP. Please read: public school kids with the notable exception of James Paterson, don’t have a work ethic as strong as private school kids.

These arrogant, privileged twerps are in need of a damn good smack down and some serious re-education as to what the role of government actually is. It isn’t a licence to impose an ideology of privilege. It is the responsibility to ensure as far as is possible equal access across society to core necessities such as education. To do otherwise is to bring a country to its knees. Intelligence and talent are not restricted to postcodes. Any nation that limits the potential of its young is a nation in its death throes. If you don’t believe me, please note that the majority of this government was educated in private schools. Need I say more?

This is class warfare. Federal de-funding of public schools while continuing funding of private schools is a divisive and dangerous proposition. It perpetuates the myth that having money (no matter how you got it or where you hide it) is morally sound; that money in and of itself has a moral value that supersedes the manner in which it is obtained.

Good government isn’t divisive and dangerous, and it isn’t focused on ideology. It’s capable of some semblance of economic literacy as well. Turnbull’s government is exceptionally agile with economic policy: it should be a star turn at Cirque du Soleil.

395 thoughts on “Being in government isn’t a licence to impose your privileged ideology”

  2. That would take some doing

    Ernie Els was two-feet from a par to start the Masters before he steered his short putt slightly wide of the hole. Then he missed again. And again. And again. And yet again with a one-handed swipe.

    Finally, on his sixth putt – another one-handed swat that showed his total disgust – the South African completed a quintuple-bogey 9 on the first day of the tournament at Augusta on Thursday.

    http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/08/ernie-els-six-putts-from-two-feet-horror-augusta-masters

  3. The Australian is getting stuck into our pretend-treasurer.

    I’m sure you can find it if you wish.

  4. Those mythical submarines – of course Pyne would ‘indicate’ they will be built in SA, there’s an election on the way. Mandy Rice Davies.

    What happens after the election is another thing altogether. If this shonky government is re-elected those sub contracts will be carrier-pigeoned off to Japan before you can say ‘Pyne lied’.

  5. I was at the local alp state branch meeting. It was noted that pyne is really really rattled. It was suggested that Pyne maybe making these announcements to put pressure on turnbull over the subs deal. I do not know how it would help him. He either comes off as part of the problem for SA or too weak to do anything for the state.

    SAers are getting very angry. They have seen some good developments under the current ALP state gov’t and all the closures go to the feds door. Even the steelworks problems are not blamed on the state gov’t. Pyne could lose his seat, he knows it. I would say if we do not get the subs deal. he is gorrrrn, with tar and feathers.

  8. Pyne is on thin ice even if the subs deal announcement is put off until after the election. We are not that dumb down here.

  10. copied from over the road

    Douglas and Milko
    Posted Friday, April 8, 2016 at 9:55 am | PERMALINK
    Today’s cartoons:
    David Rowe on Panama:

    Another Rowe in a similar vein:

    Alan Moir on “Nice Smeagol, always helps” – thanks Ratsack!

    David Pope also on Panama:

    Tandberg on similar:

    Dyson also:

    Cathy Wilcox on the helicopter industry:

    Mark knight on food labelling:
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/8274f9e95e6e998ab7e6e425eaa01a64?width=1024&api_key=zw4msefggf9wdvqswdfuqnr5

    • You got 11/12

      Excellent prospects for promotion to incomprehensible position

  13. Excellent word “flog”. Not used nearly enough with that meaning. (or the other)

    • Malcolm’s hair seems fluffier today.A week ago it was flat and greasy-looking. What there is of it, anyway. Has he borrowed some of Tony’s hair product? Is he trying to look younger? Has he, like Shane Warne, become a regular at Advance Hair Studios?

  16. And Waffles didn’t have any more flags to fly?! How about re-announcing some money for Victorian roads?

    • Don’t mention the war!

      Well, Their ABC hasn’t.

      Looking forward to the presser from the Minister for Unemployment.

  22. More excrement from the resident evil

    The government has fulfilled its pledge “in spirit and in deed” to get all asylum seeker children out of immigration detention despite at least two children still being held, according to Peter Dutton.

    The immigration minister acknowledged there were still two cases in which asylum seeker children remained in detention but he said they had not arrived by boat so were not subject to his promise.

    http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/08/asylum-seeker-children-pledge-fulfilled-in-spirit-and-deed-peter-dutton?CMP=share_btn_tw

  24. tlbd

    We’ve just arrived home from doctors. Our radio went on mute and we had to drive home in silence. They finished just as we got in our driveway. So, from the middle of town to our driveway is 22minutes. Thanks for timing it.

  28. Sydney councils don’t want Baird’s Westconnex.

    Opposition to WestConnex grows as council blocks contractors from streets
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/opposition-to-westconnex-grows-as-council-blocks-contractors-from-streets-20160407-go0j3i.html

    Leighton – now heavily involved in scandal – is one of the successful tenderers for this work. Baird should just scrap the whole thing.
    http://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/projects/ProjectDetails.aspx?Project_id=048726-12NSW-NP

  31. Shorten is going to hold a Royal Commission into Banks and Financial services, if/when elected. Wait for the explosion. MSM will go feral as well as all those that are going to be in firing line. No doubt about Shorten, he sure has guts. Go well, Bill.

  34. A little heads up on Australian steel quoted by Pyne to be used to build the new submarines, this bull because modern subs are built with high tensile steel so that they can withstand the high stress when they dive.

    Australia has never made high tensile steel it has always been imported. I just hope someone pulls Pyne up on this. All special steel for machining is imported as well as all stainless steel.

  40. A message from Bill:

    This little black duck

    This afternoon, I announced that Labor will hold a royal commission into the banking and financial services sector if elected.

    Too often we open the newspapers to see scandal after scandal related to the financial sector. There are literally tens of thousands of victims who have lost millions because of decisions made by the banks and financial sector. Today I say enough is enough.

    Australia has one of the strongest banking systems in the world – and I want to keep it strong.

    We need to make sure middle and working class people get a fair go.

    Can you stand with me and say you support a royal commission into banks to ensure middle and working class Australians get a fair go by sharing this graphic on Facebook with your friends and family?

    12983229_10154149988126789_6818918370061874727_o.jpg

    So many Australians have lost confidence in this sector. Retirees have lost their retirement savings, small businesses have lost their livelihood, Australian families have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We must act on this.

    Every Australian places their trust in banks and financial institutions. The decision that I announce today is about restoring confidence in our financial institutions for all Australians.

    Thanks for standing with me on this,

    Bill

  41. This explains the noddy-fest at Turnbull’s presser. He dragged along all the hangers-on from the big Liberal fundraising breakfast.

    South of the border, Arthur Sinodinos and colleagues enjoy fundraising free-for-all
    http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/south-of-the-border-arthur-sinodinos-and-colleagues-enjoy-fundraising-freeforall-20160407-go0q3j.html

    You would think they would all run away from the stench of corruption around Sinodonis.

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