They have been persisting with trade liberalization, more privatization and all of the other bull crap associated with freemarket fundamentalism now for three decades.  Same lies, same failures, same job loses.  All we have seen our of it is an increase in Corruption Mafia type activity in the Corporate and Political arena, job loses, wages and conditions driven down, economic, job and social insecurity increasing, widening economic inequality, social justice and personal freedom diminishing and crises upon crises with precious little stability.

I am sick of a country dictated to  by organized corporate greed, technocrats and Mafia corporate executives.  I am sick of the outcomes of their criminal management of our economy and our country, I am sick of the lies, the spin, the abuse of power and the point blank refusal of these people to be accountable and allow for public debate on their policy agenda.  How about you - are you sick of it?  Are you sick of public assets being handed over to investors for their personal extortion cash cow?  Are you sick of the service inefficiency of business run for profit?

Quote:

Leaders back free-trade pact but unions warn on tariff cuts AUSTRALIAN exporters will secure access to a free-trade bloc covering one-third of the world's gross domestic product after agreement from the US to lead the development of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the Gillard government faces a 12-month negotiating battle to ensure the final design of the proposed TPP includes abolition of all tariffs among the nine member nations, amid fears Japan could seek exclusions for agricultural products, which would significantly devalue the deal. And the trade deal ran into immediate domestic friction from leaders of Australia's most powerful unions and a key Labor backbencher, as the Greens labelled the pact a dangerous US-driven plot that could undermine national interests. Julia Gillard and US President Barack Obama joined other Pacific region nations in Hawaii yesterday to commit to creating the TPP, ordering their trade ministers to begin talks aimed at creating a legal text for a full agreement by the end of next year. The Prime Minister emerged from the talks saying she was delighted that the leaders, who met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation group summit in Honolulu, had agreed to set a zero-tariffs target, which she said would provide massive opportunities for Australian farmers and manufacturers. "Trade's good for growth and it's good for jobs," Ms Gillard said, adding that there were hopes the pact could evolve into a free-trade agreement covering the entire Asia-Pacific region. "We are a great trading nation and anything we can do to increase our capacity to trade is good for Australian jobs. It's an important development for our nation's trading future." Ms Gillard was unable to quantify the potential financial benefits, but said they would be substantial. But the union movement warned yesterday that a rapid move to a new free-trade zone could eliminate what tariff protection remains on industries that were already struggling with a high Australian dollar and competition from more regulated economies, such as China. The national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Dave Oliver, demanded the government commission "a full social and economic statement" on the proposed trade deal before agreeing to it. He was supported by the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Paul Howes, who said while the AWU generally supported multilateral trade agreements, the timing was questionable in this case. For some manufacturing industries, Mr Howes said, the removal of tariff protection in the current difficult circumstances could be the "death knell". Influential left-wing ALP senator Doug Cameron also expressed concern: "I don't think we should administer our manufacturing industry one iota of disadvantage given the pressure it is already under." The idea for a TPP has evolved over recent years amid frustration over the failure of the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round of talks to advance the cause of trade liberalisation. Yesterday's agreement was signed by the leaders of Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Friday that his country was also interested in joining. But with his government facing domestic political pressure not to open Japan's agriultural sector to competition, there was caution yesterday about whether its inclusion could impede progress. Ms Gillard made clear that although Japan's interest was welcome, Australia was a free-trading nation and wanted a high-quality agreement. "In ambition, the TPP has as a goal eliminating barriers to trade in our region," she said. "That is eliminating tariffs. "That is a very important expression of the level of ambition of this new partnership. There is a great deal of ambition and scope. "We will now keep working as quickly as possible with the nations involved. We are aiming for the TPP to reach the stage of legal text during 2012." Mr Obama also acknowledged that negotiations over fine detail would be difficult. "I don't underestimate the difficulties of this because each member country has particular sensitivities, political barriers," the President said. "It requires adjustments within these countries where certain industries or certain producers may push back. For Japan, for example, in the agricultural sector, that's going to be a tough issue for them. "But we're not going to delay. Our goal is to try to get something done by next year." Australia has been reducing its tariffs since the mid-1980s, with the remaining tariffs affecting mainly the automobile industry and the textile, clothing and footwear sector. The liberalisation push is widely accepted to have boosted the nation's economic competitiveness and set the nation on a path to its ongoing prosperity. Until recently, Australian officials were uncertain about Mr Obama's level of interest in the TPP, with trade liberalisation politically fraught in the US and the President facing election late next year. But with his re-election hopes shackled by a sluggish US economy sluggish, the President has begun pursuing trade reform as a driver of jobs growth. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/leaders-back-free-trade-pact-but-unions-warn-on-tariff-cuts/story-fn59niix-1226194055151

It's always the same old, same old to keep your eyes off what's really happening....see! over there where you shouldn't be looking in case you see what they are trying to keep your eyes off.

It makes great sense.  Hamsting your industries with countless good for nothing taxes.....shag their international competitiveness and then advocate free trade.

Stupid witch.... :( :(

It is hardly fundamentalism. It is about as mainstream as you can get.

Or would you prefer to go back to weaving baskets and paying duty at the NSW/VIC border?

freediver wrote on Nov 14^th, 2011 at 9:05pm:

It is hardly fundamentalism. It is about as mainstream as you can get. Or would you prefer to go back to weaving baskets and paying duty at the NSW/VIC border?

I put Australia's Job security, industrial security and social security and stability as a starting point and work from there.  I also think their needs t be constant vigilance and watch on the corporate and political arena for corruption.

Right now Australia is riddled with corruption, Mafia and organized crime.  The proponents of the freemarket have any number of justifications for their activities, they are smooth, they have the spin, but they are filthy lying crooks laundering the wealth of this nation and making a mockery of democracy.

we need a corruption inquiry and a media inquiry and we need to stop being apathetic.

The only thing you can guarantee for yourself is poverty, which is what you will end up if you put certainty before everything else. If you want to improve your lot, you have to take risks and make sacrifices.

How would you feel if our ancestors from 100 years ago demanded certainty and guaranteed we had nothing more than what they had?

freediver wrote on Nov 15^th, 2011 at 7:49pm:

The only thing you can guarantee for yourself is poverty, which is what you will end up if you put certainty before everything else. If you want to improve your lot, you have to take risks and make sacrifices. How would you feel if our ancestors from 100 years ago demanded certainty and guaranteed we had nothing more than what they had?

whitey seem to think we can get by very nicely without corporation and govts by the sound of things...maybe he should get out there and start his very own co op and see how well that goes without bosses or leadership.

he wants to live in a bowl of cheeries.... ha.ha. dont we all..

I do not for one moment think our world is full of corruption..like he does...sounds like a bad dose of sour grapes to me... of course there are a few that are corrupt.. sadly all part of the human makeup.. like robbers and thieves but for the most part we are pretty fair dinkum..

I find it sad when someone like whitey raves on and on about the same thing..yet doesnt do anything to stop what he claims is a cancer in our society.

we as indivduals can only live the decent life we claim we want..