Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login
 

Darron Charlesworth

Adelaide, South Australia, AUSTRALIA


Joined April 14th 2010

Number of Posts:
52

Number of Comments:
2

Karma:
10



Blogs

Darron Charlesworth's Blogs

5460 Vote(s)
22 Comment(s)
65 Post(s)
99 Vote(s)
0 Comment(s)
2 Post(s)

Blogs I Follow

Friends

I have no friends :(

Recent Posts

The free trade folly

November 13th 2010 21:56
As my followers my have noticed I have been trying really hard lately not to get stuck in to the current Government or the Opposition, even though both have been begging to be exposed for the charlatans that they are. The lack of any credible leadership and the farce which now professes authentic Australian Governance is pushing the limits of endurance too far.

I knew this would happen. The surprise was how this happened. It was in fact the G20 and PM Gillard’s defence and promotion of Free Trade which finally broke my silence. How incredibly stupid this woman is. Although it is not just our PM. The fallacy of free trade runs rampant through both sides of politics and is almost immune to criticism no matter how credible.

After watching the US collapse into self inflicted annihilation – the GFC – one would think that an objective outsider may have taken note of the root causes that the infallible Americans have yet to discover. While the common mistake is to blame the banking system, and they did play a significant role in creating the GFC, it is error to consider that they are to blame.

Don’t get me wrong here. The banks were criminal in their behaviour. Despicable in their actions. Contemptible in their short-sightedness. But they were not at fault. Policy was to blame coerced by greed and facilitated by political leaders. The reduction and removal of trade barriers and tariffs gutted the US in unspeakable ways. Predicted by savvy economists the GFC was inevitable. Yet, as foreseeable as this predicament was, the powers at be, lubricated by corporate greed ignored the obvious to satisfy greedy few.

The role of the banks was limited to generating loans for people who obviously could not make the repayments. Not just one or two mind you, oh no, but hundreds of thousands so that players on the markets could appear as though they were improving their market position. Instead all they were doing was setting the institutions up for failure.

The real culprits are the corporations. Their removal of localised production in favour of cheaper places of production completely undermined the entire social structure of the US. So many jobs were lost or relocated to cheaper labour centres that the working class crumbled. There are just not enough jobs to go around once the primary source of employment – manufacturing – was effectively eliminated.

America suffered a horrendous collapse of employment. The factories that used to employ millions of Americans closed. The owners of industry choosing profit before people in a total betrayal of those who funded their astronomical rise to riches. Without any source of stable income hundreds of thousands were left without work, income and the ability to service loans which should never have been granted.

Yet, even with glaring evidence Australia’s PM grants continues to promote free markets and their shining light to security and profitability. How amazingly blind this PM is to what has happened in the US and looks certain to happen in Australia sooner or later.

Luckily for the PM Australia has some unique opportunities and goods which currently allow employment to continue at relatively high levels; but this will not last. The decimation of Australian manufacturing brought about by reductions and removal of tariffs will catch up sooner or later. Just as it did in the US. When it does the impact on everyday Australian’s will by horrendous.

At the moment the US is a useful case study for Australia if it looks at the big picture and relates the situation there to what could develop here. President and politicians alike are oblivious to the root cause of America’s internal collapse. They are struggling to understand why the economy is still languid. With no strong employment sector available there is no chance of rapid recovery.

For the US the only way out is to move back to restricted trade, tariff barriers, and strong support to rebuild their manufacturing sector. This will create employment and strengthen the financial viability of the nation.
Australia needs to take careful note and heed the warnings. At present the country is running down the same track that is crippling the US. Now is the time to protect Australian manufacturing and industry and protect what is left of the Australian way of life.
48
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


And the verdict is: none of the above

August 23rd 2010 21:41
With a hung parliament the most likely outcome of last weekend’s election the horse-trading now begins to form a minority government with the help of Independents. Gillard is claiming the victory with the highest overall vote on a two party basis.

A better indication of voter intent would be to look at the primary vote for both parties. According to the Australian Electoral Commission the results are thus:

Australian Labor Party – 38.51 %

Liberal Party – 30.32 %

National Party – 3.87 %

Liberal National Party of Queensland – 8.98 %

Greens –11.42 %

As an indicator of voter intent this gives a much clearer picture. Clearly Labor is well in front. Their primary vote is more than eight percent higher than the Liberals.

Look at this from another point of view: 61.49 percent of people do not want a Labor government and 69.68 percent do not want a Liberal government. This gives the picture a different perspective. How can either party claim any legitimacy from these figures?

