Class or Nationality: Which Divides Us More?

Guest Author Uncategorized

Today’s guest author is The Pub’s very own realio trulio dragon – the magnificent Puffy – who sent me this post in an email titled “Hot off the press, barely edited” six weeks ago.

I responded immediately (as one does to a Dragon) letting her know that it was eminently publishable, but not just at that moment. Her generous reply was as follows:

You could keep it as a back up. … When the election is called we could do a make or break of Australia one along with a call to (political) arms.

Not Without Fight

Well, we seem to have entered (probably for nanoseconds) the equivalent of the Brits’ phoney war – yeah, sure, it sort of was for them, but definitely not for much of mainland Europe – so the time seems right.

Thank you very much, Puffy, for your contribution and your patience.

(I wish I were a Photoshop genius)

This is not a new question and the discussions about it could fill a few library shelves. There is, of course, no definitive answer.

Is our class or our race the stronger divide, particularly in the economic sense? Do the poor of the world have more in common with each other than with the upper classes of their own country?

Are the rich of the world more united as a class, looking after each other’s financial interests (while waiting for each other to fall over so they can vulture the carcase) at the expense of their race or nation?

Rupert Murdoch famously gave up his Australian citizenship to further his business interests in the USA. I believe this to be a clear case of class affiliation trumping nationality. Dick Smith is the opposite: not selling out the national interest for his pecuniary interest He also has a solid reputation for promoting the national good. Murdoch cannot claim the same, yet both men are successful in accumulating wealth.

Maybe it is not what you have, but how you got it and what you do with it?

Marxist theory of class promotes the idea that race is used by the owners of the means of production to divide the working class: a divided working class is unlikely unite to agitate for better wages and conditions.

Please note that in this sense ‘working class’ in my interpretation includes professionals, academics, tradies or anyone who trades on their labour, unskilled skilled, intellectual, artistic or running a small business.

My view is that the One Percent are more wedded to themselves than any race, nation or religion.

While the royal houses of Europe recognised as compatriots as well as rivals the members of other royal houses, for example, in Asia, the peasants were always the peasants. If peasants were busy hating and killing other peasants in wars, the ‘Royalty’ remained safe. Well, at least until they went overboard with it all with WW1.

I contend that, in the broad scheme of things, there is not much that divides the factory worker from the barrister or the small business person. They all are affected by the decisions of the highest class. The biggest division within the labour-selling class is access to resources, and the transmission of that access through generations. We have an upper class who are frustrating that access to those resources through right wing political parties that relentlessly attack social programs, education, aged/disability care and universal health. They also try to asset-strip families as the parents age, and load the young with debt to prevent accumulation. To them, universal superannuation is an anathema.

There’s been a relentless push since at least since the turn of the 21st century to pit one race, religion, or nation against another. That this has happened alongside the rise of social media cannot be a coincidence. At a time when we have the chance to unite and exchange information about ourselves and our condition instantly – with anyone almost anywhere – we are urged to find difference instead of similarity.

We are urged to fear instead of being curious; to withdraw rather than to learn.

So maybe the question has changed. Are we divided more by class, by race, or by digital access?

No Gods No Masters

576 thoughts on “Class or Nationality: Which Divides Us More?”

  2. I get a sort of feeling that all is not sweetness and light in Libland

    When the PM finally got to his feet after a fulminating tirade from Labor’s economic spokesman, Chris Bowen, he could not even keep his own troops interested. Did they let him down or was it their leader’s lacklustre speech? It looked terrible. At one point, as Turnbull meandered through the arguments for innovation and enterprise, defending aspiration and referencing his plan for jobs and growth, no fewer than 35 government MPs could be seen on their phones and tablets or working through papers. Others day-dreamed or lollygagged in final conversations, aware perhaps that they would not be back for a long time or in some cases not at all.

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016-opinion/election-2016-flat-end-to-the-44th-parliament-a-bad-look-for-liberals-20160505-gondyf.html

    Sounds like Fairfax and News are not happy, Mal.

    • Deserves to be posted multiple times, and as I said on the previous page, Fairfax hides this sort of comment in their ‘womens’ pages, rather than giving it the prominence it should have.

