He’s dead. I’m fairly sure Howard died several years ago and it is his corpse they keep wheeling out just like Chairman Mao on display in Beijing.
I have huge respect for the man and what he has done. I don’t agree with all his policies, but I do respect that he makes a decision and sticks to his guns. There is nothing worse than civil servants that won’t make a decision. Procrastination never got anyone in government fired.
Unfortunately I think his environmental policies stink. Australia has an opportunity to be a world leader in several fields, and they are likely to just slip by. China is becoming more environmentally conscious than Australia. Their cars are more fuel efficient, they have electric vehicles everywhere, and are rolling out solar hot water like mad.
Our involvement in Iraq is just poor. We need to exit, and we need to do it now. Stick with Afghanistan as long as they need it, at least there is some justification. Invading foreign soil should have gone out with Gallipoli. it’s got me buggered why we got involved with the mess.
I firmly believe making the workplace more flexible makes employers more likely to take on staff. No smart company is going to fire valuable staff. It’s not “your job”, it’s “a job” and you happen to be doing it at the moment. If you do it well, you are valuable. If you do it poorly, you are a liability. If I own the company, the last thing I want is more liabilities. As an employee, if the relationship is not a good one, then sooner or later I’ll move on. Any company with high staff turnover will have trouble being profitable against the competition.
Apart from the first two glaring items, I reckon Howard has done a good job.
Now let’s move to Kevin Rudd. Against the guy personally, no comment. Against Labor – HUGE comment. The Labor party is the political arm of the unions. The thought of being forced to join and pay money to a group of thugs that want me to make less money than I do now makes me less than impressed.
The Union movement in Australia keeps ranting on about “the bosses” and “the workers”. I’ve never felt that way, not when I worked at Woolworth’s pushing trolleys, not when I worked for myself, not working for small companies and not when I work for big business. I have a boss, he has a boss, he has a boss and so on. We are all employed on our merits. Some companies reward effort and achievement, some reward ass kissing, some reward the old boys club. If I don’t l like the rewards, I find another job. This seems to be the major point that is missed. Liberal is all about the mobile workforce, where the skills go to whoever wants to offer them the best package. Labor is about the guy who gets and keeps “his job” and will use violence to stop “scab labor” doing it when he walks out because his useless mate got the sack for not doing his job either. When it comes to promotion in a union shop it’s the old boys network all over. That’s the only union movement I know, and I don’t want a bar of it in my workplace.
So – how to vote? Voting for a minority results in little impact unless the Parliament is close to hung. Howard needs to deal with the big issues that many people believe he is ignoring. And Rudd works for thugs and scumbags.
I’m still thinking about it.