En Passant

History records that John Howard’s Liberals won government 20 years ago, on 2 March, 1996. His government had a ruthless class agenda, writes David Glanz in Solidarity, but it was Labor’s timid opposition that kept it in power. To read the whole article click here. 20 years since his election: John Howard—class warrior for the rich

Wake up Australia. Life is tough at the top – but top sorts aren’t being paid their due, writes Ben Hillier, tongue firmly in cheek, in Red Flag. The rich need a champion, not ever more detractors stoking class envy and making the nation uncomfortable.

Anyone who believes that wealth “trickles down” from rich to poor would be stunned by the latest figures writes Dave Sewell in Socialist Worker UK.

The world’s richest 1 percent own 65 times more than the combined wealth of the bottom 50 percent.

And the top 85 billionaires alone have more between them than the bottom 3.5 billion people.

Once again Gina Rinehart has topped the Forbes billionaires list, with a net worth of $17 billion. It’s been a busy year for her, not only gobbling up media assets but also telling the rest of us how to live our lives and run society writes Katie Wood in Socialist Alternative.

Australia’s richest person reckons that wages are too high, business taxes are too high, environmental regulations are stifling progress, there is an entrenched culture of entitlement and we socialise too much. In fact Australia is, according to Gina Rinehart, pretty much in the grip of socialism.
You couldn’t really make this stuff up – but she has, writes Ben Hillier in Socialist Alternative.

It is the ruthlessness required to rule under capitalism that imbues the rich with their characteristic selfishness and greed. So capitalism makes the ruling class scumbags as much as the scumbags make the system. But the working class and indeed the majority of the world’s population has no interest in the kind of greedy, self-serving mentality of the rich and powerful. We can best advance our interests through cooperation, unity and fighting against those who preserve the capitalist system of exploitation for profits.

If these attacks on public servants and public services, low and middle income superannuants, students, backpackers, middle aged dependent spouses and mums are what Labor is prepared to do to the Australian working class when we have the best performing economy in the world, imagine what it will do if the situation in Europe worsens and drags down the global economy and Australia with it.

Ruling class and middle class schools getting millions in public subsidies is indefensible. Funding that is sorely needed for schools in working class suburbs is being siphoned into Toorak and the North Shore and helping to pay for equestrian centres for spoiled brats.

Soak the rich to pay for the cost of the floods. Soak business to pay for improved public health, education, transport and measures to address global warming.