The Mining Tax
June 7th 2010 03:33
The real issue behind the mining super-profits tax is the question of who exactly runs Oz. Officially it is the democratically elected governments - states and national - that make up the Federal system. What we are seeing is a challenge to that arrangement by the strongest corporate sector in the country - mining.
Of course, the mining sector already owns the WA Liberal Party, who happen to be in government in WA, so that complicates things to start with, and if the national Liberals gain government under Abbott, that will be the situation on the national level as well.
National politics is now dominated by the mass media, and the miners have both huge amounts of money and plenty of ideological fellow travellers in the media to push their case. The mass media is mostly owned by corporate interests who basically favour the miners' line, and the micro-bite approach of the increasingly powerful electronic media does not lend itself to extended analysis. So, sadly, we can assume that a barrage of simplistic ads by the miners will sway public opinion.
The Rudd Government has countered with its own ad campaign, an extraordinary concession that national government can no longer win out over the media in terms of public debate.This follows on Howard's increasing use of media to push his policies in the recent past.
This reality, that public life in Oz is now dominated by the mass media and therefore those with the deepest pockets, should be a worry to all Australians. Voting, as constrained as it is, is the only way most Australians can have any say on how their state and country is run. If elections and policy-making become irrelevant, they will have to just sit back and watch their country taken over those with the most money, most of whom live overseas.
Of course, the mining sector already owns the WA Liberal Party, who happen to be in government in WA, so that complicates things to start with, and if the national Liberals gain government under Abbott, that will be the situation on the national level as well.
National politics is now dominated by the mass media, and the miners have both huge amounts of money and plenty of ideological fellow travellers in the media to push their case. The mass media is mostly owned by corporate interests who basically favour the miners' line, and the micro-bite approach of the increasingly powerful electronic media does not lend itself to extended analysis. So, sadly, we can assume that a barrage of simplistic ads by the miners will sway public opinion.
This reality, that public life in Oz is now dominated by the mass media and therefore those with the deepest pockets, should be a worry to all Australians. Voting, as constrained as it is, is the only way most Australians can have any say on how their state and country is run. If elections and policy-making become irrelevant, they will have to just sit back and watch their country taken over those with the most money, most of whom live overseas.
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