What the Liberal Party uses to show it has some validity is by adding both the Nationals and the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) to its own vote and counting it as one. This is folly on the part of Mr Abbott.

Votes given to the National Party are not votes that Mr Abbott can claim as his own with any degree of sincerity. The Liberals compete against the Nationals where both parties have candidates. A long standing Liberal – Wilson Tuckey – has lost his seat this election to a National. It is therefore unfounded and deceptive of Mr Abbott to think that National’s votes are votes for Liberal. If people wanted the Liberals then that is who they would have voted for.

Compare primary votes this election to the 2007 election. The Liberals are in fact six percent lower in their primary vote this time around. This, Mr Abbott, is hardly a ringing endorsement. Labor has also lost ground dropping nearly five percent of their primary vote.

What is very clear from the weekend is that Labor is no longer in favour. The high number of informal votes – 5.64 percent, the Green vote – 11.42 percent, and the Independent vote – 2.57 percent, shows that nearly 20 percent of voters do not want either of the two major parties. Even if Labor salvage government from the wreckage of what was Federal Labor they are doing so on the whim of marginally of one third of the Australian People. The Abbott led Liberals would do so on less than one third.

The message from this election is the same one received during the preceding campaign – if anyone was listening. The people – do you remember them Mr Abbott and Ms Gillard – have had enough.

There is far too much poll driven politicking and not enough drive and decision making. Media advisor should be one person suggesting ideas not massive teams wording statements to best appease the masses. The people can see that they are being treated with contempt. The result of this election shows this.

Our political leaders need to stop their petty squabbling, take decisive action – without the need for a hundred highly paid consultants, derail the political gravy train and start acting like responsible leaders. Restore the democratic process, govern for the people, and take responsibility for your actions. This political game that is played affects real people and they have spoken. None of you were worthy of our unfettered support.

Are you getting the message yet?
58
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Labor reaps its own reward

August 21st 2010 21:06
With the result of yesterday’s election still hanging in the balance one thing is absolutely clear – Labor has lost its majority. Next comes the inevitable blame game. Who was at fault? Where did it go wrong?

Granted the campaign did not go well for Labor. The damage done to Gillard from internal leaks may prove to have been the final nail in Labor’s coffin. But do not think that that is the cause of the defeat – oh no. The performance of Labor over the past term was what sank the party this time around. By the time the campaign came around Labor was already on life-support.

Over all there was a wholesale failure of Labor to deliver: on anything. Their key policies were either scraped or botched. The commitment of the party was nowhere in sight. The spin which had served Labor so well fell down because, sooner or later, action is required to back that spin up. Talk, talk and more talk is not what the people want. They want to see leadership, they want to see action, the want strong decision making backed up with sound policy effectively delivered.

In this last Labor term there was none of that.

Poorly constructed policy rushed out to appease the masses resulted in catastrophic failures which provided the opposite result. The ‘Building the Education Revolution’ (BER) was seen as inefficient and delivered pointless projects to places they were not needed. Dismal management led to widespread rorting and wasteful implementation. As this was the domain of the newly appointed PM – Julia Gillard – it is unsurprising that her competence was questioned by the Liberals.

The insulation installation initiative was another highly publicised failure. The former minister in charge of this project – Peter Garrett – failed to heed advice which led to tragic consequences. The total cost of this failure has yet to be measured as repairs and inspections are still underway. Doubtless though the cost will run into many millions before it is finished.

The promised construction of over 200 Child Care centres was withdrawn. Citing them as unnecessary this was poor comfort to the hundreds of families unable to find places for their children so they can work longer or at all.

The list goes on but you get the picture. Promise after promise was broken. The billions thrown at the Global Financial Crises is still being questioned. Many economists and commentators are unconvinced the spend was necessary. The public therefore remains dubious to the merits of the rescue package.

Then came the final insult – the shelving of the emission trading platform on which Labor collected many hopeful votes. It is highly probable that this was the single issue which mortally wounded Labor.

This is not to say that emission trading alone caused Labor’s woes. Far from it. What this did though was undermine what little credibility the government had left. They were seen as uncommitted. Unable to deliver. A government plagued by popularism but without vision, passion or belief.

Almost as one the public turned their back on Labor and stopped listening. From this point on nothing that was said would be believed by an increasingly cynical public.

When the dust has settled and the final results of Election 2010 are in Labor can look back and remember that the result was its own doing. The party drove itself to defeat. The opposition merely sat back and enjoyed the ride. There was nothing for them to do other than keep quiet and not say anything stupid. Labor took care of the rest for them.