  4. More on the 7 News video –

    Eden-Monaro: 53.1%-46.9% to Labor
    Reid: 50.3%-49.7% to Liberal
    Banks: 50.9%-49.1% to Liberal
    Gilmore: 50.2%-49.8% to Liberal
    Bennelong: 51.6%-48.4% to Liberal
    Lindsay: 51.2%-48.8% to Liberal
    Hughes: 58.8%-41.2% to Liberal
    New England: 53.1%-46.9% to National

    • His toupée will decide enough is enough and either bite him to death or strangle him.

  10. Can You Guess The Shape By Its Shape?
    https://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/shapes

    I was let down by the “fancy” one – I had to guess it.

    You got 9 out of 10 right!
    You did better than 92% of those who took this quiz!

    Please tell me you’re going to serve Shapes at your wedding.

    (And no, I did not.)

  13. From your ex-compassionate constable

    Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has hit out at the media over its coverage of asylum seekers and refugees, saying some news organisations need to “reassess their approach”.

    Earlier this week, Mr Dutton criticised advocates, who he believed were pressuring refugees to “behave in a certain way”.

    On Thursday, he said some news organisations were making the situation worse.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-05/peter-dutton-says-media-should-reassess-approach-on-refugees/7387194

  15. bushfirebill,

    The Union has been a big disappointment. A REALLY big disappointment. If we’d have taken their advice we’d have resigned in December, pleading guilty. I have gone along in place of the union case officer for the last few meetings because he’s always been too busy to attend. Now we can’t get him to answer our emails or even take our phone calls. Without Union support we’ve managed to stay afloat, on full pay, for 6 months longer than he told us we had any right to do.

    This particular Union is trying to get back in with the bosses, after some recent setbacks, to the extent that they’ve virtually become allies of management. It’s Stockholm syndrome. They don’t want to make any trouble, for fear they’ll get egg on their faces as a result, Their first instinct is thus to cave in. I would have thought that the initial thing you do in gaining management respect is geeing up a little bit of self-respect first. Perhaps I’m naive.

    I had first-hand experience with what you are describing here and it caused me no end of difficulties, especially because of the fact that unions representing the majority of employees in public service areas like your wife, also happen to represent the very bosses that you are in the process of doing battle with.

    Being a naturally suspicious person, I believe management personnel are actively encouraged by the top bosses to become members of the respective union. I personally believe that their influence in those unions has been instrumental in those main public sector unions swallowing up smaller, associated unions so as to have total control of the industrial relations in public sector workplaces.

    ( I worked for many years as an Industrial Officer/Organiser for one of those lesser unions and witnessed a major portion of my membership swallowed up in naked and ruthless recruiting campaigns. Much to the later regret of many thousands of those employees recruited by the bigger public sector unions)

    Hence, those unions tend to be strongly influenced to run somewhat dead on industrial issues affecting employees lower down the ladder and favouring those more senior.

    In a nut-hell, those large public sector unions are totally compromised in the representation of their members. In other words, they have a major conflict of interest in their whole operation and structure. You are unfortunately, very much on your own in your battle. They will continue to run dead on you!

    • Scorps…I remember the Carpenters union when I was a young tradie…It was a RW. union and as useless as a jarfull of arseholes when it came to defending the workers..all for the bosses…shiny-arsed bastards!..We got rid of those suckers with the CFMEU….more power to them.

  19. I’d say that the leaked poll numbers are more concerning for Labor than it is for the Liberals.

    Yes, Eden-Monaro looks like it’s going to go Labor’s way, but seats like Reid, Banks and Lindsay staying in the Liberal margin like this is concerning.

    Yeah the numbers could be duds, but they’re in line with the lower-than-average swing against the Libs in NSW.

  20. Speers on Sky says Shorten “Has done a pretty good job there” . Which being on Mordor Media is a big thumbs up.

  21. Just watched Bill and the legs of the member for Ballarat.

    Top marks.

  23. And that was a very good speech from Shorten. Hopefully that’ll have changed a few opinions in favour of the good guys tonight.

    • He looked daggers at one stage through clenched lips. If that’s possible.

  28. A good listen from Philip Adam’s LNL. Interestingly during the interview is mentioned that contrary to the impression that people have “stupid rednecks'” are not Trump’s ‘base’ . His supporters are earning on average $20k more than the average Seppo.