So when Labor looks for blame there may be one or two stand out players. Holistically though each member of the party can look in the mirror and say “I failed”. Brings into question the wisdom of following the party line. Labor lemmings we salute you.

60
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


OMG. A nightmare unfolding before us

August 20th 2010 07:20
Less than 24 hours to the polls opening and there is no clear winner or clear better option.

Gillard should be the favourite. The bonus of incumbency is always a positive. However, the performance of Labor over the past 3 years has been dismal to say the least. There have been countless policy failures, numerous back-flips, and no clear vision or agenda for the future


[ Click here to read more ]
53
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Greens showing Major's how it's done

August 18th 2010 00:01
With only days left before ‘Election 2010’ there is still no clear winner in the making. The Major Parties’ leaders have failed to make any real impression on the voters. There is no election winning argument, no pivotal debate, no real passion and nothing in the way of visionary leadership.

Both Abbott and Gillard have challenged on stability and unity. Realistically they can claim no credibility on either. There has been much in the way of internal division and leadership challenges from both sides. While both are promising stability this has not been shown in any meaningful way now or in the past


[ Click here to read more ]
59
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Who is rorting the system?

August 15th 2010 14:50
Reports of rorting and waste in the Government’s Building the Education Revolution program (BER) strike a serious blow to public confidence. Although there is much deserved criticism of the Government’s handling of the project this is not what should be most alarming. What about those taking advantage of the taxpayer’s purse?

Hardly any real criticism has been levelled at the unscrupulous operators cashing in at everyone’s expense. Unwarranted fees, extra charges for site management, continual cost blowouts, all reaping extra cash to firms profiting from this project. Why is no-one investigating them


[ Click here to read more ]
60
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Have we started yet?

August 7th 2010 22:42
Usually election time is a time to get a little excited if you are a political pundit. As a voter this is the one meagre opportunity that our political system offers to have a say in the political process. As pathetic as this tiny slice of democracy is it is all we have and generally there is, for me, enthusiasm at having a say, some say, anything, a measly contribution. Not this time.

As far as elections go this expands the boundaries of boredom well beyond anything seen before. And what of the excitement surrounding the election? Well, there is none. It is like a vacuum has formed sucking the life out of politics. There is no major controversy, no big announcements, no vision, nothing, nada, zip


[ Click here to read more ]
68
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Labor treason steering party to defeat

July 31st 2010 23:02
This election campaign is really one for the books. While underhanded, derogatory tactics and personal attacks are not new in Australian election campaigns they usually come from the opposition. For Labor though these are coming thick and fast – from within.

How would this effect the average voter


[ Click here to read more ]
78
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Both sides playing for Political Advantage

July 30th 2010 01:12
As the leaderless election campaign rolls on the little cracks in perception and appearance are slowly starting to widen. While trying to put her best foot forward it seems as though an internal saboteur is doing the best to sink the Labor ship with all hands on board. This does not however discount the light that is being shone on the conduct of Australia’s current batch of politicians.

Paul Murray, in a West Australian article today is critical of the latest leaks because of the way this portrays Gillard. The context implies that she is making policy for political advantage rather than doing what is right


[ Click here to read more ]
61
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


Beware Hobson's Choice

July 27th 2010 21:24
I came across an interesting term today: “Hobson’s Choice”. It means making what appears to be a free choice but when there is no real alternative. With an election almost upon us this highlights the situation for the voter. What choice do we really have?

In a few short weeks Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard will ask the Australian people to vote for them. They will give us a list of reasons why not to vote for the other and one or two why we should vote for them specifically. They will be offering inducements to encourage the voters to pick one over the other. There are so many things wrong with this that it is difficult to know where to start


[ Click here to read more ]
90
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Darron Charlesworth - Category: No Category
   


  

Recent Comments

Comment by Darron Charlesworth
on Not much choice for concerned voters

July 28th 2010 08:30


Australian Politics
Environmental Issues
Yes, the Democrats were a valuable force and provided some balance in Parliament. Unfortunately they started to self-destruct following Barlett's assassination of Stott-Despoja. Pity, she was a fantastic leader and should have been backed by the leadership as she was by the rank and file.
After saving the Party from Kerno's surprise departure she deserved much better. The leaderships move on NSD killed the Dems and lost Australia its voice against the two party machine.

[ Delete ] [ Ignore ]

Comment by Darron Charlesworth
on Gillard must go to the electorate now

July 28th 2010 08:26


Australian Politics
Environmental Issues
As predicted she has gone early. Less chance of making a mess of things.
A different Garrett would be nice but as it stands he has no credibility.

[ Delete ] [ Ignore ]