    The view from the bottom

    Linda Tirado, author and anti-poverty activist talks to Phillip about the realities and challenges of being poor in a rich country.

    http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/the-view-from-the-bottom/7384020

  29. Anyone asking where ‘this Bill Shorten’ has been for the last three years has not been paying attention.

    • The “real” Bill has been a strange beastie . On occasions , usually big ones, he would deliver stirring speeches, they were magnificent, then the next few times sound a “ummy and errer” ditherer on issues that when it comes down to it were meh. .

    • Bill, as far as I can see, has always been Bill in public life.

      More confidence? Of course.

    • Madame Sales doing the ‘why should poor people get benefits’ crap. Nothing would make me happier than seeing this useless woman sacked and on the dole. Being a celebrity harridan does not mean she is worth the three hundred thousand WE pay her every year.

  33. I don’t know how much debating experience / training Bill has had but he got the volume exactly right: speak softly when you want people to listen.

    And I think Katharine had a comment along the same line.

  34. He got in a mention of Beaconsfield (as one of the people).

    I bet that one got lost in the ether.

  35. Also I just heard an (audio only) part of the interview of Turnbull’s disastrous interview with Speers about the costs of the Company Tax cuts.

    Ye gods. Utterly hopeless.

  36. How sad, Sky are showing the Truffles Speers train crash AGAIN.

  37. Shorten has done a great job in prosecuting Labor’s case and differentiating himself from Turnbull.

  40. Kirsdarke

    The visual is even worse . Malsplaining’s hand gestures are a delight.

  43. Pencil neck Hartcher declared Shorten “workmanlike” , his eminence Kelly “I think Shorten went well tonight” . Sky has turned !!

  44. Thinking back on the thirty minute reply,about the government.

    Not too many glimpses of the back-benchers but the noddies looked distinctly Queen Victoria.

    Bananas did her pink thing or stared into space (nice option).

    Waffles and Snot smarmed a lot to begin with. Then Snot had the appearance of looking into his soul and didn’t want a bar of it. Waffles did the tight-lip thing and forgot to lift his eyes to the heavens with an INRI look.

  45. I was away today on a trip to Old Tailem Town, a collection of historical buildings, vehicles, trains and other artifiacts from early settlement through to the WW1 years and into the 20th C. In this case, old settlers huts and town buildings have been gathered from around the district to make a town. Seeing the wattle and daub one room huts, old post office, school etc reminded me of the sheer hard labour it took to just survive in those days. It is the largest pioneer village in Australia.

    http://www.oldtailemtown.com.au/

    It provided a good background for watching Bill Shorten’s Budget Reply. We did not get where we are by dog eat dog, we got here because people worked together and supported each other. And how hard was it for a mother to raise her children? It is about time mothers (and dads) did not have to worry about paying for medical and pharma costs from a privatised medical system.
    Did those people struggle so the fluff wits like the Turnbull gang can buy their tenth yacht?

    Thank you Bill for making it all very clear.

    Replica cottage

    Interior, one room.

  49. Buhfire Bill,

    If that’s the case, my next message here may be that we fought the good fight, but failed in the end. If not, it means we’ve slowed them up a lot, given them pause for thought and that the unthinkable might just happen: a third exoneration.

    You have every chance that you can join those public sector workers that have been victim of bastardry by superiors and have taken up the fight against their individual injustice and won.

    Unfortunately, they are few in number and ended up physically & mentally drained by their experience!

    Keep fighting the good fight and beat the bastards!

    • I think – and very much hope – that ending up drained may not happen to Mr Bushfire’s wonderful HI.

      HI has an extraordinary and fiendishly thorough knight errant in Bushfire Bill. Bushfire Bill also has the support of a certain relation with a legally-trained mind that bears a close resemblance to a steel trap. Plus a few cheerleaders on the sidelines.

  50. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/05/budget-reply-speech-bill-shorten-claims-savings-for-election-war-chest

    http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/05/05/hillary-bray-leaves-building/ paywalled, but its a really short article, so you can see the whole text without logging in anyway

    http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-smoking-bills-20160504-story.html

    http://www.news.com.au/finance/money/scomo-declares-death-of-5-coin–prematurely/news-story/b66a8834abf0c8eb71ae944eeeae51a1

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/04/let-the-ttip-trade-pact-die-if-it-threatens-parliamentary-democr/

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